Chic & Laid Back Greenery Industrial Wedding

What a pleasure it is to have Nat and Matt with us today sharing their chic industrial wedding, filled with greenery at Holmes Mill in Lancashire, which was hosted on the 3rd May 2019. They described their day to me as “laid back and full of laughter” which I have to say was captured just so beautifully by their chosen photographer, Siobhan Amy Photography. Thanks ever so much to Siobhan for sharing with us these exquisite captures of a memorable and very meaningful celebration.

Kudos to Nat and Matt for crafting such a personal and oh so stylish day. The industrial venue really set the tone for their wedding and they decorated the space simply, with festoon lights, long wooden tables and old school chairs, plus foliage throughout. The statement greenery arch complete with neon sign really made great impact at both their ceremony and reception, along with giant helium balloons for the top table. Do look out for a really cool semi naked drip cake and elegant calligraphy stationery too.

Onto the outfits as I just love them so. Nat chose a flowing gown with lace top by Catherine Deane and a custom painted leather jacket, she looked stunning. Matt and his groomsmen all donned dashing tuxedos and the bridesmaids wore their own dresses in a colour palette of blue, grey and silver, the result was a really gorgeous mismatched style. What a really wonderful day.

The Proposal

Matt proposed to me during a walk at Rivington near where we live, it’s one of our favourite places to walk and somewhere that I’ve gone from being a child. I remember that morning he was hurrying me out the house to go for a walk and now I know why! We went to my parents house to tell them our news, although my Dad already knew as Matt has asked his permission and then went to all of our favourite places in Manchester to celebrate.

The Vision

Industrial with lots of greenery / foliage.

The Planning Process

I found the process quite easy – Matt & I discussed what we want and then he was happy for me to run with ideas and do the research and then we’d sit down and go through everything and make final decisions together. I tried not to spend too much time looking at stuff as that’s when I would start to feel overwhelmed.

Beauty

My best friend & bridesmaid Lou is a super talented hair dresser and make up artist and I trust her completely. I told her I wanted wavy hair with a bit of volume and sent her a few screenshots of make up looks I’d seen on Pinterest and I just let her do her thing. She knows me well enough to know what I like and what suits me. She did an amazing job. Getting ready since my wedding day has been a let down as I don’t think my hair & make up will ever look that good again …

The Venue

We went to a wedding fair at Holmes Mill a couple of months after we got engaged and I think we both knew straight away that it was the place for us. We’d looked at around 5 venues before going to Holmes Mill – it was so different to the other venues we’d looked at and we loved everything about it. I couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else. The staff were all so friendly and helpful. The canteen classics menu was also a big tick for us, we wanted to serve comfort food (we had fish & chips and pie & mash) and Matt loved the beer selection.

Your Outfits & Accessories

My friend Justine had told me a while back that her friend Kim was opening a bridal shop in Clitheroe . I started following her on Instagram and that’s how I discovered Catherine Deane. I fell in love with her range. I always knew I didn’t want a princess dress, I hate anything fussy so wanted to keep it as simple as possible and have a dress that felt very “me”.

I wanted a statement shoe and found mine in Ted Baker, they were so comfy and as close to Carrie Bradshaw’s Manolos as I could afford.

For part of the day I wore a leather jacket that was designed by Kate Illustrate….I wanted to have a bit of a rock chick moment.

The Readings & Music

We had one reading by our friend Nic, called “the art of marriage”. We spent quite a long time picking music, as it plays a huge role in the day. I walked down the aisle to a string version of Whatever by Oasis, my favourite band and walked out to Do I wanna know by the Arctic Monkeys. We both love the band and thought the song made great exit music. Our first dance was to If I had a gun by Noel Gallagher – the title doesn’t sound very romantic but the lyrics were perfect, and we are both big Noel fans.

We hired Chris Stocks, an acoustic musician who had played at friend’s wedding a few years before. He really set the tone of the day from the start, playing a great mix of acoustic songs during the welcome drinks and then did 2 more sets & DJ’d in the evening. So many people asked about him and commented on how good he was. The dance floor was never empty!

Bridesmaids

I had 5 bridesmaids and they each picked their own dress. I gave them an idea of the look I wanted (long dresses in a bluey/grey/silver, different fabrics) and let them choose a style that suited them. I didn’t want them in matching dresses, and they each have their own style and I wanted that to come through. I also wanted them to feel comfortable and happy in their dresses. I didn’t see all the dresses together until the morning of the wedding but they looked amazing! It was exactly how I envisaged it.

Groomsmen

Matt had been set on the idea of a modern tux from the start. He tried a few on and decided on the Ted Baker tux and had it tailored so it fit him perfectly. All the groomsmen wore their own tux’s.

The Flowers

Our flowers were by Sam Williams, she works with HM a lot and I cannot praise her enough. The idea started with foliage and gypsophila with some grey carnations or thistles to match the BM dresses we met with Sam a couple of times and loved her style and just loved her approach and attitude. She suggested succulents which is something I’d of never though of. I felt like we could just say this is the sort of thing we want and then just let her run with it, she is the expert! The flowers on the day looked incredible we had so any compliments. She was just brilliant.

The Details & Décor

The room itself didn’t need a lot doing to it, as it speaks for itself, so all we did was hire a neon sign and had some giant Mr & Mrs Balloons. We also had a running order on an easel by the door.

We had long tables for the wedding breakfast with old fashioned school chairs. Sam decorated the tables with foliage and lots of little jars with flowers in as well as copper geo tea light holders.

The Cake

We got our cake from Finch Bakery near Clitheroe which is run by two twins. They were so helpful and made us a batch up of cupcakes to take away and try. They do traditional flavours but also have some wackier options, like candy floss. We kept it simple and went for a 3 tier semi naked cake, the tiers were Lemon, Chocolate Orange and Raspberry. We both love Peanut Butter so the girls also sent us 12 peanut butter cupcakes which was a really nice touch. The cake was incredible, it looked and tasted amazing.

Your Photographer

I found Siobhan on Instagram and I am so glad I did. She played such a huge role in the day. When she arrived at my hotel room it was like she was one of the girls from the start. I didn’t want to spend ages on photos and she understood that and got the right mix of posed pictures and candid’s. Matt and I aren’t big on having our photo taken so it was important that we felt comfortable and at ease and Siobhan helped us feel like that. The photos were brilliant, and the one thing that people have commented on is how everyone is laughing in nearly every picture. That’s what we wanted from the day and Siobhan captured it perfectly.

The Honeymoon

We spent two weeks in Italy, flying out a couple of days after the wedding. We went to Rome, Florence, Lake Garda, Verona & Venice. We wanted a bit of an adventure but didn’t want to go anywhere long haul. We wanted somewhere romantic with good food and Italy was the perfect place.

Memorable Moments

Walking down the aisle and seeing Matt for the first time that day. The ceremony was our favourite part of the day.
Arriving at the hotel in a VW camper van with my bridesmaids – which my parents arranged as a surprise.
A group sing along to The Shallows at the end of the night – orchestrated by my Dad!

Advice For Other Couples

Enjoy it and don’t get stressed about the minor details. On the day all that matters is that you both turn up and have the best day of your lives.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Oh wow.

Nat and Matt, thank you both so very much for sharing your greenery wedding with us, what a dream day! xo Lou