Are you ready for the beautiful wedding of Natalie and Craig photographed by Dan Morris . Oh my days!!! You will fall in love with their little boy who I’m pretty sure stole the show. This is a couple who I have known separately and together and I’m so excited to show you their stunning something slightly different Cardiff wedding. ~Kate
What was your budget?
We wanted to be realistic as we had just bought a new house and had a 1 year old. We did not want to start married life with debt so we only had what we could pay for upfront. In total we spent £14,000.
How would you describe your wedding theme?
Both my husband and I wanted a very relaxed wedding. We did not want the traditional wedding. However we wanted a bit of quirkyness and something slightly different. For example we bought individual cakes from Patisserie Valerie rather than a wedding cake. We were also one of the first people to have our wedding at the fabulous venue in central Cardiff, Chapel 1877. My husband and I actually sat on our own in one of their beautiful booths. We also hired a vintage London bus that transported our guests to the venue where we had our beautiful photos.
What was your favourite part of your wedding?
My husband and I actually sat on our own in a very romantic booth. I promise we were not being Anti social it was a way for us just to spend time together and talk about the day over our beautiful wedding breakfast. We had the top table in front of us which sat all our family. We were able to mingle with our guests inbetween courses. It was perfect.
Tell us about your Wedding Dress
I am very petite and therefore I felt a large princess style or fishtail dress would not flatter my body shape. I did lots of research and came across the Jenny Packham Collection. I fell in love with the Esme dress from the 2013 collection. I contacted one of the only bridal shops in Wales to stock Jenny Packham, High Society in Cowbridge. They happened to have a Jenny packham event on. Emma was fantastic and made me try on my dream dress last. I only tried on Jenny Packham as I felt so classy and elegant in her gowns. My sister cried as soon as she saw me in Esme.
Who did you pick as your bridesmaids &/or best man and why?
My fabulous bridesmaids were my best friends from school. I had four lovely bridesmaids Nikita, Nadia, Katy & Siobhan. We all live across the UK but have always stayed the best of friends. My bridesmaids captured so many moments I did not see while we were busy which was great. My sister was heavily pregnant therefore we thought it would be best if she rested as much as she could during the day. Our best man Dave is a very close friend of mine and my husband. Our gorgeous little flower girl was our best mans little girl. One of my favourite photos from the wedding is of Dave and Mya together. Our little boy Frankie was our pageboy. He was the person who made my husband cry when he walked down the aisle.
Why did you choose your venue?
It was beautiful and we wanted an original venue. I also wanted my guests to experience award winning food. The Chapel 1877 staff were so accommodating and everything exceeded our expectations. Richard and his team really did make our day perfect for us. Nothing was too much.
Tell us about your photographer
Craig has known Dan Morris since school days. They have played rugby together for numerous years. Dan is such a lovely person and is so approachable. He has a lovely calming manner about him. His photographs are so original, I trusted Dan completely on the day. He really does have a talent with the camera. We are so thrilled with our photographs. We cannot thank him enough.
How did the proposal happen?
The proposal happened 1850m above sea level in the Mountains of Charmonix. We went skiing in 2013 and we were at the top of the slope and Craig asked me to get the camera out to have a photo together. He then got down on one knee in a beautiful spot on the mountains. What made it even more special is Craig designed the ring with help from the Diamond Centre Wales. It was the first of its kind to be made so there is an extra little diamond hidden in the band. I have so many compliments about it.
Any DIY stories/tutorials you’d like to share?
Be realistic with money and stick to your theme. I used Pintrest a lot to help me out on original ideas. I researched for months. We made our own table decorations, hundreds of ivory, grey and blue candles with ribbon and broaches. We cut costs by reducing the amount of flowers and used other alternatives, like sequined table cloths by Pudding Bridge in order to add colour to the table. We bought the bridesmaid dresses in the sales. I also added detail and broaches to my bridal shoes.
What was your first dance & why?
Our first Dance was sang by Andy Huntley our acoustic singer for the evening. It was Hey there Delilah by the Plain White Ts. We chose this song as when Craig and I first got together I was in University in Oxford and sometimes we would go 3-4 weeks without seeing each other. Craig sent me this song during this time and the lyrics fitted our relationship at the time.
In hindsight, was there anything you would have done differently?
No we loved every single second.
Do you have any advice for future couples?
Just try and sit back and take it all in. Have a good look around the room at all your guests and have time with your new husband or wife for 5 mins alone before the evening guests arrive and you dance the night away. The day goes too quick.
What’s the best piece of marriage advice you received?
Never go to bed on an argument and tell each other every day that you love each other.
What was your favourite thing about planning a wedding?
Planning it with my husband and letting him have an equal say in our special day. Also the fantastic hen do that my beautiful bridesmaids arranged. We really made lovely memories and laughed the whole weekend.
The Suppliers
Photographer: Dan Morris
Ceremony Venue: City Hall Cardiff, The Chambers
Reception Venue: Chapel 1877
Bride’s Dress: Jenny Packham, Esme, High Society Cowbridge
Bride’s Shoes: Kurt Geiger
Bride’s Headpiece: Ivory & Co
Bride’s Jewellery: Ring Diamond Centre Wales and a Pandora bangle
Groom’s Outfit: Youngs suit hire
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Coast
Bridesmaid’s Accessories: Accessorise
Cake: Patisserie Valerie
Flowers: Kath Stallard
Hair and Make up: Farhana Ali
Band: Andy Huntly
Stationery: Bespoke Wedding Creations
Any Reception Decor/Props: Pudding Bridge, Love lighting
Transport: London bus for hire.
The Wedding Album
I think you will agree that this wedding was lovely. If your would like to share your wedding with us then fill in the form here . I have 52 real weddings to fill for Friday’s next year so come on! send them my way! ~ Kate
