EMILY + ALASTAIR Real Weddings - Raffaele Ciuca Bridal Shop

There is a magic to a Christmas wedding in the English country side. We are unsure if its the Pine trees or the delicate fairy lights but there is definitely something special to an English country side wedding in the month of December.

#RCREALBRIDE Emily wore the beautiful and modern Delco by Pronovias. A sensual design that showcases curves and the feminine silhouette. A mermaid wedding dress with a sweetheart neckline and off-the-shoulder sleeves in mikado that plays with the volume and lustre of the fabric to emphasise the figure.

Photographer: Gary Walsh

THE FIRST SIGHT

We met in the city of Manchester, where we were both attending University. I, Emily, was studying textile design & Alastair was studying town planning. It was a student night out where we first laid eyes on one another – both wearing ridiculous fancy dress costumes! We exchanged numbers that night and the rest is history as they say!

THE PROPOSAL

We had been together for 8 years and had bought a home together. We had travelled to the North of England for a friends wedding over a long weekend, Alastair suggested going for a walk through the village that I had grown up in. He engineered the walk to go past the quaint village church (where we ended up getting married!) and he got down on one knee over looking the beautiful hills and valleys of North Yorkshire – the sky was turning all sorts of purple hues, it was just perfect!

THE VENUE

We chose a venue called Headlam Hall, a luxury country house in the rural countryside just 5 mins from the church. We both loved the cosy feel to the place, especially at Christmas time – it felt like a home straight away! The setting of the place, meant that there was lots of lovely gardens and outdoor spaces for unforgettable photographs. This countryside venue was just right for us!

FAVOURITE MOMENT

The church and ceremony –

The church looked so beautiful on the day, we were very lucky to have such good weather in the height of a UK Winter. The sun was shining and we had blue skies all round – although be it quite windy which just adds to the windswept photos! The church was decorated with holly and ivy wreaths, Christmas tree and hessian bows hung from the pews. The sun shon throug the stained glass windows donning a beautiful light. The feeling of walking into church with so many friends and family there to welcome you and witness your special day is just incredible and a moment to be cherished forever.

Other favourite moments have to be dancing the night away to a hispanic band, seeing all of our guests enjoying themselves at the wedding breakfast and the trip from the church to the venue with my new husband and 4 gorgeous bridesmaids all squished into the back of a rolls royce!

Having our bouquets of flowers delivered on the morning of the wedding, I was in love with mine from first sight. It was a large wild arrangement using eucalyptus, roses, berries & twisted willow. A real organic, natural feel to it, exactly what I had asked for. The colours tied in so well with the theme, bridesmaid dresses and décor for the rest of the day.

THE DRESS

I actually tried on the Dante dress first and knew straight away that the shape was right for me! The only thing I wasn’t quite sure on was the lace, it felt a little fussy for me. So I went away to have another think about it and then saw online that the Delco was a very similar shape but plainer – it was more me, it looked timelessly modern and like no other I had seen before. I scheduled another trial with Teresa who was brilliant and when I tried it on I knew it was the ONE. The sheen of the fabric, the pleats in the off-the-shoulder straps and the button details on the back of the dress that lead all the way to the bottom of the train were my favourite features. I believe this dress was lucky number 13!

Two of my bridesmaids were visiting Melbourne a couple of months later so I took them to see it – they were blown away and just like that we had said yes to the dress 17,000 km away from the very place I would be getting married.

FINDING THE ONE

Teresa was excellent, she listened and made you feel at ease from the very start. Always happy to see me again when I tried on the Delco a second time with my bridesmaids.

ADVICE FOR OTHER BRIDES

Here are my Wedding tips -Don’t ever compare your wedding to others, it has to be special and unique to you.

Be organised, keep a wedding diary and tick off each thing as its done.You will feel so much better when you can see how much you’ve already done.

Use pinterest! It’s great for ideas and inspiration.

If you can (And you’re not planning from abroad) then make a lot of the decorations yourself, its fun and will save a lot of pennies!

The tips I can give you on how to keep a happy relationship is to compromise and always work out an argument.
Don’t take life too seriously, enjoy it.
Laugh!