Simply Bows Real Life Bride: Kirsty marries at Langley Castle...

What are your first names?

Sam & Kirsty

Where and when did you get engaged?

We got engaged on the 20th May in Paris. Sam was going to propose to me on the balcony of our hotel whilst watching the light show on the Eiffel Tower but I was tired and because I thought we had missed it (its hourly, I think) I wanted to go to bed and wouldn’t go out onto the balcony :/ So I ruined his lovely surprise so he asked me the next morning when I had just woken up so very nice surprise!!

What was your wedding date?

1st September 2012

Where did you get married?

Langley Castle for Civil Ceremony followed by a Blessing in The Chapel

Why did you choose your venue?

Because it was absolutely amazing!! And I always wanted to get married in a ‘princess castle’ and this most certainly was one of those!! Felt like a princess for the day! I remember the first time going to have a look around it, I got that excited, bouncing around like a little girl, that when I went to look in the window seat in the Drawing Room, I slipped and banged my knee ha ha!! I instantly knew when I drove up the drive and saw the Castle that it was ‘the one’ !

Did you have a “theme”?

I had a few themes I mixed together! From the very beginning I wanted Taupe, but initially wanted it with a hint of pink and vintage! When it came to looking for the Bridesmaid dresses I instantly knew the one I wanted, in fact I even tried it on when I was looking at wedding dresses. Initially I wanted in Taupe but when I saw it on my bridesmaids in the Teal colour I decided I loved it that much and it would be more striking to have. Plus no-one would expect me to go for this colour!! So my theme became Taupe and Teal. During one of my visits to Langley Castle I saw the peacocks which is where my ‘hint of peacock’ inspiration came from! I then decided to add a splash of purple into the evening reception colour scheme with peacock feathers in the centrepieces!! The flowers were made by Tricia Irving from Wigton and she did an amazing job of the centrepieces, bouquets, flower arches, pedestals etc. Also I had a bit of a diamond theme going on too! Basically ‘bling and sparkles’!

What was your wedding colour scheme?

Taupe & Teal with a hint of Peacock!

Why did you choose Simply Bows and Chair Covers and what were they like to work with?

Kristywas sooo friendly and excitable, after our initial appointment I knew I wanted to choose to work with her. She was fantastic the whole time, even with flaky me changing my mind on colours and bows. I eventually opted for simple white bows tied to one side for the ceremony room for a fairytale look, and chose Silver organza bows tied with pearl bands and sparkly sequined organza tablecloths for my evening reception.

What sort of dress did you choose and where from?

I chose a princess dress from Kokoa Bride in Penrith. I initially was after a fitted lace and sparkle dress but came across the one I chose and fell in love! And it came with a Taupe belt with flower design on which matched my theme perfectly and I decided, that as I was only going to do this once, I should just go for the dress of my dreams which I knew all along would be a big princess dress. My dress was a Mori Lee by Madeline Gardner dress. It has an embellished and very sparkly fitted bodice which I got altered so that it had a sweetheart neckline rather than the straight neckline it was before hand, with a taupe and cream and taupe flower sash, and the bottom is layers of tulle with lace and sparkly detailing on the bottom! The veil was a chapel length one covered in diamantes, again from Kokoa Bride. My shoes were stunning lace and pearl courts with diamante heels from Kokoa Bride too. The groom party all wore Grey Silk suits from Kokoa Bride, the groom wore a Taupe cravat while the rest wore Teal cravats to match the bridesmaid dresses perfectly. The two pageboys wore beige trousers and waistcoats from monsoon with taupe cravats.

What did your bridesmaids wear?

My bridesmaids wore Teal green satin dresses by Pheonix Gowns. These were long, v necked style with off the shoulder straps and looked stunning on the girls. They all wore pearl and diamante headbands and silver strappy sandals. My friend’s daughter was flower girl and wore a white and taupe dress from BHS with butterflies on and my 9 week daughter wore a lovely oranza ivory dress with butterflies on too, and an ivory headband that I customised myself with pearls and diamantes.

Who was your photographer?

Julie Winspear, and she was absolutely fantastic!

What “special touches” did you add to your day?

I put such a lot of detail into the smaller aspects of the wedding. I made my wedding invites myself, and wanted to carry on the rest of the stationary in a similar way. The wedding invites had a Taupe, pearl and diamond theme. The name cards were handmade using teal ribbon, taupe card and diamantes. The table plan was my pride and joy and was made using shimmer card, teal ribbon, diamante embellishments and teal and silver diamantes.

The table names were named after attraction in Paris (as we got engaged there). The favours were 3 chocolate roses in teal or purple organza bags. I wanted to use the pink, purple and green sweets out of the roses selection (from the Cadbury shop) but as Cadbury had stopped the green one, I bought individual fudge and wrapped each one in teal green tissue paper to keep with the colour scheme! The cakes were decorated with teal and taupe ribbon, the cupcakes were made in purple and teal cupcake cases and decorated with silver and teal decorations. 

The centrepieces all had peacock feathers displayed in with the flowers. I even had a peacock feather pen for the guest book. I also made a wedding post box using teal and taupe ribbon, pearl and diamante embellishments and of course a couple of peacock feathers!

We hired in a chocolate fountain with strawberries, fudge, marshmallows, profiteroles and Turkish delight!!

My dad also bought me a pink Disney princess cake as I am a ‘daddy’s princess’ haha! 

During the ceremony we had a ‘candle ceremony’ where the mothers of each family lit 2 small candles and me and Sam then lit a ‘unity’ candle with the 2 small candles to represent our two families coming together.

Another special touch was that the lads (groom, best man, ushers, fathers of the bride and groom, and brides uncles and brother in law) all changed into their ‘shiteshirts’ after the first dance, and came onto the dance floor together dancing to cheeky girls and you can leave your hat on which was very funny and a good surprise for all the guests! This was all planned out on the stag do!! The disco was supplied by Majestic Nights disco.

What was your favourite part of the day?

 All of it! Being with my family and friends; seeing how everything all came together;  the décor; the dressing up and getting ready; the weather; everything, and of course the wedding itself

Where did you go on honeymoon?

We are going to Dubai with our daughter and mother-in-law and meeting the father-in-law over there (he works in Saudi) so I call it a ‘familymoon’. Sam and I are hoping to have our ‘just us’ honeymoon with a renewal of vows next September in Mexico when Sophia is older and hopefully won’t feel as bad leaving her with grandparents!

What would be your top tip for another bride to be?

Just relax and enjoy the whole day. Everyone said to me it flies by so just chill and relax and they were right, it really does!!

Simply Bows Real Life Bride: Cherie....

Today we interview a Simply Bows and Chair Covers Real Bride Cherie who married her lovely hubby Paul at Langley Castle Hotel...

Tell us about your engagement...

We got engaged on the 7th April 2007, I was outside hanging out the washing and my oldest daughter came and give me a ring and said “mammy I think you should marry daddy” when I looked up Paul was standing there smiling! 

Where and when did you get married?

 

We got married on Friday the 23rd March 2012 . We got married at Langley Castle. We choose Langley because the venue is amazing and our children loved the idea that mammy and daddy were getting married in a real castle. Also it’s close to where all our family and friends live. 

Did you have a wedding theme?

 

We didn’t really have a theme, although I just wanted it to look amazing. 

Our colour scheme was dark blue and cream.

The first time we looked around Langley simply bows were setting up for a weeding and when we walked into the function room it took our breath away. We instantly knew we had to have chair covers, chair covers were never in the budget but after what we show we had to have them! Kristy from Simply Bows and Chair Covers was recommended to us by the venue and she was brilliant to work with, she listened to what we wanted and then came up with what we asked for and the attention to detail was out of this world. We received so many comments about the finished room. The worst bit was having to wait nearly 1 year before I could see it all set up!

Tell us about your dress...

I wore an Amanda Wyatt dress which I bought 18 months before my wedding, it was the first dress I saw and fell in love with it straight away, I even nearly had a fight with some other bride who wanted the same dress! 

It had just been reduced from £800 to £300 that morning. I went for bodice style dress with a long train, I loved wearing this dress, and have even had it on a few times since I got married just because I feel amazing in it! 

And your bridesmaids...

 

They wore navy blue dresses with a cream sash around the middle, and my little flower girl wore a navy blue and cream dress, this dress was my bargain. 

 

Who photographed your big day?

 

Sarah Thew took our photos, Sarah and her husband Peter was amazing on our day so friendly and were amazing with our guests. I love my wedding photos so much!

Tell us about the little touches...

Our table names were named after streets that meant something to us i.e. Hill Street was where we had our first kiss, hallstile bank our first house etc.  

The most amazing part of the day for me, was when I started to walk down the aisle and looked up and saw Paul, I fell in love with him all over again!

Did you have a honeymoon?

We didn’t have a honey moon, as we couldn’t go away due to having three  children. But we did have a 2 nights in York which was amazing. 

What is your special tip for other Bride's to be?

My tip would be enjoy planning and do what you want not what other people want you to do, IT’S YOUR WEDDING!!

 

Simply Summer Weddings: A Simply Bows and Chair Covers Real Life Bride marries at Langley Castle

What are your first names?

Fiona and Steven

Where and when did you get engaged?

We got engaged on 14^th February 2009. After meeting at high school, we had been together almost 10 years when Steven proposed. Steven had it all planned and believe it or not I was completely surprised. He gave me a valentine’s card on the morning of Valentine’s Day 2009 and inside was a handmade ‘invitation’. The invitation said that I was invited to a ‘romantic evening out’ and that I was to ‘dress up’ I wasn’t allowed to ask any questions like ‘where are we going?’ or ‘what are we going to do?’ but I had to be ready for 7pm. So I began planning my outfit and doing my nails etc... 7pm came and as did the taxi that took us into Newcastle. We had a drink in ‘the pitcher and piano’ and Steven suggested that we start walking to the restaurant as we’d never been to this particular one. So we started walking along the quayside (but in the wrong direction of most of the pubs and bars in Newcastle!!) I was chatting away completely oblivious that Steven had another surprise (in his sock of all places!) he turned me around so that I had an incredible view of both the ‘millennium’ and ‘Tyne’ bridges lit up on a clear February night. He said that he had a present for me and handed me another valentines card I opened it and in big black letters he’d written ‘WILL YOU MARRY ME?’ when I looked up he was on one knee with my beautiful ‘brilliant cut’ platinum diamond ring. I was ecstatic and immediately said ‘yes!’. Later he had planned for us to have a meal in ‘SIX’ the restaurant at the top of the’ Baltic Art Gallery’. He had secretly ordered a bottle of rose champagne for arrival at our table... and we immediately began planning our big day...

What was your wedding date?

Saturday 30^th July 2011

Where did you get married?

We got married on a beautiful summer’s day in July, the weather was glorious! Our ceremony took place at ‘Our Lady and St Edmunds RC Church’ in Backworth, North Tyneside. This church was special to me (Fiona) as it was my parish church but my parents were also married there many years ago. Our reception took place at the beautiful ‘Langley Castle’ in Hexham, Northumberland.

Why did you choose your venue?

After visiting a few of the popular wedding venues in Northumberland we had come across ‘Langley Castle’ on the internet and arranged an appointment to visit. 

On arrival, driving up the drive way and seeing the castle first hand, Steven and I both got the ‘feeling’ that this place was truly special. We were greeted by ‘Anton’ from the Management team and we offered complimentary coffee and a look around the castle. We were blown away by the beautiful rooms and the professionalism of the staff. We knew as soon as we left the castle that this was the place that we wanted to have our ‘big day’ and promptly paid our deposit to hold our wedding there in two years time ...now was just the wait and the planning to do!

Did you have a “theme”?

We wanted a very traditional ‘classic’ wedding theme, pretty colours with a hint of ‘sparkle’. We wanted to have a bit of fun with the table names and so chose a ‘Harry Potter Theme’ for our table names. We’ve both read the books and watched the films together and so called our tables things such as ‘Gryffindor’, ‘The Leaky Cauldron’, ‘Hogwarts’ and so on...

As the Castle was so traditional we thought that dinner by candle light would be very atmospheric and romantic and so hired silver candelabras decorated by our florist (Fleurt in Monkseaton).

What was your wedding colour scheme?

Our colour scheme was ‘aqua blue’ for our bridesmaids and accessories and our flowers were contrasting summer pinks.

Why did you choose Simply Bows and Chair Covers and what were they like to work with?

I chose simply Bows and Chair Covers after reading a wedding magazine called ‘Hitched’ that I believe, I got for free from a local wedding fayre. I saw a feature in there and noticed that they didn’t just do chair covers with simple bows, they also has little features such as ‘crystal ties’ or ‘butterflies’ ..I thought that they were really pretty. I looked on the website and got in touch with Kristy who works in the ‘Hexham’ area. She invited me to her office to look at colour choices. I showed her a ‘swatch’ of the bridesmaids dresses and she immediately knew what to do to ‘match the colour’. She tied a Light Blue organza with a Turquoise organza and the blend of the two made a perfect match for my ‘aqua’ colour scheme. Once again I knew I’d made a great choice and on the day my chairs and napkins (which were also tied with aqua ribbon) looked fantastic.

What sort of dress did you choose and where from?

My Dress was called ‘Christina’ by Maggie Sottero. It was Full A-line gown with corset closure it has a medallion beaded motif at the centre front it had a soft shimmer satin skirt and an asymmetrical train. I chose the colour ‘alabaster’ which is a light ivory.  I also wore a full length veil and diamante tiara all of which were purchased from ‘Wedding Essentials’ in Newcastle. My light ivory shoes were from dune and featured a diamante clasp over the ‘peep toe’.

What did your bridesmaids wear? 
My four bridesmaids wore a full length satin dress in ‘aqua’ satin with a sash coming around their waist and down the back of the dress. They were purchased form ‘Brides Dream’ in Walker.

Who was your photographer?

My Photographer was Ken MacMillan who has a photography studio in Whitley Bay.

What “special touches” did you add to your day?

Steven and I had our first dance to ‘Everything I do’ by Bryan Adams and my father and I (and Steven and his mum) shared a dance to ‘I loved her First’ by Heartland. We booked a local band for our reception called ‘DIABLO’ and they really got the party started. They opened with ‘White Wedding’ and the dance floor was full to bursting for the rest of the evening our guests later commented that they’d never been to a wedding where there had been a ‘mosh pit!’ 

My parents had organised a spectacular fireworks display (by reaction fireworks) to finish off the celebrations. They had arranged a 15 minute show culminating with mine and Steven’s initials on fire with a heart in the middle ...a truly unforgettable end to a perfect day.

What was your favourite part of the day?

There are so many favourite parts of the day but the highlight has to be saying ‘I do’ in front of our closest friends and family. Our day was perfect in every way and we will treasure the memory of it always.

Where did you go on honeymoon?

We spend 3 glorious weeks in Mombasa, Kenya. We spent 3 nights on safari and saw Kenya’s breath taking scenery such as ‘Mount Kilimanjaro’ and of course the amazing animals; monkeys, zebras, elephant, giraffe, lions and cheetahs to name a few! The ‘lodges’ we stayed in on safari were beautiful (I expected to be in a kind of tent! But they were anything but!) After safari we spend the remaining days at the ‘baobab beach resort and spa’ on Mombasa beach. We had an amazing time it was a very special place to spend our first few weeks of married life together.

What would be your top tip for another bride to be? 
My top tip would be to choose what ‘you’ want, of course take ‘advice’ from others but make sure that it is ‘your’ day. Go with the gut feeling that you get when visiting a venue for the first time or trying on that dress ...it’s true what they say you just ‘know’ when it’s ‘The One’.

 Also just be plain organised! Get a file and keep everything together and plan as far in advance as possible, it makes everything so much easier and more stress free!