When our lovely real bride Francesca got in touch with us to share her photos we were over the moon! She also told us all about her day which we loved reading about and we hope you do too, thank you so much Francesca!

"Our photographer was Sarah Horton Photography. (She’s incredible!) She’s only a couple of years into her photography career but has really taken off. So much so she is now fully booked in 2019 with only a few dates remaining for 2020! She also writes a blog about the weddings she works and has told us she can’t wait to write ours...

My dress was from 7th Heaven in Congleton. I actually bought it in their sample sale. It was a beautiful Sophia Tolli dress called ‘Monte’. It had a gorgeous layer of sequinned tulle which gave it a subtle sparkle. I never went with the intention of buying a dress that day but I fell in love. It was nice to just have my mum with me. I had everything planned, thinking my bridesmaids would be there by my side when I found ‘the one’. But actually it was nicer to keep it a surprise from them. They had better reactions on the day!

Hair for my bridesmaids and I was done by a lovely lady called Vicky (Vicky M Hair) and make up by a lady called Maxine Smith. Maxine works in London quite a lot and has done London fashion week, plus works with models on a regular basis. She was incredible. They gave us so much useful information on the day and helped to reassure me, effectively taking over on the morning of the wedding to make sure everything and everyone was ready. They often work together and recommend each other’s services.

I found my shoes, by Rainbow Club, when I was on a shopping trip with my maid of honour in Nottingham. They were called ‘Ellen’ and were so comfy! I’m quite tall so didn’t want anything too high but I knew a small heel would help to keep my posture correct on the day.

My ‘Skylar barely-there veil’ from Britten was beautiful. I bought it in the floor length ivory and chose the silver slide which was gorgeous. The silver slide made the veil so easy to insert and remove from my hair. (My hairdresser loved it too, as it made her job a lot easier!) The veil caught the wind which was so dreamy it was also nice and light. I wore it for most of the day because I didn’t even know I was wearing it!

I didn’t wear too many accessories because of the detail along the neckline of my dress. There were mini rice pearls across meaning I didn’t need a necklace. Equally I wanted earrings which would compliment this detail. My earrings were from Britten and did the perfect job. They were the ‘Victoria’ freshwater pearl earrings. Simply stunning and completed the elegant look I was going for. My hair accessory was made a little boutique near me called ‘Rosie Wilson Boutique’. They made all of my bridesmaid’s hair pieces too so they were all similar but different at the same time. They also make fantastic fascinators - my mum and mother in law both had theirs made there.

Our wedding was located at Wrenbury Hall in Nantwich. They’ve just won venue of the year in he north west for the second year in a row and were amazing. They were so helpful and friendly. We loved the relaxed atmosphere and the fact that the venue was exclusively for us. There were no other parties wandering around or people in robes spoiling pictures!

We chose to have 100 cupcakes and a fruit cake for the top tier. They were made by Honeydip Cakes, Northwich. She is a parent of child I used to have in my class (I’m a teacher) and makes the best cakes ever. We decided on 5 different flavoured cupcakes which were a huge hit: lemon, caramac, mint aero, carrot and coffee.

We found our band through the lighting and entertainment company we had to use at our venue. They were incredible and we’ve had so many compliments since. They were called ‘The Review’ and were fantastic. My husband got in touch with them and asked them to change the lyrics to our first dance. (Eric Clapton’s ‘Wonderful Tonight’) so it included my name.

The flowers were by Rachel at Ruby Doodles Florist. She saved the day as we were let down by our previous supplier. The brief was to go big - she did not disappoint. She even added the extra touch of using succulents with the roots still attached so that we could replant them after. It was such a nice touch that now we have something to keep forever!

I tried to make as much as I could - I love arts and craft. But even if you’re not that good, the little things don’t go unnoticed. I had lots of lovely compliments as people could see the effort that was put in by me. We also included little trivia questions on each table. They acted as an ice breaker for our guests and added a little element of fun - which is what we wanted from our day!

We hired outdoor games - Giant Jenga, Skittles, Giant Ker-Plunk and Giant Space Hoppers. These helped to keep the guests entertained on the day. I didn’t think they were used much, but we were otherwise occupied, and actually looking back at photos and having spoken to lots of our guests - they were used all day and into the night!

Hiring a photobooth was also a great decision. It came manned with prints stuck into a guestbook and our guests being ushered to sign messages next to their pictures. This was a lovely keepsake and something that we enjoyed reading the morning after our wedding. The photobooth caught people at their best - having had a few drinks and dancing the night away!

In our ceremony, my mum asked to do a reading (‘On your Wedding Day’, author unknown). We also did a candle lighting. This helped to stretch the ceremony out a little and made it more personal to us. The registration team were amazing at helping us with this - sourcing readings to go with the candle lighting part of the ceremony.

We had the best day and wish we could do it all over again. My words of advice are - don’t get too drunk, you want to be able to remember it. Try not to get stressed. I didn’t feel nervous at all - which came as a bit of a shock to some people. Even on the morning of the wedding - I was just so excited! It’s meant to be the best day of your life. Try and keep a positive mindset - it will help you to relax and have fun."