Ellis Bridals love hearing back from our brides, there is nothing more gratifying than seeing the pure joy and happiness that our Ellis Bridals wedding dresses get to be a part of. Recent bride, Lauren, got in touch to tell us about her special day in her Ellis Bridals scalloped A-Line dress. Scalloped lace V-neck with embellished slim belt and pleated tulle skirt completed by a striking V-back and buttons down the train.
Ellis Bridals Scalloped A-Line Dress | 11456
When and where did you meet your husband?
We met on a night out with mutual friends.
How did you know he was the one?
He made me laugh! (I’ve just asked Ben when he knew I was the one and he’s just replied saying ‘when you actually laughed at my jokes’).
How did he propose?
We were in London for the weekend for my birthday, having a sunny picnic on the grass in Hyde Park.
When and where did the big day take place?
23rd June 2017 at Shrigley Hall Hotel.
When did you start planning?
As soon as he proposed (if not before…!) I was pregnant and we had decided that we’d like to get married for the babies 1st birthday before he had even proposed.
Where did you get your dress?
Maria Modes Macclesfield.
Is that the sort of dress you thought you would go for or was it a surprise?
Not what I expected at all, I wanted a slim fit, minimal dress. I tried one on to start with and we all loved it and joked about how easy it was finding a dress because I had picked the first one, but I tried a few more on just to make sure and it completely changed my mind! I went from wanting a sleek fitting, elegant dress to thinking: ‘if I can’t dress like a princess on my wedding day then when can I!?’ I’ve always liked things that are a bit different and we laughed when Mum picked up the ‘pink’ dress about how Ben would just roll his eyes at me choosing that one… and then I did! When I spoke to him and told him I’d chosen a dress the first thing he said was ‘as long as it’s white then it’ll be fine’ and everyone kind of looked at one another and the proceeded to wind him up for the next 7 months telling him it was all sorts of colours so I think he was pleasantly surprised when it was just a slight tint of pink!!
Who came dress shopping with you?
My Mum, Nanna, bridesmaid Becky and Mother-in-law (‘to be’ at the time!). And my little boy, Rhys, who was about 4 months old. All dresses were photographed and sent to my sister to see them while we were there too!
Where did you get your bridesmaid dresses?
Monsoon.
What style of maids and groomsmen did you go for?
We had a small ceremony so I had 3 bridesmaids (Becky, my sister Amy and the little girl who I am a nanny for, Sienna) the ladies wore fitted, cowl back navy dresses and Sienna wore a white dress with navy and purple flowers on. And Ben just had his best man (Paul), they wore matching navy suits and Ben had a tweed waistcoat.
How did you arrive at the ceremony?
In a black Mustang, a surprise on the day from my mum and dad, they knew it’s what I had always wanted but as we got married only a 5 minute drive from my parents house (where we got ready) I hadn’t arranged any special transport. My Dad managed to pull a favour from someone he knew and they ribboned up his old Mustang and Dad and I were driven to the ceremony in it.
Did you have anything unusual during the ceremony?
Our little boy (who was 3 days off being 1 year old) walked down the aisle with our rings in a wooden Silver Cross walker (that used to be Sienna’s). He was only just on his feet and it took him a little while, and some coaxing from Becky and Sienna but he made it, and had everyone in tears as it was a surprise that we had thrown together last minute because we weren’t sure if he’d be walking or not. It’s one of my fave photos from the day.
How did you accessorise to make your wedding day look unique?
We had 32 kids on the day as I have a big family and I have always worked with children so it was important to me that everyone was there, including the kids! So we ran with this and turned the day into a big party for everyone. We had a balloon modeller, hundreds of glow sticks, bubbles, a photo booth and Ben’s favourite addition to the wedding were 2 arcade machines with loads of retro games on! We didn’t have traditional table centres either, on half of the tables we had big balloons with little blush coloured balloons inside and fairy lights wrapped around them and on the other half we had navy themed sweetie trees, and all the tables had extra jars of sweets and fairy lights wrapped around them!
What was the inspiration or colour theme for your wedding?
I didn’t really have a colour scheme in mind, we chose the bridesmaid dresses because we liked the dresses themselves so that set the navy theme. And my dress was blush which was completely unplanned so we then went with blue and pinky colours for the flowers and table decorations etc.
What kind of food did you have? Cake?
After the small ceremony we had a traditional sit-down meal with our close family and a couple of friends, then we had all the ‘evening’ guests come early at 4.30pm so we could include them in more of the day. We had the speeches once everyone (around 180 people) had arrived and then had a buffet. We had a Krispy Kreme doughnut tower and a tower of cheese for our wedding cakes.
What tips do you have for new brides picking their wedding dress?
Go in with an open mind, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted and completely changed my mind by the time we had finished! If the shop allows it, then take photos of the front and back of all the dresses, you can then look back and make your mind up (or just gaze at the dress you chose until you get to wear it again!) Just make sure you hide the pics from husband to be!
Where were your photos taken?
At my parents house and at Shrigley Hall, inside, around the grounds and on the golf course.
What was your favourite moment from the day?
The ceremony, I was always nervous about standing up there in front of people but you get so lost in the moment you don’t even notice anyone is there except you and your husband to be. I wish we could do it all again!
Photos: https://www.llgphotos.com/llg-blog/lauren-ben-fun-shrigley-hall-wedding
We would love to hear from all of our Ellis Brides! If you would like to share your story please get in touch: diana@ellisbridals.com
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