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, Rebecca, got in touch to tell us about her special day in her Ellis Bridals tulle dress. Soft tulle overlaid bodice with contemporary V-neck and sophisticated pearl and embroidered belt flowing into a classic ballgown.
Ellis Bridals Tulle Ballgown | Style 11228
When and where did you meet your husband?
We met just over 8 years ago through mutual friends whilst out in our local town of Beverley, we actually went to the same school but were a year apart and never crossed paths.
How did you know he was the one?
Our first date was on the 19th Dec 2010 and by NYE he’d asked me to be his girlfriend. I think it was our second date that he suggested the panto, I remember looking over at him belly laughing at all the cheesy jokes and thinking ‘he’s the one for me!’
How did he propose?
He proposed 3 years ago on Christmas day with the most beautiful ring in my stocking (we’re big fans of Christmas!) He’d chosen the ring about 4 months prior and had planned to propose on our holiday in Mexico in the October. He waited until the last night but we had an afternoon snooze and I set the alarm wrong so we woke up at midnight having missed our dinner reservation (and my proposal!).
When and where did the big day take place?
We love winter weddings and Christmas and NYE is a special time for us, we chose New Years Eve at Tickton Grange Hotel, a beautiful Georgian country house less than 10 minutes from our village. We held the ceremony and the reception there.
When did you start planning?
We started properly planning after attending my best friend’s wedding on the Isle of Mull in November 2017 when we realised how much work we needed to do! I remember spending the car journey home Googling bands and researching photographers! We booked our venue about 18 months before the big day.
Where did you get your dress?
I got my Ellis Bridals wedding dress from The Wedding Collection in Hornsea. The wonderful thing about the shop is you don’t need an appointment and so as a fun way of telling my mum we’d set a date and booked a venue I decided to invite her to go out for lunch and then as a surprise go try a few dresses on. So as I wasn’t planning on seriously looking my bridesmaids weren’t there and I didn’t really have a clear ‘plan of action’!
Is that the sort of dress you thought you would go for or was it a surprise?
On my Pinterest board I had one clear style I liked, fitted, embellished and beaded but more vintage than glitzy, mermaid style wedding dresses fitted the bill. But there were a couple of wild cards thrown in though; I’ve always like dreamy tulle and sweetheart necklines and the little girl in me that used to draw princess dresses had to throw in a couple of big skirts somewhere!
Who came dress shopping with you?
I went round with my mum and picked out about 8 gowns and the Ellis Bridals tulle dress wildcard was the first one I tried on. Straight away I felt beautiful, comfortable, special and a BRIDE! I tried on the mermaid dresses but ultimately they just didn’t suit my figure, I felt as if I would be holding my stomach in all day and that I’d have to crash diet (over Christmas!) before the wedding and I knew I didn’t have the willpower! Plus none of them made me feel the way the Ellis bridals gown did. My Mum loved it as much as I did and the girls at The Wedding Collection were so wonderful in helping me focus on what it was I really wanted for my dress that I felt really confident in deciding then and there to go for it! In order to achieve the vintage element I was originally set on I chose a different crystal belt to the one that actually came with the dress.
Where did you get your bridesmaid dresses?
My bridesmaids dresses came from Dorothy Perkins, so many high street brands have fantastic occasion wear available online now. With it being NYE we wanted to add an element of sparkle so the bridesmaids were silver grey with sequins and we added a silver grey ribbon around the waist.
What style of maids and groomsmen did you go for?
The groomsmen were in dark blue tweed 3 piece suits from Skopes with pale grey tweed ties to match the bridesmaids. To set Dan apart he wore his Granddad’s old pocket watch. Our page boys and our 22 month old son (who was one of the best men) wore dark grey trousers and waistcoats with bow ties made from the same material as the groomsmen’s ties.
Did you have anything unusual during the ceremony?
I came down the aisle to a piano version of the traditional wedding march, played by Ben Howard during the signing of the register and walked out to Heroes by David Bowie. During the ceremony when the registrar asked if anyone knew of a reason why we couldn’t be married, our toddler shouted ‘nooooooooooo!’ He absolutely stole the show!
My brother Rob decided to add his own verse to the reading ‘take time’ stating that Dan should always be allowed to go for a game of golf! There were no tears or really emotional moments, just massive, jaw aching grins through the whole ceremony!
What was the inspiration or colour theme for your wedding?
We wanted our colour theme to be a neutral palette and didn’t want to go too typically ‘Christmassy’ with holly centre pieces etc, so we chose to use green and white for our flowers with thistles in the bouquets and button holes (we live at ‘Thistle Cottage’), my mum’s favourite flowers are freesias so I included them too. We chose traditional candelabras for the tables with a ball of gypsophia in the centre and lots of tea lights and mirror elements with the table plan and numbers. Sequins also made it onto the tables in the table runners and we had a beautiful arrangement over the fireplace in the Rose Room. Our flowers were by Anna at Petals, Pets and Paws of Hornsea and our wedding styling fairy godmother was Mel at Ambiance Venue Styling (Hull and East Yorkshire).
What kind of food did you have? Cake?
We had canapés in the garden room after the ceremony and our wedding breakfast was mini fish and chips followed by chicken wrapped in bacon with a mustard sauce and a fruit crumble for pudding. Our cake was a gorgeous 4 tier lemon and jam Victoria sponge naked cake decorated with fresh flowers and made by my friend Julia Chambers who is also a midwife who helped deliver our son!
What tips do you have for new brides picking their wedding dress?
My advice to brides choosing their wedding dress would be to go shopping with an open mind, try on a few different styles to narrow down your options, select which elements you love and most importantly listen to the consultants, they know their stuff!
Where were your photos taken?
Our photographer was Dan Urben who is based in Hull, he made us feel very at ease and found some spots around the venue for photos that I had no idea existed. We had some fantastic shots taken in a barn on the grounds and even some in the middle on a field, luckily it was a mild day and the adrenaline kept us going! He sent us a selection the very next day and we can’t wait to see the rest in a few weeks time.
What was your favourite moment from the day?
I think my favourite moment from the day was just the sheer joy and happiness I felt in my heart as I walked down the aisle towards my husband and son. It’s a special and humbling thought that all of the guests are there to celebrate the two of you so looking out from the top table at all of our loved ones gathered together was a moment I won’t forget.
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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