A Fun Barton Hall Wedding with Modern Twists

These pictures make me smile! Holly and Ged had such a fun Barton Hall wedding and I am so happy to share their wedding story and pictures with you.

The couple wanted to create a relaxed and fun atmosphere for a wedding day people would remember. I’m talking an incredible fringe layered wedding dress by Charlie Brear (perfect for dancing the night away), gorgeous summer florals in pretty shades of blue and mauve, colourful confetti, music album themed seating plan and table numbers, delicious naked chocolate wedding cake and giant balloons… this wedding is awesome!

Enjoy these amazing pictures by Jordanna Marston of Holly and Ged’s fun Barton Hall wedding with modern twists…

Very Sweet

“Some uni friends and I used to used to prank call Ged and he’d always play along. He made me laugh. My friends went back to Manchester for his 21st birthday party and I invited myself along. I thought he wasn’t interested because he didn’t even look at me, but he was just playing hard to get.

“Considering I found the box the night before Ged proposed I was pretty surprised. He span me a yarn about him looking after it for his sister’s boyfriend and I believed him. Ged has a very distinctive nervous cough and I didn’t hear it once on the day he proposed. He got down on one knee in a little rowing boat on a lake in Rome; it was very sweet.”

A Great Dress for Dancing

“I found wedding dress shopping difficult. Initially, I thought I would choose something vintage or lacy, but when I tried that style of dress I felt like Miss Havisham. So I decided I wanted something with a bit of personality and more modern, and as soon as I saw the Charlie Brear skirt I knew it was perfect. It’s a great dress for dancing in too.

“The bridesmaid dresses were the first thing I bought. I was worried I would regret this as I hadn’t bought my dress yet, but it worked out well. I wanted a neutral colour and something quite simple so that it would flatter all the girls’ figures.

“The hardest part for Ged picking his suit was to get his three best men together on the same day and go shopping. He wasn’t really fussed about spending a fortune on a wedding suit or going overboard with the whole top hat and tails. He just wanted to look cool and feel relaxed. To stand out from the best men he wore a Tunic/Granddad Collar shirt and a gold collar pin without a tie.”

Modern Twists

“I guess we wanted simple and contemporary styling. Although it was quite a traditional venue and wedding we had a few modern twists, like my dress and Ged opting for a tie pin instead of a tie.

“We always said the focus would be the music and it would be one of the most important parts to the day. I once went to a wedding ruined by a terrible DJ; he played The Birdy Song and it scarred me for life. We both love music and have so many wonderful memories of going to gigs together, so we decided instead of table numbers we would have the vinyl’s of our favourite songs as centrepieces. We spent hours trawling music shops for the list of songs we wanted and then placed the records in the middle of the tables.

“Our venue, Barton Hall, didn’t need a lot of styling. We dotted oversized white balloons around the room and copper coloured G & H letters behind the top table. Blowing up the balloons is about as crafty as it got!”

English Meadow Flowers

“Florae Foray did our flowers. Our photographer, Jordanna, recommended them and I loved their website. We wanted an English meadow flower theme, so lots of daisies and foxgloves. Becky and her mum were fab. She listened to what we wanted and completely got it. The flowers blew me away on the day, and I think they just pop in the photos and look so beautiful.

“We called upon Ged’s brilliant baker cousin to bake our cake, which was a three-tiered chocolate cake. If we’re honest we spent so much time dancing we only tasted the slither we had when cutting the cake, but from what we remember it was absolutely gorgeous and not a scrap was left, so everyone else obviously agreed.”

All About the Music

“Our first dance was to Curtis Mayfield ‘Move on up’, the first song we ever danced to 11 years ago in a dingy club in Liverpool. I say danced — I dragged Ged on to the dance floor and told him it was one of my favourite songs. He told me he wasn’t really a dancer and just stood in the middle of the dance floor while I cut a rug around him.

“My dad walked me down the aisle to one of our favourite Beatles tracks, ‘Here comes the sun’, played by the lovely Mat Lomas, Ged’s friend from uni. I found this the most emotional part of the ceremony and my dad is a big softie too, so there were loads of lip wobbles.

“Mat playing guitar during the entrance, exit and signing of the register (in which Ged signed his name incorrectly twice) was a nice personal touch. He played some of our favourite tracks by The La’s, The Stone Roses and The Smiths, as well as Ave Maria for my mum, not that she noticed! Mat also played guitar during the reception drinks. He’s amazing; we just gave him a list of songs we wanted him to play and he practically learnt them overnight.

“In the Evening, for us, it was ALL about the music. We wanted everyone on the dance floor, drinks in hand, having a really good time. We got a Manchester DJ, Andy Mc, that got the train down for the day, and he played lots of Motown, SKA, Indie — new and old, and Northern Soul. The dance floor was pretty busy which is what we wanted.”

Lasting Memories

“Wedding photographs are so important as they are the lasting memory of the day. We are so fortunate that my cousin, Jordanna Marston, is such a brilliant photographer and we didn’t have to trawl the internet to find someone like her. Her photographs are so candid and she captures the day so perfectly; it was just what we wanted. Ged likes the confetti shots, and my favourite picture is probably Ged and I dancing in to the wedding breakfast; it now has pride of place on our living room shelf.

“We were both very overwhelmed having everyone we love all in one room. This is something that never happens because Ged’s family all live in Manchester and my family and friends are 150 miles away in Northamptonshire. Because of this my most magical memory was probably walking in to the church and seeing all their smiling faces.

“Also, the venue was keen to introduce us when everyone had taken their seats for the wedding breakfast. We thought it would feel a bit forced and awkward, so we decided to dance in with the wedding party to one of our favourite Motown songs, ‘Get Ready’; it was a ball. Everyone stood up and started dancing and singing, which was such a lovely way to start the evening.”

Ged: “I know it’s cheesy when everyone says it’s the best day of your life, but it really is. It’s a whirlwind from start to finish and we tried hard to savour ever moment. After sweating my back off waiting for Hol to arrive, seeing her walk down the aisle was my highlight.”

Don’t Stress

“Remember what it’s all about. No one really cares about all the stuff that stresses you out. They’ve come to see two people they love get married and have a dance. Make use of your friends and family’s expertise too. Ged’s cousin is a fabulous baker so she made our cake and my very talented cousin Jordanna Marston did our photographs. I would also suggest where possible to try and pay one wedding expense off a month, so that you’re not hit with all your wedding bills at once.”

Ged: “The only advice I would give is don’t stress. Enjoy the planning; you’re only going to do it once so have fun doing it.”