Can you have wedding envy? In this job yes, you definitely can! I took my time writing today's wedding cos I really fell in love with it. You guys will love it, I just know it. Stacey and Glenn are two stylish cuties seriously in love (you can see it in every snap!) After deciding to tie the knot, Stacey and Glenn moved from Northern Ireland to London and took on the task of planning their wedding back at home, in the beautiful Malone House in Belfast. The wedding they created for themselves brought some 50s lady-like chic in the form of old-school pretty florals, shabby-chic vintage items, colourful flowers and handmade touches, none of which broke the bank but combined turned their ceremony and reception into a gorgeous personalised celebration with a distinctive look and a very happy vibe. Paula O’Hara captured all the elements that are sure to inspire you, plus the loveliest portraits of this loved up pair who are never without a smile on their faces...
These two cuties stole my heart from the start but how did they steal each others? We both worked in the same Tesco in Belfast years before we got together but didn’t really speak to each other! We met properly on Match.com as I recognised Glenn’s photo and asked how I knew him. We met for a coffee in Belfast and Glenn talked too much, but we bonded over our love for music, food and photography. A few dates later and Glenn was well and truly hooked. A few dates after that, Stacey was too!
Prior to the popping of the question, the engagement ring had come up a few times in "general conversation", and Stacey was very specific about the style she would like but when Glenn went shopping, he took a gamble on something completely different and Stacey was delighted "He took me to Crawfordsburn beach one cold Sunday morning and he walked around tirelessly looking for a private spot to propose, but with no luck! It was a weekend and there were people and dogs everywhere. Having no luck with this plan, he took me for some tasty bites at the Belfast Christmas Market and then to Brown’s Bay, Islandmagee, where he lit and set off some paper lanterns. With these floating off over the water, Glenn finally had his opportunity. He got down on one knee and popped the question, I cried - I was a very surprised and happy camper, and I absolutely loved Glenn’s choice of ring and still can’t believe that he knew what I'd like better than I did myself!"
Stacey is one stylish lass, even her pre-wedding gown dress is cute! From the outset you can see the cutest theme coming through - Bows. Big or small, Stacey loves them, (I have a Pinterest folder dedicated to them also, so she's a girl after my own heart!). I loved how she incorporated them into her wedding day, from her structured bow belt on her 50s style wedding dress, to her pretty blush pink bridesmaids shoes. The icing on the cake though - Stacey's own shoes, that (wait for it) she designed herself on Upper Street, a website that lets you design your own shoes...Amazing! Stacey's design were super cute strapless, light pink satin numbers that matched her look perfectly.
What makes this wedding so lovely is Stacey and Glenn's style. They took elegant and classic and put their own mix into it. Stacey's 50s style dress and hair is matched with modern shoes and antique jewellery, while groom Glenn donned a modern version of the classic tux, with a soft grey tweed bow tie and tan accessories.
With natural good taste, the look of the day was beautifully executed, but for Stacey and Glenn the feel of their day was more important. Having a stress-free bridal party and happy guests was key for the couple. They tried to keep things simple so that they could both enjoy the whole day..."We tried to make our day as laid back and fun as possible and tried to do as much as we could ourselves to keep costs down. This worked out really well because it gave the wedding a very personal touch. We just wanted everything to be light and relaxed. We kept costs down by involving any friends and family with a creative streak or the ability to lend a helping hand with preparations." It's a winning formula as we know from previous real couples we've featured.
Stacey and Glenn had their wedding ceremony in Ballycairn Presbyterian Church in Belfast. To make it their own they added a few simple decorative additions -the pretty flowers are in simple glass jars, which you can collect easily at home and the sweet white lace rimmed flower pots are from IKEA. Add some twine and ribbon to finish the look and you have really pretty ceremony decor. If you fancy this look yourself, keep costs down by choosing flowers that are in season. Stacey choose to incorporate camomile to add volume and they look super sweet don't you think?
A cream VW Van and a red Beetle?! These guys know how to make an entrance.
The moment of truth...
Told you they never stop smiling!
How cute are these two?
The music for their ceremony needs a mention, it included an instrumental version of “Lippy Kids” by Elbow (very cool) and as they walked out as husband and wife it was to the Star Wars theme. Certainly different.
It's official!
How dapper is this little guy? He could have been in our Page Boy Outfits Inspiration post a few weeks ago.
One thing we know you guys stress about is the weather on the big day, but it's the one thing you can't change, and Stacey and Glenn show how it doesn't really matter. They just embraced the less than brilliant weather, they explained "It rained all day and we actually look back on that with a fondness. So many people would have dreaded that (including ourselves), but we just walked around with umbrellas and loved it anyway!...
...Jenny my bridesmaid had bought a lovely floral umbrella the week before and it looks great in the photos and it made for a really nice feature in the video. Apart from the presence of the umbrellas in the photos, you would never know it had been raining – Paula captured the brightness of the rainy Spring day perfectly."
With a bride and groom as stylish as Stacey and Glenn, it's no surprise that Stacey's bridesmaids were also kitted out - love how they rocked those super frocks! These gorgeous patterned dresses are from Dorothy Perkins (you never know where you're going to find some treasure) they remind me of Kathryn and Jonny's mix matched pattern bridesmaids, these gals should all hang out! A special mention for the shoes (I know you're loving those little bows!) - they were designed by Stacey at Upper Street (the perfect place to go if you just can't find the perfect pair you're looking for).
Living far from home, staying local for the wedding venue made it easier for Stacey and Glenn and they were lucky with their wedding planning research - finding their venue pretty easily as they explained"We went to a wedding fair at Malone House and the interior was beautiful. Even though it rained all day, the gardens were also lovely and look out onto a stunning valley. We also didn’t want family to have to travel very far, so being close to Belfast city centre and less than 5 minutes from the church definitely played a part. We wanted things to be simple!"
We had moved to London less than a year before we got married and had to plan the wedding from there. It was so great to see everything come together on the day and amazing to have all our favourite people there in one place.
Continuing the floral decor trend from the ceremony, Stacey and Glenn added cute brown paper card signs to the flower pots to use as their table names and name tags.
Simple white table settings against bright florals works really well. The pair also incorporated white lace bunting on twine and candles in mason jars decorated with white ribbon.
The couple were certainly lucky when it came to help - their wedding cake was made by Stacey's bridesmaid Jenny of We Love Cake and then Stacey made the cake topper herself.
Stacey and Glenn had the most beautiful wedding, created by adding simple personal touches and using their creativity, so in their own words how did they manage to pull it all together and what can the rest of us do to follow their example? Stacey has this advice "Don’t let people tell you things won’t work, just go with it! It’s your day, do things exactly the way you like. Spend as much time as you can with your partner on the day, it’s easy to get split up talking to different people but it’s your day so stay close to each other when you can. Don’t stress about things going wrong, we had a few minor disasters in the week coming up to the wedding and it rained all day on the actual day, but on the day itself it really doesn’t matter. Get the best damn photographer and videographer you can afford! Photos and videos are what you’ll use to look back on your day most and we absolutely love ours. We had a limited budget and invested a third of it on photography and videography alone because it was so important to us. Spend some time with them beforehand to make sure you get on with them because they are such an important presence in your day, ours were just generally lovely people." Knowing both Paula O'Hara and Catch (the videographers) I can heartily agree.
Huge congratulations to such a lovely couple who are expecting the pitter patter of tiny feet soon, so a extra congrats from us at One Fab Day!
Of course we have to thank the talented Paula O'Hara for sharing the fab photos with us.To see more of Paula's work pop over to www.paulaohara.com.
The Wedding Details
- Ceremony: Ballycairn Presbyterian Church, Belfast
- Reception: Malone House
- Photography: Paula O’Hara
- Wedding Dress: Eden Bridal
- Bridesmaids dresses: Dorothy Perkins
- Shoes: Designed by Stacey at Upper Street
- Flowers: Floral Earth
- Groomsmen suits: Next
- Bowties: H&M
- Veil: Lily Bella
- VW Camper: Star Car Hire
- Makeup: Carrie at MAC Belfast
- Hair: Kelly McLean at Ashby Hair Lounge
- Wedding Bands: Lunn’s
- Reception Music: Suckin’ Diesel
- Videography: Catch
