Once in a while a wedding comes along that is almost too good to be true. But today's wedding did really happen, and we're delighted to share how Lou and Dan went above and beyond to create their lovely 20s inspired wedding, inspired by both Gatsby and cult series Boardwalk Empire. Combining elegance, intricate, very personal details and a luxe colour scheme of ivory, black and lots of gold, this is a true one of a kind wedding in a wow venue - the lovely Set Theatre at Langtons all captured by our old pals the brilliant The Lou's. Get ready to pin and get some serious DIY inspiration...
Both police officers, Lou and Dan met at work in 2010. Dan was enamoured from the beginning and after a little bit of Facebook stalking asked the gorgeous Lou out. Lou said yes but as the date grew closer, her nerves also grew and she cancelled. Luckily Dan asked Lou out a second time, and this time the date not only went ahead, but went so good that Lou and Dan have spent every day together since.
Knowing Lou was the one for him, Dan bought a ring and began to plan a romantic proposal. Overcome by excitement, Dan suddenly proposed two days earlier than originally planned, on the couch just before work. Lou burst into tears and of course said yes.
Shortly after getting engaged, Dan and Lou booked a venue near to their home. With the main planning element taken care of, Dan and Lou decided to treat themselves and booked a weekend away at Langtons in Kilkenny. From the moment they arrived, Lou and Dan fell in love with the space and, despite having another venue booked, knew immediately that it just had to be their wedding venue.
"We arrived at the hotel and my breath was simply taken away. It was perfect and perfect for our wedding day. It wasn't even an issue that we had elsewhere booked- Langtons was the place for us. The venue was lit by candles, open fires roaring with amazing stained glass windows and beautiful chandeliers (and that was the first room we entered!). The venue already was my dream, without any extras. It had the art deco theme I was looking for, with a quirky element of a theatre and a shop… It was my dream from the very beginning. Luckily Dan totally agreed- so our weekend away turned into a weekend of planning our perfect day! I have to mention the staff, they were a huge influence. Everyone was so helpful and friendly and Sean the wedding planner, what can I say????! I don't think he even said the word "no" to me, from the start of planning in 2011 to the day we married… exactly what a bride needs!"
Having fallen in love with Langtons, Lou began to plan a roaring Gatsby inspired Art Deco ceremony and reception with lots of ivory, gold and black and lots of personal details.
Lou also sourced little test tubes on Ebay, which she filled with gold confetti and handed out to guests. The result? A wave of gold glitter as Lou and Dan left the ceremony. Gorgeous!
Despite having a clear vision for most of the wedding, Lou wasn't quite sure what style or type of dress she wanted. Eventually she found her beautiful Pronovias gown in England, which she accessorised with different headpieces for day and night and a Tiffany bracelet and earrings.
The rest of the day was held in the Langton's ballroom, but first Lou, Dan and the wedding party snuck outside to the gardens for some snaps with The Lous. "The photographers were the amazing Lous and the filmographers were Cinematic Tide, what a treat they all where on the day!"
Inside the ballroom, Lou went above and beyond with DIY posters and signage in gold spray painted frames, a clever crate table plan, gold filled balloons, light up letters made by Dan's dad and an amazing wedding cake complete with sparkler cake topper.
Lou also treated their guests to Hershey's kisses imported from America, individual gold foil wrapped Rolos and Cancer Research pin wedding favours, as a nod to her aunt who passed away the previous year, she told us... "I sadly lost the best aunty in the world to cancer only the year before and I never for a second thought she wouldn't be there for our big day. I also got to wear her amazing diamond and sapphire ring for the day, the same as late Princess Diana's and 40 years old. So, in many ways, my Aunty was with me through every second."
Talk about a showstopper of a cake! And after the emotional rollercoaster of the speeches, Lou and Dan were able to escape for a few minutes to twirl on their very own stage...
Last but not least, Lou and Dan danced the night away to wedding band Quantum, who performed their chosen first dance (Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud) and final song (Take That - Greatest Day) to perfection.
After planning such an epic wedding day, Lou has some sage words of advice..."I found Pinterest a real gem and kept a "my wedding day" board for any ideas I liked along the way. Look outside the box for the smaller detail, for me, these were the stars of the show."
Huge congratulations to you both, and thanks so much for sharing your wonderful wedding with us all. A big thank you also goes to The Lous for sharing their work with us, always a pleasure. To see more from The Lous pop over to www.wearethelous.com
