When a wedding stationer gets married, you can safely expect the paper goods to be incredible, but actually, every last detail in this real wedding was beautifully executed, from the colourful florals (each one representing a member of the family), to the stunning bridal style, to the epic cake table. Louise (the stationer behind The Creative Wedding Company) and Chris chose Orange Tree House in Newtownards as the backdrop for their big day, and the results are positively swoonworthy. The team from You Them Us Photography were kind enough to share the images with us, so let's dive in!
Louise and Chris tell us that they first met in Lavery's bar in Belfast. "It was one of those right place, right time scenarios, as both of us weren’t planning on going out at all that night," Louise says. "I spied him across the back bar and pointed and whispered to my friend, 'That’s the man of my dreams!' not expecting that it would actually turn out to be true! Later that night, I was sitting with my friend, and Chris sat down next to us and we started chatting. It was like we had known each other for years! Numbers were exchanged, and we had our first proper date a few days later. The rest as they say is history!"
Chris popped the question during a getaway to Prague. "He's a keen photographer and so, on the Wednesday morning, we had planned to go to Charles Bridge early to get good photos of the sunrise," Louise says. "I was very groggy and tired, and Chris basically had to force me to go along with him. We made coffees for our walk and when we arrived, I took a photo of him on the bridge. He then took one of me and, as I turned around to set our mugs down, he was getting down on one knee! I was so shocked that I started screaming and shouting, thinking that he was taking the mick, getting a lot of funny looks from passersby. Then I saw the ring and it was real!"
The couple filled their day with deeply personal details, including this amazing piece of origami stationery! "We wanted our wedding to be a celebration of our lives until that point. Origami has always been special to us, as Chris made me an origami rose from his napkin on our first date, and we wanted to include it in the wedding somehow. Chris made multiple orgami roses, which were scattered around the room, and I made origami orders of service for our guests as well. Being in the wedding industry myself, I loved being able to make our own wedding stationery, along with Chris, and showcase the things that make us us!"
For Louise and Chris, planning a wedding was all about throwing a massive party! "We wanted it to be laid back and easygoing with good company, good food, good music and, most of all, good craic, and that’s exactly what it was!"
A top priority for this pair was making sure that their guests were well looked after, and didn't have far to travel on the morning of the wedding. "The most important thing for us was that our guests felt comfortable and we wanted to maintain a relaxed atmosphere throughout the whole day," Louise says. "With Chris being from Derry and myself being local to the venue, we really prioritised the fact we wanted all of our families and friends to be together. So we booked out the Portaferry Hotel as a base for the weekend, including the night before and night of the wedding, to save people a long trip in the morning."
The couple loved the rustic look of Orange Tree House, as well as the intimacy that it afforded. "We had seen it years previously in a photoshoot that Loretta from You Them Us Photography did, and it just stuck in our heads. We also loved how open they were to personalisation, as we knew we wanted to include a lot of little touches that made it our own. The scenery and vibe really matched exactly what we wanted, and the fact that we could have both our ceremony and reception in the same venue was something we really liked as well."
This pair scrub up pretty well, don't you think!? I love the simplicity of Louise's lace wedding dress, which is by Seraphim Bridal Couture. It looks just beautiful with her epic floral headpiece and oversized bouquet.
I love how Louise and Chris used flowers to tell a story on their big day! "The flowers were always important to me personally and on the day they exceded my expectations," Louise says. "I come from a strong, female-led family, each member with a disinguishable favourite flower, as does Chris. So I had a bouquet of individual flowers representing every member of our families, existing and new. I also did a speech talking everyone through the flowers and their contribution to our lives. It was so special and I’m proud that we made everyone feel like a part of the day. My mum and mother-in-law also helped me make flower posies for the tables in the hotel the night before, which is a really nice memory to have."
Louise and Chris were also keen to include a charity element in their day. "In lieu of favours, we donated to four different charities that are very close to our hearts, which are Diabetes UK, MND Association, Cancer Research UK and NI Chest, Heart and Stroke."
Louise's advice for engaged couples is to make life easy for yourselves, and we couldn't agree more! "I think it’s easy to get bogged down with the small stuff, and it can get overwhelming," she says. "But realise that no matter what happens, you both will leave the day being married and your guests are just happy for you no matter what. Your wedding day will be what it will be and if something goes wrong, sure, it’s a story to tell for years to come!"
How amazing do these wedding cakes look?! "We had three individual cakes," Louise says, "one coffee-flavoured, which is Chris’s favourite, one lemon-flavoured, as it's my favourite, and a red velvet, which we both love! We had a little DIY bear couple cake topper, as I always joke that Chris looks like a big bear, and, when we saw them and their wee awkward stances, we both went, 'It's us!'"
Louise and Chris brought the outdoors in with some suitably Autumnal table name displays. "Usually when Chris buys me flowers, I save a flower or two and press them between books for fun," Louise says. "It's something I’ve been doing for years and so, for our table names, we had frames with the pressed flowers inside of them for each table. We named the tables after local bars in Belfast, as we met in Laverys, and they are a big part of our early life together."
After the wedding, Chris and Louise headed to Galway for a short getaway. "We then went to Berlin in April for our overseas honeymoon," Louise says. "It was lovely to get away for a few days right after the wedding and still live in the happy little dream bubble for a little bit longer!"
That's a wrap on Louise and Chris's big day! We have to say a huge thank you to the couple for letting us pore over the details, of which you'll find lots more in the below gallery. We also have to thank You Them Us for sharing the beautiful photographs.