In the summertime

Carley and David had a relaxed celebration at the picturesque Brockholes Nature Reserve

Carley and David had been engaged for two-and-a-half years before finally tying the knot. "We wanted a natural and relaxed vibe to our day," says Carley. "I stumbled across our reception venue by accident. One of my bridesmaids took me to a wedding fair at Brockholes Nature Reserve, and it was love at first sight. It looks beautiful in all seasons, and we loved that we could visit before and after the wedding."

The couple's big-day blooms were provided by Sam Williams Wedding & Event Florist. "I wanted flowers to be a special part of our day," shares the bride. "I loved Sam's work and desperately wanted her to book her for our wedding. She really understood our vision and incorporated unusual blooms, including cotton plants and pampas grass into our arrangements."

They purchased their cake from The Sweetest Thing Cakery. "During our consultation, I asked if it was possible to incorporate parkin into our bake," Carley explains. "My grandpa, who sadly passed away, used to make it for me when I got home from school as a child and I thought it would be a nice touch. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work with the icing, so we picked other scrumptious flavours instead. A year later, I'd almost forgotten that I'd requested such an odd flavour, so when I walked into the reception room on our wedding day and saw a small but perfecting-formed parkin cake, I was over the moon!"

The lovebirds hired transport from Boho Brides. "The journey from the church to the reception venue was lovely," says the bride. "David and I had the chance to speak and catch up. We also hired a Volkswagen Campervan to chauffeur my mum and bridesmaids to Brockholes Nature Reserve. The whole experience was magical, and our guests really enjoyed posing for photos with the cars."

Brockholes Nature Reserve also provided the couple's catering. "We thought it was too hot to sit down and eat beef or chicken," Carley shares. "We decided to serve afternoon tea to create a less formal atmosphere, and it tasted great."

In the summertime: Image 1 Carley fell in loved with a gorgeous Hayley Paige gown from Fairytale Brides."I struggled to find my dream dress," says Carley. "I visited bridal shops inLeeds, Newcastle, Harrogate as well as the local Lancashire boutiques. In theend, I stumbled across a designer dress on Instagram and fell in love with its unusual style. I tracked it to the Fairytale Brides in Manchester and knew it was the one for me."David and the groomsmen wore trousers, braces and bow ties from Marc Darcy in Manchester. "We decided against the groomsmen wearing jackets,"Carley explains. "It felt like quite a bold decision, but we were in the middle of an especially hot summer, so it seemed like a good idea. We also felt like we'd seen a lot of blue suits lately, so we wanted something different that we hadn't seen before."The bridesmaids wore sage green dresses from Asos. "There were two styles that I liked, so I let the girls pick which one they felt more comfortable in," shares the bride, "I really liked how the gowns looked and everyone was happy."

In the summertime: Image 2

"To keep our guests entertained, we hired the very talented Howard Wing," Carley says. "If there's a man who knows how to get a party started, it's Howard! Our guests were up dancing on the chairs before the mains had even been served. We also used a DJ that here commend and the dancefloor was full all night.
Howard took a lot of the stress away and swooped in when needed to ensure everything ran smoothly."

"On the morning of our nuptials, we felt a huge wave of relief," explains Carley. "There was a real buzz and high energy about the whole event, but we both felt incredibly calm and relaxed."

"We went on a safari to Arica and spent three nights in Dubai," shares the bride, "It was the honeymoon of a lifetime, and we will forever be grateful for the contributions from our guests."