Real Wedding of Gemma and James

Gemma and James created the most beautiful celebration for their family and friends. Every detail was personal and carefully considered (superhero aliases anyone!). Sit back and relax yourself into the weekend with musings from the couple and the most gorgeous images from Si Medlicott photography.

Enjoy…

Notes from the Couple

Finding the right venue was so important. If Gemma’s face lit up, then I knew that we had found the one. For Gemma it just had to feel right, like something she wanted to share with everyone. At Rowton we were greeted with open arms by wedding coordinators who were interested to know what we wanted from our day, as opposed to telling us what they could do for us. Gemma walked into the ceremony room for the first time and on seeing the layout with chiavari chairs and flowers, she burst into tears! That was when we knew it was the perfect location. We took our boys for the first visit not long after, and they loved the idea of us “all getting married” in a castle.

We were nervous about being so far away from our wedding venue; the not being able to just pop in was tricky with a 2 hour trip each way. The team were on hand to answer questions in great detail and assist us by phone, email and with visits arranged around the functions that were taking place. Any concerns we had were soon quashed.

James Says…

The proposal was a well-kept secret. I planned a surprise trip to Venice 6 months earlier organising through work for Gemma with the plan of telling her the morning of the flight. A couple of months prior to that I decided to add a ring into the trip and asked Gemma’s son for his permission…luckily he said “Yes”! I picked the diamond myself and had an idea as to the design Gemma wanted so had it made ready for the trip, hidden in plain sight at home. Whilst walking round Venice I found the perfect spot to get down on one knee and ask that all important question.

The week of the wedding soon arrived. I stayed at the Hand and Diamond, a village pub recommended by Rowton – it was lovely. Gemma made use of Rowton Castle’s bridal party house! It had everything she could need.

Gemma’s dress was a beautiful Maggie Sottero crystal embellished mermaid gown, with embroidered lace and revina chiffon. It had a sweetheart neckline, beaded straps and an open back. Gemma chose a coordinating Maggie Sottero veil and accessorised with sparkly Jenny Packham heeled sandals. She looked amazing. It wasn’t a dress that I expected her to be wearing, but I was blown when she first looked at me from the other end of the aisle.

I wore a three-piece blue check suit, a classic white shirt, dusky pink tie and tan brogues. AND I can’t forget my superman and wonder woman cufflinks. Our Groomsman (our boys) wore matching suits with bow ties. All three of us wore superhero socks; mine Superman and then Flash and Batman for the boys.

The colour scheme was simple and elegant, focused around our chosen flowers which were dusky pink and white in colour (mainly avalanche roses), finished with eucalyptus and gypsophila. Flowers for the day were by Wendy Shaw (one of Rowton’s wonderful recommended suppliers). The cake (made by Nicola at Boutique Bakery), featured a single round tier with an elegant pale pink fondant rose and sat atop a tower of raspberry and vanilla macarons. We had only one theme. The table names matched our superhero aliases; Wonder Woman, Superman, Flash and Batman.

Our first dance was to “Just the Way You Are” by Boyce Avenue, a song I once wrote out in a card to Gemma. Dancing continued into the evening with song choices made by our guests as part of their RSVPs, making the day all the more personal.

We chose Si Medlicott to capture our day. We loved the relaxed nature of his work and how he uses everything around the subject matter to enhance the overall image. Si was on hand, constantly snapping away, he even got our boys in natural smiles, a near on impossible task!

Best part of the day

We were both so nervous on the wedding day! We had hoped that it would be perfect, and it was, and so everything about the day was “the best part”. Having our closest friends and family there to see us get married was so special, having full use of the venue, with staff happy to help anyone at any point was just incredible.

Advice for future Brides and Grooms

Pick Rowton Castle, no matter the distance! It’s an amazing venue, with amazing staff and an amazing setup… and then once you have done that, follow your heart, make the day yours and enjoy every second as it all goes by too quickly.