Hello beautiful,
We're back with another stunning Real Wedding feature, let's jump straight in. Alex Barker and Gemma (Cahill) Barker, were married on 19th May 2016, at The Shireburn Arms, Clitheroe in the Ribble Valley.
How did you meet?
"Alex and I have been together for 10 years, we met when we were students. I started working at Asda during the summer of my first year at university; Alex was my mentor and showed me everything that I needed to know in the produce aisle. We had an instant connection and spent lots of time together during this summer. At the time we were both in relationships with other people but still remained very good friends. It wasn’t until months later that we actually became an official couple."
How did he propose? Or did you take the plunge?
"For as long as I remember I have always wanted to visit New York and experience the ‘Big Apple’. For my 27th Birthday we booked a trip to New York. Being an active couple we spent every morning braving the cold November temperatures and running around Central Park. On Thanks Giving morning, we planned to head out on a run to Central Park hoping to get a glimpse of the famous Macy Day parade!
"On this particular morning Alex suggested taking his camera so we could capture some of the amazing sights of the city. When we got to The Lake in Central Park, Alex thought that this particular spot would be a great photo opportunity so he asked me to turn away from him and face the skyline of Manhattan. It was a stunning location. He seemed to be taking longer than normal to get the picture, so I asked him to hurry up as it wasn’t the type of weather to be standing still for too long! Then he started becoming very philosophical about life and our time together, and as I turned round he had the engagement ring in his hand and asked me if I would spend the rest of my life with him. I was in complete shock! I burst into tears and was speechless. Alex looked so nervous and said ‘What is your answer then’?"
Tell us about planning your wedding… What were you most excited about?
"As Alex and I live in Canada we were most excited about spending time with our friends and family. We knew this would be one of the only opportunities to have everyone we loved in the same place at the same time. This was very important to us."
What was your theme?
"The only theme that we wanted was something that would be in keeping with the venue - something that was simple and elegant. As the venue was already beautiful we didn’t need to do too much. We kept to pastel colours with the flowers and decor arrangements - something that would compliment my lace wedding dress, and Alex’s Italian blue suit."
How did Zoe incorporate this theme in to your stationery?
"Zoe incorporated the theme into the stationery extremely well - the invitations, signing book and seating plan both included pastel pink, hessian and beautiful lace.
"We decided that our tables would tell the love story of us. Therefore each table corresponded to a significant year of our relationship together, along with a picture to represent this. I ran the idea past Zoe, provided her with the images and she did the rest."
What was your experience with Zoe like, as a designer?
"Zoe was fantastic, every time I had a query or wasn't sure about something she was always available and provided a prompt response. This was extra important for me as the main correspondence was through email. Her ideas created the basis for our theme, she always seemed to know exactly what I wanted and the finished designs looked incredible, we were so happy! For example, we had very positive feedback about our wedding invitations. People commented that they were the best invitations they had seen, very professional and really well made."
How many bridesmaids and pageboys did you have?
"I had three of my best friends as bridesmaids - Zoe, Christina, and Rachael. I also had my niece, Freya, as my flower girl. Alex had two best men at the wedding: his older brother, Tom and younger brother, Lucas."
Where are you planning to go on your honeymoon?
"We went on a short break after the wedding to the Amalfi Coast, Italy with some of our friends from Calgary Canada. However, we are going on our official honeymoon in November to Maui, Hawaii, which we are very much looking forward to."
Would you recommend LMSB to friends and family?
"Yes definitely! I know that my mum has already used LMSB for a beautiful wedding card, she was so impressed with Zoe's incredible work. I will certainly be using her in the future for any important events!
"Thank you Zoe for all your hard work, it was such a pleasure to work with you."
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Wow! What a beautiful wedding with such a lovely theme and design. We especially love the ‘love story of us’ table themes!
Communication is really important when it comes to design. Whilst it can be said that Zoe is a miracle worker, unfortunately she can’t always read minds! It’s best to be completely honest, and provide as much detail about your design specifications as possible so Zoe can work with you to give you the best possible result. Design work is fairly intuitive, but it does require open communication and honest feedback. If something isn’t feeling right to you, or you would like something specific incorporated into your stationery, Zoe will do everything she can to do this for you.
As you can see from the roaring review above, and in previous Feature Bride blogs, Zoe is quite adept at providing the most exquisite personal touches! Having a good relationship with the designer really helps the process, because you will often give away subtle details and hints in the way you describe your ideas. You’ll build up a rapport with Zoe, who is warm and welcoming, and in turn she will always be honest with you, and be realistic about managing your expectations.
Some ideas are so exquisite and unique that they are bound to tip the financial scales a bit further. However, design specifications can more often than not be tweaked to work with whatever budget you have!
We know weddings are expensive. We also know that lots of people like to have DIY weddings to save money. If that’s your thing, go for it! But remember that craft materials can add up to serious money at retail prices, and the time it takes to create everything by your own fair hand (whilst carrying out your every day life, and planning the rest of your big day) if it’s not something you’re used to can also be a MAJOR issue. This can end up doing more damage to your budget. Many potential brides pop in and love our work, but walk out saying “I could do that myself!” with little to no understanding of the time and effort that goes into creating bespoke designs. (Seriously, let’s not undervalue someone’s work by stating this in their face yeah?)
And as evidenced above with Gemma and Alex’s wedding, using a skilled and award winning designer like LMSB can ensure your design dreams are woven into every aspect of your wedding - even bits you may not have previously considered!
We hope you enjoyed this August edition of Wedding of the Month, and we hope Gemma and Alex enjoy Maui when they jet off there in November! (We are not at all jealous. Nope. Not even a little bit... OK maybe a little bit...)
Much love,
Let's Make Something Beautiful