We ended 2011 with lots of Christmas sparkle. Melissa and Chris’s wedding was held just a few days before Christmas, with a ceremony at Bournemouth Town Hall (their last wedding before Christmas too) and a reception at The Three Tuns Inn in Bransgore, Dorset.

Mel and Chris really embraced the seasonal spirit with lots of magical decorations and cute attention to detail (we loved the mistletoe kiss during the ceremony and the beautiful ribbon on the cars).

Things started with me snapping up the bridal preps at Melissa and Chris’s beautiful cottage in Wimborne. The Christmas berries and mistletoes wreaths gave the florals a seasonal feel too, thanks to the handiwork of Arcade Flowers in Ringwood.

Just to keep things interesting bridal preps were interrupted at one point by the presence of a live Vole in the kitchen (a present from Cupcake the kitten). But just as Melissa seemed to ooze calm about her wedding day she disposed of it like a pro (simply picking it up and popping it into a jam jar glass).

A calm approach also worked wonders when one of the hired Morris Minors carrying the bridesmaids broke down en route to the Registry Office. Luckily the number for United Taxis is engrained into my brain (”double-five, double six, double seven!”) so Chris didn’t have to wait too long.

The ceremony was late in the day and as the nights were drawing in quick we only had about 20 minutes of daylight afterwards. But we loved how cosy and unique that made the day feel, especially as we got all our group shots snapped before the sun went down *air punch*…

Melissa and Chris’s Wedding Reception continues in Part Two

Continued from Part One

The wedding reception was brought to life by expert event stylist, Sweet Dream Events who created some truly beautiful table settings, marquee decorations and scrumptious dessert bars.

Despite the clear skies it was a White Christmas at The Three Tuns Inn thanks to the snow machine. This greeted the guests as they made their way into the marquee and barn for the wedding breakfast.

After food the guests all cosied up in the barn for a big party dancing along to brilliant tunes from DJ Leeroy, although they occasionally popped outside to toast some marshmallows on the fire.

It was a lovely end to our year. Thank you for letting us be a part of it, Melissa and Chris!

We first met up with Jo and Chris one cloudy, wintery day in the Purbecks where we clambered through muddy fields to capture some images for their Save The Date card. Little did we know that day that almost a year later we’d be making our way over to an equally freezing Gloucestershire to photograph their special day at Bibury Court Hotel in The Cotswolds.

We had no doubt we were in for a treat as we made our way up for Jo and Chris’ wedding day. They’d looked super glamorous as they trudged their way in their Hunter Wellies through Dorset’s muddy fields, and Chris had already proven he had excellent taste in suit jackets when we met up with them for their wedding prep.

It was cold on their wedding day. We’d stayed about 20 minutes out of Bibury in Colesbourne (we thoroughly recommend the Colesbourne Inn if you’re heading out that way - it was a truly excellent place to stay) and our car doors had completely frozen shut before we made our way over to Bibury Court Hotel in the morning. It was a winter wonderland!

Jo, Chris and the guests pretty much had the full run of the hotel for their wedding day so we were nice and cosy inside for the best part of it. The fire roared away throughout the ceremony and the reception making for a toasty and romantic setting. The registrar did try to wed Jo to the Best Man at one point, but luckily realised the error of his ways soon enough. Phew!

Continues in Part Two

Carrying on from Part One..

The guests stayed inside in the warm at Bibury Court Hotel as Jo and Chris braced the outdoors for some portraits in the hotel grounds. Meanwhile, inside everyone was getting toasty and being treated to some excellent music in the conservatory.

The ceremony room had been turned around for the wedding breakfast with lots of lovely table settings and a magical wintery Table Plan Tree! The tables were named after whiskey brands.. I’m no whiskey connoisseur so Monkey Shoulder had me baffled for a while without the prompting of a bottle. But it’s now definitely my favourite whiskey.

Thanks so much to Jo and Chris who sorted out an amazing cream tea for us - it was scrumptious!

We were definitely grateful of the sugar rush from those cakes once the evening got going - the dancefloor was buzzing! It was an absolute delight working along to the tunes of The Reach Arounds. They blew us away with their thrashed-up mash-ups (Human League vs Spandau Ballet, anyone?). By far the best wedding band we’ve seen.

And speaking of “Best Of’s” a huge shout out should go to the guy in blue who entertained the crowds with his adrenalin-fuelled hoedown to the wig out at the end of Paradise City. It was unbelievably frantic and we still think about this often!

Posted with thanks and congratulations to Jo and Chris x