Handcrafted details and a love story told in colour
Tell us about the proposal – how and where did it happen?
Our first date was at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, where I snapped a photo of Arely in the Japanese Garden. Five years later, I proposed to her in that very same spot on 9th June 2023, before we watched a string quartet perform a symphony of Studio Ghibli songs.
What was your first step in planning your wedding?
Our first step was creating a Pinterest board together so we could gather our ideas and figure out what we wanted our special day to look like. We also went to some wedding fairs to get a sense of different suppliers and the process of hiring them. Instagram absolutely was our best friend in the planning, so many great suppliers share their content on there is so much inspiration.
What were your wedding ‘must-haves’?
COLOURS! We are quite maximalist, so we wanted to make sure our venue and day would match that, from bright florals to mirror balls and our outfits, we knew we wanted a pop. We also knew that we wanted to celebrate with as many of our loved ones as possible, so we knew that a large venue that would cater to everyone’s needs was essential – like having separate rooms for the bar, dancefloor and quiet spaces… just like Bourton Hall!
How did you organise your wedding budget?
We researched average costs to begin with, and then were lucky to have very transparent suppliers who helped us minimise costs and figure out the important things we wanted to spend our money on.
How did you find your venue, and what made you choose it?
Our parents suggested the venue after both had seen it online. We then visited for an open day, and we knew it was our venue when we saw the Chapel with its ornate ceiling. We also felt that the venue was gorgeous and that we could put our own touch on it. The location was also amazing for us given we had family coming from all over the world.
How did you personalise your big day?
Our theme and inspiration was a ‘colourful autumn day’. We were also inspired by Wes Anderson films like Fantastic Mr Fox and The Grand Budapest Hotel. We wanted to take the whimsy style of these films and bring it to our day. We had all types of florals, fresh, preserved and faux, we used all these to bring more colour to our day, they were on the aisle, on arches and carried by the bridesmaids, which doubled as our centrepieces for our wedding breakfast! To add more of us, we had table names for our wedding breakfast which were our pet names in both languages. We chose to have colourful sashes provided by Bourton Hall in our ceremony and reception room to tie everything together.
To carry the theme of films, we designed and printed lots of signs like welcome, dinner, and evening buffet signs. We even made our own welcome board, with flowers grown in our very own garden. As a memento of the day, we had a painting of Bourton Hall on a canvas for our guests to sign. For our cards and gifts, we had a wishing well decorated with flowers.
We had a vintage two-tiered heart Lambeth-style cake, again colourful and decorated with flowers. We also had a bouquet of flower-piped cupcakes to make it more maximalist. In the evening, we added lots of mirror balls and colourful light props to dance the night away. Our wedding favours included hand-embroidered personalised napkins for every guest, heart-shaped lollies from Mexico and old photographs of us with every guest. These photos and napkins are what we used as a table plan and place names.
Did the venue provide any memorable extras or nice personal touches that stood out?
Emily, our Personal Wedding Manager, was unbelievable. She was so helpful and went the extra mile to make sure that our colourful and whimsical ideas came true on the day. She helped us arrange for the Father of the Bride to play the piano for our first dance, even tuning the piano before and letting us practice in the venue. Emily also helped us arrange the Bride’s cousin and sister to give us a surprise performance during our breakfast the day after the wedding.
Describe your wedding dress and favourite accessories
I found my dress through Pinterest; it was designed and made by a designer in Latvia, who focuses on lace and florals. I fell in love with it instantly and ordered it before ever trying it on. I didn’t try any other dresses as I knew it was the one. Most importantly, it had pink embroidered flowers in the bodice, which was perfect for me as I was looking to have some colour while still having the traditional bridal white.
My favourite accessories were my shoes; I had the best of both worlds with pink platform heels for the day and vintage pink and white Dr. Martens for the night. For the night, I also opted for a preserved floral crown so I could dance without my veil.
What was your suit like?
I knew that I wanted to get married in a green three-piece suit to match our theme. I also wanted the style to be like Fantastic Mr Fox. I tried on so many suits trying to find the right material and colour, I finally found what I was looking for a month before the wedding. It was a three-piece green herringbone suit that was perfect. I wore it with a white shirt and pink William Morris-style tie and pocket square. I also wore Doc Martens throughout the day. My favourite accessory was my Grandfather’s ring that my dad gifted me the morning of the wedding.
“We both fell in love all over again when we first saw each other’s outfits for the first time on the aisle!”
Tell us about your wedding party and their outfits
We had 11 bridesmaids and nine groomsmen; they were a mix of family and friends. It may seem like a lot but we knew we had everyone that is special to us. The bridesmaids wore floor-length pink, orange and green dresses to represent autumn. The groomsmen wore suits with different floral ties and pocket squares in the same colours as the bridesmaids. Everyone picked their own styles as we wanted everyone to shine in their own way. We liked the mix of outfits as it made it more maximalist. The bridesmaids also carried floral baskets, and the groomsmen had matching buttonholes; both had touches of the bride’s bouquet.
What was your ceremony like?
Isaac entered with his two Best Men to his favourite track from Fantastic Mr. Fox. Whilst the guests were waiting, we played a playlist of songs from our relationship. While Arely entered with both Mum and Dad, after a procession of her bridesmaids and flower girls to the theme song of the 12 Dancing Princesses.
We had a civil and religious ceremony with both English & Mexican traditions and languages. The ceremony began in the usual and ‘legal’ way with the official signing of our marriage document, accompanied by a vocal and string performance by friends and family. Once this was done, the Christian ceremony began with a blessing and a special sermon given by Arely’s uncle, who is a pastor. We had handwritten vows, exchanging of rings, bible readings by our family, a wedding lasso and bible giving. The wedding lasso was a special Mexican tradition to signify the binding of the bride and groom, done by the parents of the couple.
Tell us about your drinks reception and wedding breakfast
Our favourite picks were the Scotch quail eggs, the winter sangria and the beef for main. The speeches were really special as we had Arely’s Dad, the couple, the Best Men and the Maids of Honour. The highlight was the Best Men’s joint speech as they made everyone laugh and cry, which was only possible because we had all the speeches translated live by Arely’s uncle, who was our master of ceremonies.
Did you have a band or DJ for your evening reception? Did you have a first dance – what song did you choose?
For our dance, we had Arely’s Dad arrange and play a studio Ghibli piano piece called ‘Chihiro’s Waltz’, which we slow danced under the spiral staircase with confetti hearts thrown by our guests from the stairs. It felt like we were dancing in the cherry blossoms, so magical. We hired Bourton Hall’s resident DJ, who was perfect, helping us get a mirrorball and playing songs that both Arely’s Mexican family and Isaac’s British family danced to all night.
Based on your own experience, give us some top tips:
Have fun and don’t be afraid to do things your way. Have fun while planning, picking food, touring venues, choosing decorations and everything else. If you have fun through it all, it will not get as stressful or feel like a job. For us, it was really important to capture both Mexican traditions and newer English ones, so don’t be discouraged to mix and match. For the day of the wedding, our best advice is, don’t answer anyone’s questions or do any jobs! Your wedding party and Personal Wedding Manager will be on hand to make sure you can simply enjoy the day.
Did you go on a honeymoon or mini-moon?
We went on a mini-moon the day after the wedding. We stayed in a treehouse cabin with a hot tub in the South of England. We absolutely recommend going on a mini-moon straightaway to spend time alone together, reminiscing and relaxing to avoid the wedding blues.
“If we could do it all again, we’d…”
Make sure the bride doesn’t forget to bring her veil to the venue!
We’d probably stay in Bourton Hall’s cottage the night before to make sure everything was ready on the day before. But truly, we wouldn’t change a thing, it was perfect!
Tell us about your suppliers
Wedding dress: Sherbon Clothing / @sherbonclothing
Suit: Skopes
Wedding rings: AlainRaphaelJewelry
Bride: Bywardjewelry
Wedding cake: Neni’s Cakery / @neniscakery
Floral cupcakes: Vintage bakes vintage_bakes
Vegan floral cupcakes: Nikis Vegan Bakes @nikisveganbakes
Photographer and Videographer: Captured Moments / @capturedmomentsjen
Band/disco/DJ: Bourton Hall Resident DJ
Florals: Your Big Day Events / @yourbigdayevents
