Laura and Nick's burgundy and blush autumnal DIY wedding at The White Hart, Derbyshire

Mr + Mrs Black

Wednesday 6th November 2019 │ The White Hart, Derbyshire

Instagram: @mrslblack_x │  Photographer: Dickon Clark Photography

Laura and Nick married in November 2019 with a gorgeous autumnal theme of rich burgundies and nude pinks. Bride Laura created so many DIYs including her stationery, signage and all the flowers! Laura tells us all about their day and shares money saving tips for future brides.

How did you choose your wedding date?

Autumn is our favourite time of year! We love the colours, the weather, pumpkins, hot chocolates; cozy knits etc. So for us, it was the perfect fit; it just had to be an Autumn wedding!

Tell us about your wedding theme...

It was pretty simple, because we love Fall so much, the colour scheme and theme went hand in hand. Warm burgundies and golds, oranges and reds in the décor. But adding a touch of bridal blush & ivories now and again made our dream wedding come to life! I pretty much single- handedly DIY-ed our whole wedding- something that I’ll always be proud of and treasure forever!  

Did you have anything unusual at your wedding?  

We had a Harpist for our ceremony. Perhaps not that out there, but I’ve never been to another wedding that had one. We both fell in love with her talent when we met her at a wedding fair held at our venue.

Music

First dance: Came Here for Love (Acoustic version) - Ella Eyre & Sigala.

All ceremony music was played on the harp 

Song you walked down the aisle to: Pachelbel, Canon in D

Ceremony songs: Jurassic Park theme, Owl City – Fireflies and Coldplay - Clocks

Song for walking back up the aisle: American Authors - Best Day of my Life

Tell us about your wedding cake...

Well, it was a complex design, but our very talented cake maker absolutely pulled it off and brought our vision to life! Nick loves Lego, so we had a Lego Bride and Groom topper and fondant Lego pieces incorporated throughout the design. Plus more Lego people! Our cake comprised of three layers. Victoria sponge with vanilla buttercream and strawberry jam on the bottom tier. Chocolate sponge with chocolate ganache for the middle tier; and a red velvet sponge with vanilla buttercream for the top tier. The top and bottom tiers were covered in a textured buttercream finish with gold accents; and the middle tier was finished in a smooth buttercream to house our monogrammed initials encased in pearls! Our cake maker also made sugar posies to match my wedding bouquet to add to the cake and fondant drapes decorated in more pearls to enhance the fondant Lego brick feature. We had a mix of ivory, blush and burgundy ribbon tied around each tier to mimic those from my bouquet; and the whole cake stood on a stunning sparkly gold board. We were over the moon with our cake. A real talking point for our guests and to top it off, it was blooming delicious too! 

Favourite part of the day: The ceremony and marrying my love.

What was your favourite wedding purchase?

I can’t pick just one! But definitely: my dress, veil, hair piece and our wedding bands.

Tell us about the proposal...

Nick surprised me with a trip to London; and from there, a journey on the Belmond British Pullman to the Christmas markets in Lincoln. Where he got down on one knee in our private carriage and asked me to marry him! I cried and of course said yes! There was LOTS of champagne! 

Best Wedding Splurge: Our DJ & Saxophonist. They were INCREDIBLE!

Top money saving tip: 

When you start the planning process, work out your max budget and what you can afford to spend on your Wedding each month up until the big day. Make a “NEED” list (Dress, rings, suits, venue, photographer etc.) and make a “WOULD LIKE” list (things like: band, light up dancefloor/ initials, videographer, non-essential things, you get the jist). Do your research, most venues and vendors offer a discount for out of season/ mid- week weddings. If you see something you like on Pinterest, you’ll most likely be able to re-create it yourself for a fraction of the cost- or you’ll know someone else who can! EBay, Etsy, Amazon, small Instagram businesses & Ali-Express are your best friends- some AMAZING bargains to be found. Most of the things I bought for my Wedding were from EBay- including my veil, confetti and Bridesmaids dresses.

Venue: The White Hart, Moorwood Moor, Derbyshire

Photographer: Dickon Clark Photography 

DJ: DJ Mark Green and Dan the Saxophonist

Chair Covers: Gemma White Weddings and Events

Lanterns: Gemma White Weddings and Events

Bouquet Charms: Shell at Mermaids and Dinosaurs

Rings: Bride - Ernest Jones; Groom - Goldsmiths

Dress: Sincerity Bridal from Stately Brides

Shoes: Dorothy Perkins (on sale too!)

Bridesmaids dresses: EBay

Suits: Hired from Moss Bros

Celebrant: Local Registry Office

Harpist: Christine Palethorpe

Cake: Taylor Made Bakes

Décor: DIY 

Flowers: DIY

Stationery: DIY

MUA: DIY

Hair: DIY

Laura's Wedding DIYs:

• Save the Dates
• Wedding Invitations
• Bespoke Wax Seals
• Bridal Bouquet, buttonholes and corsage (artificial)
• Bridesmaid floral hoops
• All other decorative flowers 
• Bridesmaid boxes
• Individual confetti bags
• Hand written calligraphies for all signage
• Quote + special dates chalkboards
• Guestbook and card table frames, 
• IKEA card box
• Sweet jars and sweets for sweet table
• Blanket crate
• Table names & décor
• Gold leaf and water colour place names
• Bouquet charm and hand written calligraphy addressed envelopes

...and I’ve probably forgotten some bits at that!

From Brides, With Love xo