Mr + Mrs: Evans
21st December 2019 | Tyn Dwr Hall, Llangollen
Instagram: @craigsevans @helen.louise.evans | Photos: Helen Smiddy Photography
Helen and Craig wanted a winter wedding but they didn't want anything overly festive. For this reason they opted for black tie for the bridal party with black bridesmaids dresses. The bride wore an elegant Rosa Clara gown, while the groom wore a gorgeous green velvet dinner jacket (perfect for a December wedding). The decor and florals were kept fresh and simple with whites and green foliage, to complement their gorgeous venue Tyn Dwr Hall set in the beautiful Welsh countryside.
Tell us about your love story...
Eight years ago, in a busy club in Chester, we met on the dance floor and got to know each other over tequilas. Unfortunately, we couldn’t remember each other’s names, but then Craig spotted me on a mutual friends photograph on Facebook. He sent me a friend request and asked me out on a perfect first date - a modern day romance, haha! We got engaged on the 20th December 2018. We were due to spend a few days in Scotland with my family so for our proposal, Craig knew that my favourite city is Edinburgh and whisked me away for a staycation. As we wandered the city, Craig insisted that we got to the castle just as the sun was setting. Craig then got on one knee and asked me to marry him – obviously I said ‘yes’ before going to celebrate with champagne!
Tell us all about your wedding theme...
We wanted a winter wedding, but not a Christmas wedding. Because of this, we opted for black tie for the wedding party, which really worked beautifully with our black bridesmaid dresses. Our stunning venue is nestled in amongst the Welsh countryside so we wanted to keep the flowers tasteful and elegant. The mixed shades of green complemented Craig’s green, velvet dinner jacket perfectly.
Tell us about the ceremony...
Our registrar service was beautifully led and we were married by the candle-filled and flower garland decorated grand fireplace in Tyn Dwr’s ballroom. We had one reading, ‘Marry Your Best Friend’, which was read by my brother, Thomas Bate. We selected this reading because it perfectly encapsulated the reason why we were at Tyn Dwr: to marry our best friend. And it certainly was a day of love and laughter!
My godmother, Pauline, gifted me a beautiful pin for my bridal bouquet (which you can see on some of the photos). It had
Something Old: three pence coin
Something New: a silver horse shoe
Something Borrowed: a collection of freshwater pearls
Something Blue: Swarovski crystal heart
What was your favourite part of the day?
It’s incredibly hard to pinpoint one particular part as it was all so enjoyable. Having all of our friends and family in one place was absolutely incredible. For me, walking down the aisle to see Craig’s smiling face.
Advice for future brides…
When you get to the top of the aisle, look back and see everyone. Take it all in. All of your friends and family are there for you both, to witness you make your special vows.
Song you walked down the aisle to: ‘Maps’ Freya Ridings’ cover of ‘Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs’ song, played by our pianist Andrew Price.
Song for walking back up the aisle as a married couple: ‘Choices’ by ‘To Kill a King’, our favourite song by a band that we’ve always enjoyed watching. Learned and played by our pianist Andrew Price.
First Dance: ‘Sweet Disposition’ by ‘The Temper Trap’, played our live band, ‘Hipster’
Wedding must-have: Live music! It adds so much character and atmosphere, whether it be the ceremony, reception or the party. We both love music; we have always enjoyed festivals and gigs so it seemed only appropriate to pick a band whose energy and repertoire reflects our style and love of music. We will never tire of watching our videos (trailer, full length, ceremony and speeches). We worked with Eleanor and Nathan from Caitlin and Jones to select the music. However, they’ve perfectly captured our day, the laughter and the tears.
Did you have have anything unusual at your wedding?
We named our tables after the many places that we’ve travelled to together. The signage was a simple sage green and Perspex, to match our green and white colour scheme.
Tell us all about the dress…
Like most brides, shopping for ‘the dress’ is one of the most exciting yet nerve-wracking aspects. Everyone says that ‘you’ll know it’s your dress when you put it on’ but I was not prepared to be quite so bowled over by my dress. Following our engagement, I had looked online at Chester’s boutique ‘Along Came Eve’ and Kendall’s incredible selection of gowns, when I came across the ‘Rosa Clara Couture’ collection. I had looked at the ‘Naipe’ design and I could not wait to try her on: the simplicity of the dress, the long train and the intricate details were exactly what I had in mind. After enlisting my mum and my bridesmaids’ help for the day, we visited ‘Along Came Eve’ to try some dresses on. Whilst I tried several incredible dresses, I knew that ‘Naipe’ was the dress I was destined to be married in, the tears from my mum sealed the deal. As part of the fittings, I selected a pearl embellished veil as they perfectly complemented by Jimmy Choo ‘Sacora’ shoes.
Tell us about the cake...
Our cake was baked by a very talented friend. Flavours: Victoria sponge, salted caramel, ginger, lemon,
The cake was decorated by Chloe, our florist.
What food did you have at your wedding?
Wild Garlic are the catering team at Tyn Dwr Hall. The food was incredible!
Our canapés included: Roast Pepper & Mascarpone with mozzarella and pesto; Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese; Welsh Lamb Shepherd’s Pie
Wedding breakfast: Wild mushroom and creamed leek tartlet; Beef short rib with dauphonoise potatoes and cavolo nero. The best bit was the dessert: Maple Pineapple Tarte Tatin and salted caramel ice cream.
Evening food: Buttermilk fried chicken with ‘skin on fries’ and homemade kale slaw
Who was your favourite wedding supplier?
Helen Smiddy Photography! Her photographs speak for themselves! But her talent and passion for her job is contagious! From the moment we booked her, she became a friend and she completely understood our vision! We really couldn’t have asked for anything more from her! Our Best Man, Gaz Chew, created and printed all of our stationary. Our signage, invites, menus and thank you cards were beautifully designed and produced.
Best wedding splurge?
We really wanted to make the most of the wedding so rather than having a wedding day, we had a wedding weekend! We had a pre-dinner for our guests at the hall on Friday, the wedding on the Saturday and then we had brunch before we left Tyn Dwr on Sunday. Having the full weekend with all of our family and our friends made the weekend more special than we could have ever imagined.
What was your favourite wedding planning moment?
With us having the full weekend to celebrate our nuptials, we wanted to have music that we loved and that meant something to us – we’ve enjoyed many, many gigs over the years. So our favourite wedding planning task was selecting music for our Friday dinner party and drinks, then suggestions for our pianist and band. To make the most of it, we’d open a bottle of wine, cook dinner and spend hours on Spotify to recall music that we reminded of us key moments and that we knew our family and friends would enjoy
Tell us about your first dance...
Sweet Disposition, played by our live band ‘Hipster’.
This was the part of the day that we were both most nervous about! Neither of us are natural dancers so we decided we would wing it and hope for the best. Ironically, it was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the day as we were completely lost in the song and managed to spin out, twirl and not lose our footing! Thankfully, I had tied my lengthy train up; otherwise, it could have been quite the disaster!
Tell us about your Honeymoon...
Two days after the wedding, we jetted off to Mauritius to celebrate our first Christmas and New Year as Mr. and Mrs. Evans. Besides soaking up the sun and staying in our lagoon-side villa, we toured the island and saw highlights such as The Seven Coloured Earths and Charmarel Waterfalls.
What were your hen do plans?
We had the most insane time in Paris! River cruises, the Eiffel Tower, The Louve and a trip to Crazy Horse!
Venue: Tyn Dwr Hall, LlangollenWedding Planner: Poppy GossPhotographer: Helen Smiddy PhotographerVideographer: Caitlin and Jones VideographyStationery: The Best Man, Gary Chew. @seekuniquepersonalFlorist: White Wysteria, WhitchurchMUA: Roxana HabibiHair: Roxana Habibi / Dawn PalliserDress: Along Came Eve Bridal/Rosa Clara Couture: NaipeShoes: Jimmy Choo: SacaraBridesmaids dresses: ASOSSuits: FarahWedding Rings: Kayes Jewellery, ChesterBand/DJ: Hipster. @alivenetworkPianist: Andrew Price
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