included blue hydrangeas for fullness and softness. Cake can be a polarising topic, especially when you have so many guests with many different tastes. But Julie and Enzo know how to please the masses, whilst maintaining their gorgeous wedding theme; so for cake flavour, they went for a classic Victoria sponge and had each layer designed to fit the theme. Julie recalls, “the top tier featured ivory icing with sparkles, the middle tier was embellished with sage-coloured icing with a white bespoke monogram and gold diamanté trim. Finally, the bottom tier had ivory and sage-coloured icing marbled with gold leaf. This was beautifully complemented with sugar flowers around the outside in various places.” To encapsulate the theme further, the couple chose wooden table numbers painted in gold and at each place setting, a personal letter for every guest. Julie adds, “this took many months of organising as we had many guests attending our wedding. Each letter was written individually which included personal stories and included happy memories for each guest.” Julie very importantly notes that if you choose to do this for your wedding, save multiple copies of the letters in different locations as they nearly lost all of theirs due to a technical fault! Many newly engaged couples will choose a signature scent to wear on their wedding day; some fragrance companies even host specialised days for couples to come in and find their scent. For Julie and Enzo, it didn’t stop at fragrances, they wanted their guests to have a signature scent that they would forever associate with the wedding of the season. The couple worked with a local candle maker, Essentialiese Candle Co, to make save the date candles. The same scent was then used in all the candles at the wedding. Julie recalls, “we added our wedding logo and of course the wedding date, this was a perfect way to let our friends and family know about our upcoming nuptials.” If you’ve ever tried to last the night in heels, then you’ll know that all too familiar burning that comes towards the end of the night. Julia and Enzo, having considered this, had some rescue bags ready to be deployed containing flat shoes, a bag to put your heels in, and a hair tie. Julie loved the quality of the shoes and has even continued to use them as slippers, almost a year after the wedding – that’s quite the review! Other ways Julie and Enzo made the day all that more special was by honouring family and friends that couldn’t be there, with a separate candle in a clear glass jar. This was set aside from the others and had a gold frame next to it outlining what it represented. The couple also used QR codes at their wedding for guests to scan and add their pictures to a folder as the night went on. Julie adds, “although we had one of the best photographers in the business, it’s always nice to see different perspectives of the day. After the wedding we were able to sit down and look at all the photos that the guests had taken.” Didsbury House Hotel did the catering for the big day and Julie recalls that the venue was great at catering to different dietary requirements. She even adds that more than half of the wedding guests opted for sticky toffee pudding to round off their meal. That sounds like a smart choice in our books! Many couples also go for a signature cocktail to highlight the event, but for Julie and Enzo, they went down a more sentimental route. Julie reminisces, “growing up I loved to drink ‘fizzy Vimto’ with berries, especially with my auntie Teresa. Sadly, she passed away before the wedding day, so we decided that instead of a ‘signature cocktail’ we would do an ‘Auntie Teresa Special’ available to everyone, but the children in particular loved it! They felt like they were having an adult drink with everyone else.” LOOKING THE PART For any newly engaged person out there, your mind may instantly go to the perfect dress. Julie’s search meant that she had to try on 26 dresses before she found the one. However, in going to so many bridal boutiques, she got to know the lingo and also began to understand what it was that she didn’t want. Julie details, “I chose a V-neck ivory dress designed by Jesus Peiro. Jess, from Alexandra Ann, had a vast knowledge on wedding dresses, so I was able to design the dress exactly how I had imagined, fulfilling every requirement I had envisaged.” Julie adds, “the dress was made out of eco taffeta material which is recycled plastic bottles. I accessorised the dress with an Evelyn cape – this flowed beautifully over the dress and added an extra layer of interest.” For the evening portion of the day, Julie swapped her cape for a lace V-neck REAL WEDDINGS 33
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