in love LESSONS Anna and Kalvin said “I do” at The University of Manchester, a place dear to the bride’s heart Images courtesy of Fish2 Photography Kalvin proposed to Anna during a friend’s wedding with the full blessing of the happy couple. The moment was planned to take place during the wedding photos, when only the close friendship group remained. Kalvin took Anna completely by surprise. “I can’t remember a word he said,” Anna laughs. But thankfully the answer was “yes”. Anna has a long-standing connection with the University of Manchester. She was born and raised in the city and completed her undergraduate studies and master’s degree at the University. She later began working there, just down the road from Whitworth Hall and its iconic arch. “We both thought it would make a truly memorable venue,” Kalvin explains. “We loved the grand, historical atmosphere of the place. We could picture our wedding photos beneath the arch and were drawn to the character of Christie’s Bistro with the books lining the walls. The Old Quad was recently refurbished too, so it offered a beautiful outdoor space.” So, with the date set, the couple moved on to planning the finer details. They chose a deep, rich palette of dark green and red and, with the help of their venue stylist, set about bringing their vision to life. The day’s food was supplied by the University’s catering team and featured a choice of wedding breakfast starters: Parma ham and sun-blushed tomato tart with potato, herb and black olive salad or roasted red pepper, courgette and feta cheese bruschetta with lemon and mint vinaigrette. For the main course, guests could choose between pan-seared breast of chicken with seared mushrooms, served with truffle, champ, tenderstem broccoli and mushroom cream sauce, or mushroom, spinach and blue cheese pithivier served with buttered new potatoes and a seasonal salad. Dessert was a delightful rhubarb flavoured egg custard tart. Hot sandwiches and potato wedges were served in the evening when tummies started to rumble once more. The groom was dressed to impress in Bromley, an olivegreen check three-piece suit by Marc Darcy, and his party wore navy or black suits with palettefitting red ties. Meanwhile, his bride looked stunning in her choice of Dillon from Wed2B. The couple enlisted the help of several entertainers to make sure their loved ones never faced a dull moment. Elinor Harp provided the ethereal ceremony and wedding breakfast music with a bespoke soundtrack loved by the newlyweds and guests alike. During the evening reception, Retrobooth was on hand to provide guests with photographic memories to take away, and to round off the night the Northern Wedding DJ kept the dance floor alight until the early hours of the morning. “Our wedding ceremony was the main highlight for us,” Kalvin shares. “This was thanks to the kindness, dedication and expertise of so many of our suppliers – including our venue, venue stylist, celebrant and harpist.” Kalvin is the man in the know, so we asked him for his top wedding planning tips: “Go to wedding fairs. We found so many of our suppliers this way. They’re fun and you can chat with suppliers face-to-face.” REAL WEDDINGS 25
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