A colorful and bright industrial wedding, with bright florals, disco balls and two humans wildly in love. This Homes Mill wedding was brought to life in under a year.
Tell us about the proposal.
So I had been waiting for the proposal for a little while but we had to prioritize buying a house first. We had always talked about Michelle being the one to propose.
She proposed on a trip away to the Lake District in August 2020. It was right in the middle of the pandemic when some restrictions had lifted.
We were staying in a cabin, and she made me breakfast in the tiny kitchen area. As I came into the kitchen, she got down on one knee. It was perfect- just the two of us like I had always wanted. I had actually already bought an engagement ring for Michelle and had been carrying it around for about six months, so I got my ring out and asked her the same question right back.
How long was your engagement?
Eleven months- We never wanted a long engagement, so we booked our wedding about a week after our engagement for July 2021. We naively thought the pandemic would be well and truly over by then.
What led you to Homes Mill?
Michelle would say I had already been planning our wedding for years, which is partly true! I saw Holmes Mill on Instagram about three years before we got engaged. I absolutely loved it, so as soon as we got engaged, we went to look around. It’s about an hour’s drive from where we live and exactly what we were looking for. We were looking for something with a bit of an industrial feel, and a converted mill was perfect.
What was the inspiration behind the theme?
We actually fell in love with a bouquet our florist has done and shared on her Instagram page. It was full of bright pinks, purples and blues, and we asked her to base the flowers around that. We just wanted something quite fun. We also wanted to incorporate a few things linked to Manchester, so we had wax Bee seals on our stationary, and a hexagon backdrop and cake stand to link to the Manchester worker bee.
Talk to us about your experience finding the perfect outfits.
I knew I wanted something fitted. I fell in love with my dress on Instagram and knew I had to try it on. It was the first dress I tried- I tried others but went back to that first one as it was just beautiful.
Michelle was really unsure about what she was going to wear- she never normally wears dresses and considered wearing a suit but decided for her wedding she wanted the experience of wearing a dress but wanted something less traditional. We managed to find some really quirky shops that catered to brides looking for something less traditional. Michelle was so nervous and felt out of her comfort zone, but as soon as she visited Flamingo Boulevard, she was made to feel completely at ease. She ended up going for a gorgeous two-piece.
Both my mum and Aunty came to both of our appointments, but we didn’t see each other’s dresses until the big day!
Talk to us about the big day!
It was honestly perfect from start to finish!
We were so lucky- exactly one day before our wedding, all restrictions lifted in England, so we got to have the exact day we wanted. We had sixty guests as we didn’t want many people, just our closest family and friends.
We both relaxed and enjoyed every moment. We got married at twelve-thirty, so it was an early start. We were up at six for hair and make-up. Then, we had breakfast and champagne, which was perfect. Michelle was in the room next door to me at the hotel, and our bridesmaids and bridesman moved between both rooms to spend the morning with us.
Michelle walked down the aisle first and then the bridal party, and I came down last with my mum.
During the meal, we had a sweetheart table. It was lovely to have that bit of time just the two of us and be able to see all of our guests enjoying the day.
We didn’t want lots of speeches- Michelle said I’d done all the organising for the day so she’d do a speech, and my mum did a speech on behalf of both families.
The whole day was relaxed and fun- there were no stresses, and we just enjoyed it!
What are your favorite moments?
We had two. Seeing each other at the aisle! I am so glad we didn’t see each other’s dresses. And dancing! Michelle and I love a good dance, and with Covid, we hadn’t been out dancing in ages! It was so good to get everyone on the dance floor.
What does marriage mean to you?
For us, we wanted to get married to show our commitment to one another. It’s a declaration of the love we have for each other and an opportunity to share that with the people who mean the most to us.
Marriage means a lifetime of each other, and what could be better than that!
Photography by Jo Greenfield
Accessories Emilia Rae Bridal, East Link Jewelley
Cake Sugar Fancies Bakery
Cake Topper & Table Numbers MD Laser Works
Catering & Venue Holmes Mill
Dress Boutiques Emma Louise Bridal, Flamingo Boulevard Bridal
Dress Designers Rebecca Ingram, Catherine Deane
Entertainment DJ Coast 2 Coast
Florist & Stylist Olive Owl
Flower Girl & Boy Outfits Monsoon
H&MU Mimi Lomax
Photo Booth Boothiy
Shoes Converse, Hello clothing
Signage & Stationery Lucy McSpirit
Wedding Party Outfits ASOS, Missguided
