Real Weddings Bolton: Rachel and Jonathan’s intimate wedding day

Freezing weather didn’t spoil this couple’s stylish intimate wedding. Our WED2B Real Weddings Bolton feature reveals more:

Rachel and Jonathan met at school in 2007. “Jonny took me to the cinema on our first date to watch Spiderman 3,” says Rachel. “We both actually ended up keeping our cinema tickets as a memory!”

Asking the important question…

When Jonny proposed it took Rachel by complete surprise. “I always thought that if it was going to happen it would be on an anniversary, birthday or other special occasion,” she says. “We had just arrived home following a lovely evening out in Manchester. He called me into the room and when I got there I saw that he’d turned off the lights. He passed me a pen and asked me to shine it on the wall. When I took a proper look, I could just about make out the words ‘Will you marry me?’, which he had written in UV pen across the wall. When I turned around he had also pulled out a ring! It was a very special and memorable moment. I was so excited I called our parents and all my friends straight away to tell them the news!”

Dream dress shopping

“We knew we wanted an intimate wedding in winter and I thought a long-sleeve dress would be fitting for the season,” says Rachel. “I’ve always loved lace but I also wanted something modern and comfortable. I came across the WED2B website and, after searching for long-sleeve dresses, I decided on a handful that I wanted to try on at the store.”

Beautiful Bria

Rachel visited WED2B’s Bolton store in December 2016. “It was the first wedding dress shop I’d visited and I picked up four dresses to try on, including Bria from the Signature Collection,” says Rachel. “Bria was the second dress I tried on and we all (my Mum, my sister and I) instantly fell in love! It was just what I wanted and fitted me perfectly. I could have got married on it that day it was so perfect! I loved everything about the dress, such as the lace body and long sleeves, and the pearl detail. The comfortable chiffon material and the mermaid style was really flattering. I knew that I had to have it, so we bought it there and then. I never thought wedding dress shopping could be so easy!”

An intimate wedding

The couple married on the 24th February 2018 at The Belle Epoque in Knutsford, Cheshire. “We planned on having an intimate wedding and fell in love with the venue the moment we saw it,” says Rachel. “Knutsford itself is a beautiful little town with cobbled streets and The Belle Epoque was like nothing we’d ever seen before. It had so much character and charm. There were old fire places, beautiful ceiling features and also a Mediterranean roof garden. We’re both big foodies so we also loved that the venue was known for its amazing food and that we could hire it exclusively. We can’t wait to go back and visit on our first anniversary!”

Let’s get married!

“The whole ceremony feels like a bit of a blur to be honest,” says Rachel. “I was such a mixture of excitement and nerves it felt like it was over so quickly, but it was beautiful and everything we ever imagined. We had a piano player for the ceremony and my Dad walked me down the aisle to ‘Last Request’ by Paolo Nutini. Two of my lovely bridesmaids did readings and Jonny picked our exit song, which was ‘Come and Get Your Love’ by Redbone from his favourite film, Guardians of the Galaxy. Our favourite memory was being announced as the new Mr and Mrs Waterman and hearing all of our friends and family clap and cheer as we walked out of the room.”

Eat, drink and be merry

After the ceremony there was a drinks reception where guests enjoyed a warm Winter Pimms cocktail to ward off the freezing temperatures. There was also an amazing close-up magician to keep everyone entertained while the newlyweds went off to have some pictures taken. “It’s really hard to pick a favourite moment, I’d like to say the whole day,” says Rachel. “One of the most memorable moments was when we went for a walk following the ceremony. It was our first time together alone as husband and wife and it was so nice to have that time to take it all in.”

Decor, details and cake

“Our venue really didn’t require much decoration, as it had so many unique features,” says Rachel. “All we really wanted to add was lots of candlelight to give it a romantic feel. Our venue also supplied us with beautiful floral centrepieces, so we based our colour scheme on those with complementary shades of pink, burgundy and whites with textured foliage. We were also keen to make sure we had lots of things to keep from the day, so we paid a little extra for personalised decorations, such as a welcome sign and card box, both of which we have in the house as treasured keepsakes.” The naked wedding cake was decorated with flowers and fresh berries and had three tiers with different flavours, including cherry Bakewell, espresso and toffee, and lime and coconut.

Dancing the night away

The wedding breakfast was followed by lots of drinking and dancing. “We hired a fabulous DJ and a saxophone player and they really got the party started,” says Rachel. “The most entertaining part of the day was definitely the dad dancing. My Dad has some serious moves and he wasn’t afraid to show them off after a few beers. We literally had to drag him off the dance floor at the end of the night!”

Did your wedding have the wow factor like Rachel and Jonathan’s intimate wedding? Would like to be a part of our real weddings feature? Send your favourite photo to info@wed2b.co.uk and we’ll be in touch!