Real Weddings Liverpool: Stephanie and Erol’s wonderful rainbow wedding

Stephanie and Erol met when Stephanie was picking up takeaway food, the night before being a bridesmaid at a wedding. “He was working,” says Stephanie. “The food was great and so was the hot waiter! I kept going in for meals until he eventually got the hint and asked me out. Our first date was breakfast on Valentine's Day.”

Real Weddings Liverpool: Stephanie with flower crown holding bouquet

By mutual agreement…

“There was no proposal, we just agreed at Christmas 2018 that we wanted to get married!” says Stephanie. “No big ceremony etc. He did buy me a lovely vintage engagement ring from the 50s/60s. It's a Sri Lankan sapphire with small bead diamonds either side that make the shape of a bow.”

Real Weddings Liverpool: Stephanie with veil blowing in the wind

Bridal shops Liverpool

Stephanie bought her dress from WED2B’s Liverpool store. “I wanted to try on a few different shapes, to make sure that I chose something that flattered me,” she says. “Most people were expecting me to get a short 1950s style dress, as I wear vintage most of the time, but I ended up falling for the first dress I put on - Jamie! It’s a gorgeous fit ’n’ flare with the perfect amount of lace and shimmer. I didn't buy it straight away, I went back a second time and tried a few more on to be sure that it was definitely ‘The One’.” (For similar styles try Renell, Sarah or Lennon)

Stephanie and Erol’s rainbow wedding

A meaningful venue

Covid threw the couple’s original plans out the window. “We ended up getting married with just my parents back in September and then had a vow renewal and party on 29th July 2021,” says Stephanie. “The venue for this was the restaurant where my husband and I first met, Figo’s Mediterranean Kitchen in West Kirby, Wirral. It just felt right. The food is amazing, the service great and if it wasn't for him working there we would never have met!”

Stephanie and Erol’s getting married at Figo's Mediterranean kitchen

The big day

“My dad walked me down the aisle to ‘You to Me Are Everything’ by The Real Thing,” says Stephanie. “We had a celebrant who captured us to a tee. The ceremony was at 5pm and, although the bride is traditionally late, I was actually 10 minutes early. Earlier than some of the guests!”

“We then had a sit down meal of Turkish food, in honour of my husband's heritage,” says Stephanie. “The theme was flowers, as my husband calls me ‘çiçeğim’ which means ‘my flower’ in Turkish. It meant there was a lot of colour, which is how I love everything in life. We had 12 different types of flowers on each table and my bouquet was a riot of colours. The florist, Flourish Flowers, had to make two trips in her van to get them all to the venue!” 

All things bright and beautiful

“The colour scheme was based on my wedding shoes, a pair of Manolo Blahnik heels that were a present from a very dear friend. I had a custom hair flower that was made to match by Pin Up Curl. My hair was also coloured to match the pinks, blues, greens, oranges and purples. My longtime hairdresser, Dani at Olivia James, was more than up for the challenge! Carl Brown Hair came and did the updo. I’ve been going to him for years and he is one of the top vintage hairstylists in the UK. I knew he would produce something gorgeous but it surpassed my expectations.”

A homemade cake

“We made an arch using the shelving that was already in place at the restaurant, combined with a lot of artificial ivy and wisteria,” says Stephanie. “The cake was a real family affair. The top tier was vegan, made by my talented sister-in-law who's a vegan chef, and then my mum made over 100 cupcakes in chocolate banoffee, lemon and Turkish delight flavours. I added the fillings and iced them with buttercream roses and a small rosebud/daisy. Everyone said how delicious they were without knowing who had made them or that I had spent four hours the previous night decorating them all!”

“After food came the speeches, my dad's and then mine, as I’m definitely the chattier one in the relationship. We thanked everyone and then announced that we are expecting a baby at the start of next year! From then on we just danced the night away. The floor was filled all night and people haven't stopped telling me what fun they had ever since!”

My top tips…

“Have fun, enjoy yourself and try not to get too stressed,” says Stephanie. “I had a mini meltdown the morning of the big day, because I was so worried about it all being perfect and wanting everyone to love it. And it was all for nothing, because we had a great time!”

Stephanie’s Dream Team

Photography: Jane Hockey

Venue: Figo’s Mediterranean Kitchen, West Kirby  

Bridal shops Liverpool: WED2B

Hair colour: Olivia James Hairdressing 

Hair styling: Carl Brown Hair 

Makeup: Ellie at Olivia James Hairdressing

Hair flowers and Bridesmaids' corsages: Pin Up Curl 

Dress alterations: Charlotte at The Sewing Room of West Kirby

Bridesmaids dresses: Esme’s Vintage Closet 

Flowers: Flourish Flowers 

Venue decor (chair covers etc): Sapphire Bespoke Events 

Car: Barringtons 

Celebrant: Jeanette Roberts 

DJ/singer: Neil Cooper

If you would like your big day to be one of our real weddings please click here to share your story and photos with us and we’ll be in touch. Or click here for more details about WED2B’s bridal shops Liverpool