Gemma and Scott met 12 years ago during their second year of University in Sheffield when their mutual friend found a shared house and asked them both to move in with him. Although they both had other long distance relationships at the time they became very good friends and in the third year realised they had fallen in love and got together.

The Proposal

Scott proposed in the revolving restaurant at the top of the Sydney Tower in Australia on Gemma’s birthday in 2006.

Hen and Stag Parties

Gemma went to Brighton with her bridesmaids and close friends. Everyone got dressed up in fancy dress with a Dallas/Dynasty theme; bad make up, big hair and lots of 80’s glitz. Gemma also had a night out locally with friends in Sheffield that started with a relaxing morning at Spa 1877 for a few of the hens and then an evening of cocktail making at Crystal bar. They also arranged a special spa day to include one of Gemma’s bridesmaids who she has known since she was 4, as she was heavily pregnant and unable to attend any of the other celebrations.

Scott went to Budapest with 10 friends and got the usual treatment of being made to wear a dress and make-up. It was very hot when they were there so they spent a lot of time at a local aqua park.

Wedding Theme

Gemma and Scott didn’t have a specific theme or colour scheme for the wedding. They were happy for the bridesmaids, best men and ushers to find the dresses/suits they wanted and they didn't need to match.  They bought their flower girl a hot pink dress, the men all wore matching silver ties and the bridesmaids wore a mix of silver, electric blues and hot pink.

Gemma’s friend is a designer and designed fantastic invitations, a table plan, order of service and table names. The table names were all based on places Gemma and Scott had been whilst travelling around the world.

The Bride and Groom’s Outfits

Gemma wore a ‘Zara’ wedding dress by Charlotte Balbier.  It was the second dress Gemma had tried on and although she liked it she felt she should try more dresses on. Five more bridal shops and two months later Gemma decided it was the dress for her.

Gemma’s dress was ivory, strapless with a lace-up bodice and an A-Line skirt.  Gemma felt that it was invaluable that the designer was there when she was trying on dresses as she seemed to know exactly what would suit Gemma and without her advice Gemma would have never tried on the dress she chose.

Scott wore a suit made by John at Barney Goodman, an online tailor from Sheffield.  Gemma and Scott would highly recommend this service and he visited their home for the fittings.  Scott’s suit was dark blue and he wore it with a white shirt, silver tie and a pair of cufflinks that Gemma bought him as a wedding gift.

Flowers

Pink David Austin and sweet avalanche roses were used for Gemma’s bouquet and Scott’s buttonhole, and avalanche roses were used for all the other buttonholes and wrist corsages.  The mums and Gemma’s sister had freesia wrist corsages and their flower girl wore a wax flower headdress.  White orchids with a hot pink centre were used for the table decorations which were then given to guests as gifts after the wedding.

Orchids in Sheffield supplied the flowers and Gemma was very impressed with their service, especially as she had gone to them very near to the wedding date.

The Ceremony and Reception

Both the wedding ceremony and reception were held at Whirlowbrook Hall in Sheffield. Gemma and Scott had a civil ceremony attended by 75 guests.  140 guests attended the evening reception.

Gemma and Scott didn’t want a hotel wedding venue and had looked at many venues in Sheffield but none were quite right.  They felt Whirlowbrook Hall had a great aspect as they approached up the long drive and liked its pretty grounds.

Gemma says that she cannot praise the staff at Whirlowbrook Hall enough.

“Our wedding planner was Hannah and she was extremely helpful before and on the day. All of the staff were calm and very responsive to our needs. The day could not have gone any more smoothly. We kept to time and the food and drink was served quickly and without a hitch. The food was good and the room set up perfect.”

The Cake

Gemma and Scott chose cupcakes in a rustic style.  They were plain sponge, iced in pinks with minimal topping.

The Photographer

The wedding photographer was Jon from S6 Photography who had been recommended to Gemma and Scott by a friend.  Once they had met him and seen examples of his style of photography they knew they wanted him as their wedding photographer.

They love their photos and feel Jon really captured the day well.  Gemma particularly likes the picture of her getting ready that Jon took from above, and the picture of their god daughter being twirled around by her uncle.

Wedding Details

Gemma and Scott bought some little white wooden hearts on cord and Gemma’s sister wrote all the guests names on them which were used as the place names and favours. They put bowls of white chocolate hearts on all of the tables and they bought battery powered fairy lights for the balcony and normal fairy lights for the staircase. Their friend made large G&S lights for the evening reception which looked amazing on the dance floor!

The Honeymoon

Gemma and Scott went to Brazil for 2 weeks.  They stayed in Rio for 4 days at the Ipenema Plaza and then went to Buzios for some beach time.

Memories

“We did some sky lanterns outside that I actually missed but scott really enjoyed and it’s nice looking at the picture where lots of people we know are all helping each other do the lanterns when they may have only met that day. It’s such a lovely feeling having almost everyone you know and are close to in one place and there for you both!”

The Wedding Community

“The real weddings section - its really helpful to see what others have done and you can cherry pick the things you like for yourself.”

Bride’s Top Tip

“If you don't know what flowers to go for get at least three quotes and ask lots of questions to help decide what and who you want.”

Groom’s Top Tip

“Start your speech a few months before so you have plenty of time to refine and rehearse it.”

Best Buy

“In retrospect the photographer as we weren't going to have one, but he has captured some very treasured memories and as the day is such a blur it’s great to have the photos to keep! S6 were really good value for money.”

Money Saving Ideas

“Ask for discounts - I bought presents for my bridesmaids and my mum and as I'd bought 7 bracelets they gave me a good discount, which I wouldn't have got unless I asked. If you don't ask you don't get!”

Bride’s Beauty Tips

“I had fake (3 week) eyelashes done before the day and they were great - they looked fairly natural and I liked how they looked in the photos. I also liked the gel nails I had done as they didn't chip and I always chip my nails! I had my hair done by Julie at Tall Poppy in Sheffield who I'd really recommend.”

To view more fabulous pictures from this real wedding take a look at The Real Wedding of Gemma and Scott 17/09/2010 post on The Wedding Community Blog.

Photography: S6 Photography

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