A Mustard and Lavender, Modern Meets Vintage Baltic Art Gallery Wedding

Good morning all.  Thanks so much for bearing with us as we worked to a reduced blog schedule these past few days.  It's such a busy time in the bridal fashion calendar and a great deal is happening behind the scenes, but I'm easing you all gently back into our usual routine of posts as of today, starting with this North East UK wedding that was photographed by Matt Ethan.

Glass Artist Kathryn, and her beau Eddie tied the knot on 1st February this year with a ceremony at St John’s Church, Whorlton in Newcastle upon Tyne, chosen as Kathryn’s parents were married there, followed by a reception at The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts in Gateshead, chosen for its stunning views of Newcastle and its amazing historical yet contemporary building style.

I'm a little fascinated with Kathryn's dress and that amazing bustle detail at the back! I also adore the little lavender touches, and really love the way that a vintage fashion aesthetic has been blended with the very modern, contemporary setting of The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts in Gateshead. It so reminds me of a little 'soiree' I hosted there back in 2011.

“I have a huge love for vintage styling and was keen to offset this with the contemporary feel of our wedding venue, the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts.”

Photography Copyright (c) 2014, Matt Ethan

“Eddi and I met in 2004 in Mexico.  Ed was on a boys holiday and I was on a girls holiday.  We had a long distance relationship for six years and spent many weekends travelling the 500 mile round trip up and down the country; Ed lived in Potton, Bedfordshire and I lived in Newcastle upon Tyne."

"In 2010 Ed made the move to Newcastle and we set up home.  Ed proposed on boxing day of 2011 whilst out on a festive morning stroll with our dog Rascal.  Of course, I said yes!  Six months later I was offered a job in New Zealand and so together we made the jump to the other side of the world.  Just before the move, we secured our wedding date and venue."

“I spent hours looking at dresses online but could never find ‘the one’.  In the end, I put together a mood board of inspiration and used it to design my dress.  With the help of a very talented dress-maker in our home country of New Zealand, my vision became a reality.  Daniella the seamstress, made the dress and petticoat in New Zealand.  The fur coat I wore was from a vintage boutique and was re-fitted, also by Daniella.

I absolutely love everything about my dress.  The petticoat is a work of art in itself.  I love the shape and the colour, the length and the sleeve and how special it made me feel.  It was also very comfortable to wear all day.”

"My Dad, Jim, gave me away – we walked down the aisle to the sound of 'You're So Cool' – the soundtrack from True Romance.   Our wedding ceremony was based around a wedding blessing as opposed to a traditional marriage service as we legally tied the knot in New Zealand.

My sister, Helen, read Pam Ayres ‘Yes I'll Marry Your My Dear’ – we chose this for it's element of humour.  Ed's mum, Janice, read 'The One’ by an unknown author."

“My favourite part of the day was walking back down the aisle after the ceremony and being surrounded by family and friends that we had not seen for nearly two years – that was a really special moment. I also enjoyed a good sing along to the hymns and an impromptu Irish dance display at the end of the evening.

Ed says his favourite part of the day was turning round and seeing me as I entered the Church.  Seeing the dress was worth the wait after carrying it from the other side of the World as hand luggage on 3 flights!” 

In keeping with the couple's blue and mustard colour scheme, Kathryn and Eddie used blue lace table cloths and a mustard velvet runner.  And in homage to Kathryn's profession as a Glass Artist, they also used 400 empty glass bottles containing a combination of candles and dried lavender bunches (note from the couple -  lavender sets on fire when candles get low.  Ooops!)

“Our photographer was Matt Ethan – he was completely professional and really captured the feel of our day perfectly.”

“I made my own bouquet from vintage brooches that my mum and other friends and family had collected since we announced our engagement.”

“We had five cakes on vintage stands – four of them iced with a striped pattern, and a large chocolate gateau.  Cake toppers were designed by Kathryn at laser cut.  Cakes were made by a family friend.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom…

“Do it the way you both want to!”

Such a lovely day, and so encouraging to see a couple's unique vision come to life in such an amazing venue.

Huge thanks to you both Kathryn and Eddie for sharing your beautiful wedding day story. And thanks also to photographer Matt Ethan – readers, you can see more from Matt Ethan Photography on Love My Dress right here.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this wedding – fire away in the comments section below.

Have a great morning all,

Love Annabel

Photographer – Matt Ethan
Venue + catering – Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts
Wedding Dress – Created by a dressmaker in New Zealand
Brides Shoes – Irregular Choice from Schuh
Bride's accessories – necklace (used to belong to Kathryn’s Grandma)
Grooms Suit – Next
Bridesmaids Dresses – For her and For Him + shoes by Agnes & Norman
Flowergirl Dresses – Marks and Spencer
Page boy – Next + velvet jacket via H&M
Brooch Bouquet – made by the bride
Cars/Transport – Henry Cooper Coaches (vintage bus)
Entertainment – Groove Allstars (band)
Rings – Custom made by Old Eldon Jewellers
Stationery – the bride
Hair Stylist – Hooker and Young, Jesmond
Make-up Artist – Carla Donnan

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