Stewart Girvan Photography

On Secret Wedding Blog today, I have the wedding of Emma and Adam who tied the knot at Glendorgal Hotel in Newquay in August 2012. The photography is by Stewart Girvan who has captured the beauty and the emotion of the day. Take a look at the photos below and you will understand what I mean, please leave your comments below to let me know what you think too!

Emma and Adam - Stewart Girvan Photography

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Gujarati Weddings Explained

Ever wondered what everything at Gujarati weddings mean? I asked Keshal Patel to explain the traditions of a Gujarati wedding based on her own wedding to Rahul Patel. Check out the explanation and photographs below!

Engagement (Chanlo Matli)

The chandlo (applying the vermilion mark on the forehead) announces the acceptance of the alliance between the two families. The bride’s father and four other male members from her family visit the groom carrying auspicious items and the bride’s father applies the chandlo on the groom’s forehead and gives him a shagun (a blessing symbolised by a token sum of money). Continue reading

A Northern Wedding

Sarah and Michael tied the knot on 17th August 2012 at Cawthorne church and the reception was held at Nostell Priory in Wakefield.

Sarah had a stunning fitted brides dress with a long train while the bridesmaid dresses had short orange dresses. Bouquets consisted of orange and pink gerberas which looked simply elegant. Check out their double decker bus too!

They had a travel themed wedding around the places they had been hence the bright orange colour theme. Each table was named after a country they had been to together. In addition to this, they had African Dancers that were from Uganda. The cake was especially designed by Sarah’s friend with the couple on an elephant on as they had previously done this on their travels in Sri Lanka and Africa.
Take a look at their photographs below and let us know what you think!

Photography by McDonell images wedding photography

North Cyprus wedding specialists

After getting engaged to her Turkish fiancé at a family meal, Jade Izzet had her heart set on sharing the breath taking views and beautiful weather of North Cyprus with her friends and family on her wedding day. For around half the price of a wedding inside the Euro Zone, the couple created a truly unique and memorable event. Inspired by her experiences, Jade now helps others organise their own personalised weddings in sun-drenched North Cyprus, with her events company Angelic Events.

The couple

Jade and Huseyin Izzet, married on 8th August 2008.

The venue

The sweeping decking overlooking the Mediterranean at Ambience Restaurant created the perfect backdrop for their special day in North Cyprus, with the whole event taking place in front of stunning sea views.

The big day

With no wedding planners in North Cyprus at the time, Jade set about organising the wedding of her dreams by herself. She found her backless, flowing dress at Morgan Davies in the UK, but then sourced everything else from local suppliers in North Cyprus.

A theme of silver, black and white was coordinated throughout the decoration, with crisp white tulips and delicious cupcakes adorned with butterflies. The local flavour was also influential, treating guests to a feast of traditional meze, barbequed lamb and baklava, entertainment flown in from Amsterdam and Istanbul, before their first dance under the stars by the sea to Arabic love song “Amore.”

“It was perfect,” says Jade, “The highlight of the day was having all our loved ones together in such a stunning location.”

The honeymoon

The couple took advantage of having all their friends and family in one place and enjoyed some quality time in the sun with them all, before making the short trip to Turkey for a luxurious long weekend.

Top tips

“Be careful things don’t get lost in translation” says Jade. “Getting married abroad can be much cheaper than the UK, but you’re dealing with foreign suppliers and legal processes so it is great to have someone with local knowledge to go over the finer details and make sure you really are getting what you pay for.”

The challenges and success of planning her own wedding inspired Jade to set up her own wedding planning company, Angelic Events. They specialise in arranging personalised events in North Cyprus with local knowledge in some of the island’s most eye-catching and unique venues. For more details please go to www.angelic-events.com or find them on facebook and twitter.