Mad Men, the mid-century modern aesthetics and Manchester were the main sources of inspiration for Amy and Graham’s wedding. They wanted a big party in the city that wasn’t stuffy or formal, and really reflected how they already spend their time together.

Ducie Street Warehouse was the perfect venue – in a great location and already decorated in a style they loved. Its mid century lines and open layout meant they could keep decoration minimal and focus on details they cared about like bright florals, vintage phones and Andy Warhol prints which came from their own home.

They had only 50 people at their ceremony, kept small because of the size of the space. The rest of their guests gathered nearby and joined immediately after. Amy’s sister walked her down the aisle. They left the ceremony to You Make My Dreams Come True and headed straight into the drinks reception where they had cocktails, canapés, an ice cream cart and games like corn hole and ping pong ready for people to play.

One of their highlights of the day was doing their portrait session with their photographer, Kelly Clarke. “Kelly was incredible and the one supplier we wouldn’t compromise on”, Amy said. “Her photos were exactly what we wanted, relaxed and non-traditional, and she made it feel like one of your best mates was shooting your wedding. She made us feel completely at ease.”

At one point they walked through the Northern Quarter. It was a bank holiday afternoon and everyone sitting in outside the pubs cheered as they went by. “It was a sunny Bank Holiday and the crowds erupted into cheers as we passed, such a perfect reminder of why we chose Manchester.”

They then headed back for their reception which featured small plates and a BBQ rather than a formal meal. Amy changed into a gold Nadine Merabi jumpsuit for the party.

Costs were managed through a mix of DIY and prioritisation. Flowers, décor and cake were all done by themselves or friends. “We saved so much on flowers, décor and the cake because we did them ourselves”, Amy explained. “We bought flowers from a wholesaler (approx. £300), vases from Primark and eBay, and made a large glitter heart using a cheap Amazon backdrop. The cake cost around £30 as it was a dummy that I iced myself. Although my dress was made to order, it was still much cheaper than a traditional wedding gown as it was essentially a party dress in ivory fabric (£390). We also saved a fortune of stationary as we used WhatsApp for save the date, invites and updates, we made the group admin only so people didn’t get bombarded with alerts, then switched it on the morning of the wedding so guests could share photos.”

Looking back, there are only small things they would skip, like the ice cream cart that only a few people used. The small ceremony room size was a bit of a challenge with the guest list too but everything else was totally aligned with what they set out to do.

“We may have hired a wedding planner”, Amy said when asked if there’s anything they’d have done differently. “It would have meant the lead-up feel more enjoyable and we weren’t overthinking everything. it also might have cut down the amount of admin we had to do ourselves. It all takes more planning than you think. Every 15-minute slot of our day was accounted for on a spreadsheet!”