Mel and Lee met through mutual friends at a car show in 2010. They got talking about their cars and that was it! They wanted their wedding to reflect their day-to-day style and interests so, although Day of the Dead was their underlying theme, as far as everything else went, if they liked it they put it in the wedding! The end result was a Mexican fiesta, meets Day of the Dead, meets rockabilly wedding.
The wedding took place at The Green House Hotel, Bournemouth. “We didn’t worry about having a set theme”, said Mel. “The underlying theme was Day of the Dead, but we also just wanted it be ‘us’. We mostly chose vendors that we knew. The photographer, cake maker, florist, band, make up artist and most other smaller contributors were all ether friends, or friends of friends. We are lucky to know some very talented people! We liked how this made it feel really personal and we also made some amazing new friends through planning the wedding.”
“At our ceremony my dad and I walked in to Swing Life Away by Rise Against. The song means a lot to me and Lee and has always been our song. Poppy, my ten year old niece, did a reading from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin about love and we wrote or own vows (Lee promised he would never tell me I am wearing too much leopard print and I promised him that I would never stop him keeping car parts in the house!), My six year old nephew, Charlie, helped the best man with the rings which were in an awesome ring box made out of an old piston made by one of our friends. We signed the register to Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones, and the exit song was White Wedding by Billy Idol. Yes, we went for the cheesy option to perk everyone back up after an emotional ceremony! Afterwards, we had a drinks reception with margaritas and Coronas for everyone.”
Mel and Lee got really involved with DIY projects. “We love making things so got really involved, maybe a little bit too involved and possibly never want to see any glitter ever again! We made every tag and label, hand-stamped all the place names, made and hand-stamped all the confetti cones, filled little bottles of rum, covered 50 polystyrene skulls in glitter and painted the signs for the photo guest book and any other signs. However most importantly we painted lots of pineapples gold! We pretty much spent ten months painting, stamping, spraying, gluing and glittering.”
Their biggest wedding expense was their venue. “We wanted the whole day at one place, and had quite a specific vision. We also wanted to be near the beach which bumped up the price. However we saved a lot of money by using cars that belonged to family and friends and by not having fresh flowers on the tables or as decorations at the venue. They weren’t really needed with all the other decorations and it saved hundreds of pounds.”
“Our advice for future brides and grooms is, when looking at venues, look into the pricing in detail before writing somewhere off. We nearly decided against our first choice as the price was over double per person than other venues we had viewed. However when we looked into it we realised every other venue added everything on top, whereas our first choice was all inclusive so actually worked out much cheaper! Definitely don’t be put off by the initial price without checking what’s included.”
“And get a professional photographer! Yes it is expensive, but it is 100% worth it. Sure, your guests will take photos but they are not even going to remotely compare to a professional. If it means you have to cut costs elsewhere, do it! The only thing we regret is not getting a videographer too. And no matter how organised you are, you will need help. When you are offered help, take it!”
The Gallery
Suppliers
- Photography: Naomi Jane Photography
- Venue: The Green House Hotel, Bournemouth
- Bride's Dress : The Couture Company
- Bride's Veil: Diablo Jo’s Rockabilly Accessories
- Bride's Shoes: Vivienne Westwood
- Bride's Earrings: Glitter Paradise
- Hair: Emma, Opus Rooms
- Make Up: Alice McGee
- Groom's Suit: River Island
- Bridesmaid Dresses: Baylis and Knight
- Cake: The Diamond Baker
- Flowers: The Flower Lounge
- Stationery: Hip Hip Hooray
- Band: Rockin’ The Joint
- DJ: Dan, The Iltimate Disco