Nelly and Hoss’s colourful and quirky DIY Gateshead wedding

Nelly (aka Helen) is one of my sister’s besties. Her amazing wedding was pulled together on an awe inspiring shoestring budget. Their day was a genuine celebration of all things lovely, with their daughter smack bang at the heart of it all.

Here’s what the awesome Nelly and Hoss had to say about it all…

Working with Lifeline Photography

You were so utterly amazing on our big day. We couldn’t have asked for more from a photographer. My friends gifted us your services and we were so grateful. Anyone who’s looking for a slightly quirky and bloody talented wedding photographer should pop you at the top of their list!

Keeping costs low

One of our main priorities was keeping costs low, so we chose the registry office for the ceremony. I wasn’t
100% happy about as its quite an ugly/industrial building but in the end, the pictures Hannah took really worked!

We wrote our own vows and they said:

“I vow to love you, encourage you, trust you, and respect you. I promise to laugh with you, cry with you, and grow with you. As a family, we will create a home filled with laughter, love and compassion. I promise to work with you knowing that together we will build a life far better than either of us could imagine alone. I promise to support your dreams and to respect our differences and to love you and be by your side always.”

A super chilled reception

The reception was in Mr Lynch in Jesmond which is now been renamed The Holy Hobo – I loved the super-chilled vibe & decor. We gave them a little heads up we were on our way and a lovely prosecco toast was waiting for us on arrival.

The outfits

In that awful way that British women tend to do when complimented, every time someone said something nice about my
dress I told them how cheap it was. It’s an awful habit, but I am also pretty proud of this bargain. I picked up my dress
fairly early on in the Lindy Bop sale for just £19. I paired it with a petticoat (£25) and a Collectif cardigan (£21) and some
iron fist shoes (£36). I shopped around and hunted for bargains when it came to my outfit, I stalked the cardigan for
months hoping it would go into the sale in the summer, and thankfully it did just 4 weeks before the big day!

Zoe’s outfit was a dress from M&S (£21) with a TKmaxx cardigan (£7.99), Boden shoes (£17.50), some Mothercare socks (£3), and a hairband from Claire’s Accessories (£3). I was so pleased with how it all came together, I wanted her to be colourful
and comfortable.

Paul is not really a formal suit guy and so we just bought a suit jacket and waistcoat from Jacamo (£78) and paired it with
some chinos and shirt that he already owned. I picked up a Zara bow tie in the sale for £5.

I was so pleased we managed to get so many bargains. All three of our outfits came in under what most people
spend on one dress!

Hair was by Nick at East Terrance Hairdressing, make up was done by me.

The decor and styling

Our flowers were a surprise gift from a friend on the day, we hadn’t planned on having any but she had been to a local
florist and got a bouquet made (including a mini one for Zoe!)

Our cake was a sheet cake from Costco, my wonderful friend Harriet had made us a little cake topper which I absolutely
cherish.

I designed my own invitations and had them printed through printed.com – the perks of being a graphic design nerd (you
can see a pic of them here).

The whole day was basically DIY, I had lots of little touches from friends, like the pompom garlands at the reception, and
the cake topper. My main personal touch which was super important to me was having Zoe play a big part in the day.
She walked down the aisle with us, and still to this day says she married us both that day which is so special.

The music

We walked in to Rose of my Heart by Johnny Cash. During the signing of the register we had two songs; We by Neil
Diamond and Lucky by Jason Mraz. We walked out to Lets Dance by Bowie.

We had a HUGE playlist for the reception but didn’t have a first dance.

Favourite moment

The actual ceremony! I thought I would hate walking in and being the centre of attention but it felt so wonderful to walk up
with my little family and declare our love in front of everyone.

If you’d like to book me to shoot your DIY wedding get in touch! Keep scrolling to check out the photos from Nelly and Hoss’s Gateshead DIY wedding.