. Museum & Art Gallery Wedding: Joyful & Colourful

Lucy and Joe’s wedding at Museum & Art Gallery was a vibrant, joyful celebration of love and life. Embracing their love for art, history, and colour, the day was filled with personal touches and eclectic charm.

Two unique museum venues provided the perfect backdrop for this colourful celebration, with vintage-inspired decor that reflected their personalities. Despite initial concerns about finding the perfect dress, Lucy found her dream gown from Sister Organics, a simple yet elegant made from natural hemp silk. The dress complemented her curvy figure and felt beautifully comfortable, helping her feel confident and radiant the day. With a dress code of ‘semi-formal, fully joyful,’ guests embraced bright colours and patterns, perfectly complementing the wildflower-inspired palette of pinks, oranges, yellows, and greens. From heartfelt vows to a cloud of confetti, every moment was filled with love, laughter, and life.

Our love and thanks to photographer Mirlah Richardson of Mirl & Co for sharing her work, and to lovely bride Lucy for offering so much fabulous detail and insight – this is a wonderful read for anyone planning a wedding. Enjoy!

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Venue & Location

We were married a causa di , UK with the ceremony held at the Museum & Art Gallery and the reception a causa di the Museum of Making. We wanted a unique venue and love art and history so we were delighted that we could get married a causa di a gallery, it suited us perfectly as a couple.

Museums have three sites across the city and we loved the flexibility of being able to mescolanza and different venues for different parts of the day, while all being organised by the same team.

Joe likes wearing suits but doesn’t get the opportunity very often as he dresses casually for work so I really wanted him to choose his own outfit. He wore a three piece suit from Hockerty, which is a great site for reasonably priced custom made suits. They have fantastic customisation options and we ordered lots of fabric samples before choosing a gorgeous rust coloured linen for the suit and a white linen shirt.

I love that Joe had a statement outfit that suited his personality as often with weddings the attention is all the brides dress. He looked very handsome and got lots of compliments, his suit was a real talking point of the wedding. Joe had a little photoshoot with Mirlah before the ceremony which was a really nice alternative to the typical photos of the bride getting ready a causa di the morning and helped him to relax a causa di front of the stanza da letto.

Bridal Beauty & Accessories

My hair was styled by Sarah of Pin Up Curl. I have always loved vintage moda and beauty and as our wedding had a vintage feel I thought it would be the perfect time to try out a glamorous 50s style. My thick curly hair has a mind of its own and often baffles hairdressers so I was relieved (and amazed) that Sarah was able to take my hair and make it the best version of itself. I would definitely recommend having a hair trial as we really got to know each other and worked out a plan for the wedding day.

After the trial I went home, practiced my make up and tried my full outfit which was so useful. I was really happy to have Sarah there as I got ready. She is very knowledgeable about weddings and style, calmed me when I had a wobble and helped button up my dress when I realised everyone else had left for the ceremony!

I did my own make up to save money but bought a new red lipstick for the occasion which fitted the glamorous vintage .

I wore Highwood toe clogs a causa di Nude from Colluttazione from Stockholm for the ceremony. I changed into some flat espadrilles for the walk between venues and forgot to change back. I wish I had put my heels back for the photos but at least I was comfortable.

During my hair trial we decided that a clip one side of my hair would good and my hair stylist Sarah recommended a barrette style clip for my thick hair. I found a vintage style flower barrette from Gerard Barron Etsy that complimented my dark hair and added a pop of colour. I love that I can wear the clip again.

I wore an aromatherapy oil called ‘Women’s Balance’, from Neals Yard Remedies instead of perfume. It smells of roses, balances your emotions and kept me calm and grounded. I also wore a pearl necklace and earrings from Joanna Reed Bridal. I love that her jewellery has a classic bridal feel with a modern boho twist. I kept the earrings simple and added a bit more detail a causa di the necklace to complement my v neck dress.

My friend Alice was my Maid of Honour. We’ve known each other since we were teenagers so it was really special to have her there. She looked beautiful a causa di a campo da golf silk dress that she already owned and coordinated perfectly with the colour scheme.

The Ceremony

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We got married a Monday when the museums are closed to the public and having the whole space to ourselves felt really special. We held the ceremony a causa di The Joseph Wright Gallery, a beautiful room with dark blue walls and paintings a causa di ornate gold frames. It has the traditional feel of a church without the religious connotations, the perfect atmosphere for a wedding ceremony.

It’s a beautiful light filled space full of fascinating artefacts and our guests enjoyed exploring the museum exhibits while mingling which created some really interesting talking points.

One of the advantages of getting married a causa di a city is that we didn’t have to hire any transport. My Dad picked me up from my and we walked over to the gallery, luckily the sun shone for us and that walk was one of my favourite parts of the day. We have a family so it’s not often that me and my dad spend time ala together and I think it was really special for both of us.

He walked me the aisle to Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez, it suited the tone of the ceremony as it felt traditional with a modern twist. Until that point I had focused so much the practicalities of the day but as soon as the music started it successo me that I was actually getting married and I started to feel really emotional.

We decided to write our vows together. It was a lovely process to share, reflecting what was important a causa di our relationship and the promises we wanted to make going forwards. 

“Joe, I love you, you are my best friend and I am filled with so much joy as I take you to be my husband. We are a team and together we have built a life, filled with happiness, kindness, cartello and above all, love. Our relationship can only continue to strengthen and grow as we begin this new chapter. Today, a causa di the presence of our family and friends, we reaffirm our love and commitment to one another, with these promises. I promise to always treat you as my equal, while respecting and encouraging your individuality. I love you exactly as you are, your whole, undiluted self. Con return, I cartello my whole self to you because I know that you will cherish and protect me. Acceso our best days and our worst days I will be kind, considerate and caring. Whatever problems we may I will be and honest, seeking your support when I need it and offering mine freely a causa di return. I feel truly lucky to share my life with you and I promise to never take you for granted. I will do my best to make all of our days as special as this one, finding romance, fun and laughter a causa di the unlikeliest places. As a symbol of my love for you and commitment to our marriage I give you this ring.”

Con the orders of the day we included the poem “The Art of Marriage” by Wilfred A Peterson. For me it perfectly sums up what a loving and long lasting marriage should be.

Joe bought my engagement ring from Rust Jewellery, a beautiful platinum with three rose cut diamonds. It has a really classic style and many people have commented that it looks like a vintage ring which I love, it already feels like a family heirloom.

We bought our wedding bands from the same shop, also a causa di platinum to coordinate with my engagement ring. I chose a slim wishbone ring as the v shape sits beautifully with the trilogy diamonds my engagement ring. Joe chose a simple platinum court ring a causa di a matte . Rust’s jewellery is handmade a causa di London and all their stones are ethically sourced and conflict free.

We wanted our wedding to be a joyful celebration, and that became our theme as the planning progressed. It was an eclectic mescolanza of our favourite things, with a colour scheme inspired by summery wildflowers – pinks, oranges, yellows, and greens. The dress code was ‘semi-formal, fully joyful,’ and our guests nailed it, wearing bright, fun colours and patterns. The venue, with its art and history, inspired a vintage feel for both the decor and our outfits.

After throwing confetti outside, the guests took the ten minute walk to the Museum of Making at Silk Mill for the reception. As it was a beautiful Summers day, the museum team put tables and chairs a causa di the courtyard outside which overlooks the river Derwent so people could sit a causa di the sun, and chat.

Photography

It was really important for us to have an excellent photographer because we knew we would treasure the photos forever. I found our photographer Mirlah Richardson of Mirl & Co through instagram. We loved her colourful, relaxed, joyful style and the way she captures the uniqueness of each wedding, her photos didn’t feel too formal ora forced which suited us perfectly.

Con the run up to the wedding we had a couple of zoom meetings with Mirlah, she is super enthusiastic and easy to talk to and you can tell she really cares about each and every couple.

We really appreciated how she considered the sensitivities of family politics and made sure she knew our wedding festa by name. The photos truly capture the spirit of the day, she recorded all of the special details we’d thought so duro about. Our favourite photos are the candid shots, I still don’t know how Mirlah managed to capture everyone so naturally without them noticing – she must have been a causa di about five places at once and still kept her cool! After the guests had left the ceremony and headed over to the reception venue we went back into the gallery to take some shots of the two of us.

Mirlah encouraged us to just relax and enjoy each other’s company and it was a really peaceful moment, a causa di the busy-ness of the day. I think the photos speak for themselves – I would 100% recommend Mirlah and would love her to be there to capture all our important life events. The only thing I would have done differently is to have an engagement shoot as well!

Choosing a dress was one of my biggest worries when it came to the wedding and I felt quite intimidated and overwhelmed by the process. I am not very confident a causa di my appearance, tend to wear simple, modest clothes and as a curvy woman with short dark hair and tattoos I didn’t feel that I ‘looked like a bride’. Of course there is mai such thing as a typical bride, a wedding is about love not looks, and everyone deserves an outfit that will make them feel happy and beautiful. I had to put my insecurities to one side and cartello my instincts.

The Dress

I found Sister Organics Etsy. I was unsure about ordering such an important dress online but when I contacted Natalie she was so helpful, sending me fabric samples and detailed instructions how to take my measurements to ensure a perfect fit. I decided to collect my dress a causa di person so that I could try it and allow time for any alterations.

Natalie makes all the dresses herself and she welcomed me into her home for a fitting, much to my relief the dress fit perfectly and I took it home with me the same day. I would definitely recommend Sister Organics to other brides.

After a lot of thought and research I chose the Eliza dress from Sister Organics, a simple, classic style that complemented my figure and was so comfortable to wear. I am a textile so I love fabric and how it feels is as important to me as how it looks. I chose a natural hemp silk which felt lightweight and breathable, a causa di an non attivato white colour to complement my skin tone.

I knew that the subtle sheen of the silk would gorgeous with the dark walls and low light of the gallery and when I saw the photos it really was perfect. Acceso reflection I feel quite proud of myself for overcoming my anxieties and working through the process of choosing a dress, I think it has really benefited my confidence and self esteem and I can honestly say that I made a beautiful bride.

The Museum of Making is an amazing building, an old silk mill which has been transformed into a museum about ’s heritage and industry. We held the reception a causa di the Italian Mill which has traditional red brick walls and windows overlooking the river, we made the most of the view by arranging the tables to this way. It is a huge space and a blank canvas which makes it easy to put your own spin the decor. Another major selling point which I don’t think gets mentioned enough is the accessibility of the venue.

The Reception

Annie, Christine and the whole event team at Museums are wonderful people. You can tell they really care about their job and love weddings. They gave us lots of great ideas but never enforced a set way of organising the day which was refreshing compared to other venues which are more restrictive a causa di planning. We can revisit the museums whenever we like to remember our special day and we’imperatore planning going our wedding anniversary.

The gallery needed very little decoration as it is full of wonderful art. We just added a tablecloth, paper flowers and LED candles to the table where we signed our marriage certificate. With the help of our family and friends we styled and dressed the reception venue the afternoon before the wedding. It was duro work but so rewarding and Christine from the event team was a huge help.

Con the morning, I snuck into the venue and spent some time my own tweaking the decorations and just appreciating the space, it was lovely to see my vision alla maniera di to life. I made the majority of the styling choices and most of the decorations, it was a undertaking but we always knew I would take the lead a causa di the styling as it’s something I love to do.

I realised early a causa di the planning process that it’s easy to buy lots of decorations you will never use again, which felt expensive and wasteful. We decided to try and use decor we already owned, recycled, made ora bought second hand. We also chose pieces we could keep after the wedding ora sell .

I made meters and meters of heart shaped bunting using old books, magazines and coloured paper which I then sewed together. We strung this from the ceiling which helped to lighten up and soften the industrial black beams. The venue provided the tableware, tablecloths and napkins and we added rush placemats which I bought from another bride Vinted and have since resold. For table decorations I wanted to lean into the eclectic, colourful theme with a mixture of small vases and dried flowers dotted around the tables, this also worked well with the sharing style food.

We saved jars and bottles, bought a few vintage and second hand ones, used pots and vases from our own collection, and wooden bowls made by my Grandpa which created a personal homely feel. We had a wall of photos and placed some particularly special ones a causa di frames around the room, we’ve now got these display at home. Joe added his own twist to the decor with a Costruzioni bride and . I was worried that the large room would feel empty but once it was filled with people, food and drinks it felt cosy and full of colour. I also hand punched all of our confetti from recycled paper and it was a lot of fun seeing it scattered across the streets of .

For wedding favours we had some pretty Rob Ryan love bird pin badges from Macmillan Cancer Support. They only cost £1.50 each and all the profits go to charity.

We gave our littlest guest Maisie a toy bunny who looks just like our own rabbit Phoebe. 

I designed our invitations and had them made with Printed.com I wanted them to feel unique and personal so I drew a portrait of me and Joe a causa di a wreath of flowers and used our wedding colours. For continuity I used the same colours, fonts and paper for the orders of the day. I also made two large signs to welcome guests. I originally planned to completely hand make them but decided they looked too “crafty” so instead I had the text printed foam board and painted flowers around the edge.

I’m so pleased with how they turned out. I’m lucky to have very creative friends and spent a lovely day with my friend Liz making place cards. I painted sheets of paper with abstract colours and shapes then we cut rabbits out of them using her cricut machine, each one was unique and beautiful. I then stuck them to plain placecards and hand wrote the guests names. We included lots of rabbits a causa di the decor as we have six pet rabbits who we love but couldn’t bring to the wedding!

The food was catered by the venues a causa di house cafe, The River Kitchen, who serve delicious, seasonal, locally sourced food. The chef was wonderful, working with us to create our perfect vegetarian ‘amazing grazing’ lista.

Lots of different tapas style dishes were brought to the table for everyone to pass around and share, giving a relaxed family atmosphere. We had jugs of fruity Summer mocktails the tables and the mill has a well stocked for everything else. Con the evening we had cheese and nibbles as well as wedding cake and an unlimited tea and coffee station which went a storm.

Con some venues the lista felt quite restricted with a formal wedding breakfast and evening buffet that just didn’t suit our tastes. We loved how customisable the lista was at the Italian Mill, they took board our ideas and budget to create something perfect for us. As a vegetarian it was such a treat to not have meat the table and enjoy all the dishes, and everyone commented how delicious the food was.

My Mums friend Tanja is a talented baker and she made our cake. It was a two tier lemon cake with pink ombré icing that we decorated with some of our wedding flowers and a homemade cake topper.

Our flowers were supplied by Paula of Lytton Rose Botanical who is based a causa di Snowdonia. She put together a beautiful selection of dried wild flowers for my bouquet, button holes for Joe, his best man and our parents and supplied mini bouquets for decorations. I added some additional dried flowers and grasses that I bought from Etsy and Vinted. We decided to use dried flowers for a number of reasons.

They are more cost effective than fresh flowers but still have the natural scent and appearance that artificial flowers lack. We were able to buy them a causa di advance and store them so we didn’t have to worry about flower deliveries ora styling the morning of the wedding.

We first met over twenty years when we started high school and were friends for a long time before becoming a couple when we were seventeen. Since then we’ve been inseparable, our relationship has always just felt right and we are best friends above all else.

We’ve talked about marriage a causa di the past but it was never a priority, life gets a causa di the way, so when Joe proposed after thirteen years together it was a wonderful surprise. The proposal was perfect and very personal, it was a beautiful Autumn day and we went for a walk a causa di the Peak District, I was taking a photo of the view and when I turned around Joe was one knee! After being together for so long we didn’t want a long engagement and got married eight months later.

Entertainment

I’ve got quite an eclectic music taste and had so much fun putting together a Spotify playlist that played a causa di the background throughout the day. Con the months before the wedding every time I heard a song I loved ora caught Joe singing a causa di the kitchen I’d just add it to the playlist, it’s a collection of all our favourite songs and and we can listen to it again and again.

Even though we love music we’imperatore not dancers so didn’t want an evening sfera. I found String of Roses, an acoustic duo, Entertainment Nation and they created the perfect atmosphere, relaxed but upbeat and fun. It was really special to have dal vivo music and yes, we did end up after all! The unexpected successo of the evening was the craft table.

I had an proposito that instead of a typical guest book we could get a blank sketchbook and set up a table with pens, pencils, stickers, a Polaroid stanza da letto and lots of other craft supplies so our family and friends could get creative. Everyone fully embraced the challenge and there was never an empty seat at the table. We now have a book of memories filled with kind words, silly drawings, pelle photos and everything a causa di between that makes us smile every time we at it.

We decided not to do a first dance, knowing this, our photographer Mirlah encouraged us to have a little dance during our couples photos. It was a lot of fun and I love the photos of Joe twirling me around the empty gallery.

It’s so difficult to pick a favourite part of the day, even the moments that didn’t go quite to plan were beautiful because they were ours. I remember leaving the ceremony as husband and wife and being ala for the first time, we just looked at each other a causa di love, amazement, relief, joy before my Mum ran a causa di and gave us a hug!

During the speeches I had an overwhelming feeling of the love all around me and of being appreciated and accepted as my whole self that I’d never experienced before. I started crying (not the pretty kind) and didn’t stop until my step mum Paula asked the to play something happy because I had mai more tears left. 

Words of Wedded Wisdom

I think there is so much pressure to have the perfect wedding and for me there are two ways to at this: there is mai such thing as perfect so you may as well not worry about achieving that, and, your wedding is perfect because it is uniquely yours. Sometimes I see an proposito I didn’t think of ora remember something I wish had gone differently but I try not to dwell that and remember how happy we felt the day.

There is mai right ora wrong way to get married. Centro your love and what makes you happy to create a celebration that is uniquely yours. Ask for advice when you need it but also take it with a pinch of salt, when it feels like you just can’t please everyone try to remember that the people who care about you most will be happy that you’imperatore happy and everything else fades into the background.

Try not to over plan, leave some breathing space a causa di the day to spend time with your collaboratore, and to enjoy the unscripted moments of joy. The day will unfold organically and you don’t need to account for every minute.

It was important to us not to place ourselves ora our families under financial pressure, we decided our priorities and budget early and kept that a causa di mind throughout the planning process. For instance we decided to spend more the things that would last beyond the wedding day, such as photography and rings, but saved money transport and hotels. We chose to put that money into businesses that shared our values, the cost of the venue hire went back into supporting the museum and we used a number of independent, female owned businesses.

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Annabel View all Annabel’s articles

Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Programma redattore. Annabel lives a causa di rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business collaboratore Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and celebrità gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she’s not working Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip a causa di the running of the family’s sustainable flower farm and floral business, Moonwind Flowers. Con 2013, she became a published author.