Wedding | Elspeth & Niall

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We met when we were both at university. Elspeth was reading History of Art at the University of Birmingham, and Niall read Wildlife Conservation at Salford University in Manchester.

After university, we both moved to Manchester. Manchester was, and still is, a city that we hold close to our hearts. Niall grew up attending gigs in the city weekly, discovering the newest indie band, and Elspeth grew up listening to rave music as her parents were Hacienda regulars. When we moved, Elspeth had just finished her dissertation on art depicting British House Music Culture, so it felt like a full-circle moment when they started their life living together by moving into the Hacienda Apartments.

Elspeth now works as a Social Media Manager for a French Interior and fashion company, and Niall works as an Assistant Ecologist. One creative, one scientific.

Initially we were quite opposites, but when we met, we knew straight away that we had found something special. One interest we have always shared has been our love of the great outdoors and travelling. We have been fortunate to have travelled to over 50 countries combined, and we often sit around with a glass of wine sharing memories from our shared and separate trips.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

Choosing where to get married was initially a difficult decision. We had originally planned to get married in Manchester, but when viewing venues, it just did not feel quite like us. That is when an idea of an overseas wedding began to circulate amongst close family members and us, as it felt right to include one of our biggest passions, travel, on our wedding day.

Niall proposed in Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland, a place Elspeth visited with her family over multiple summer holidays in the Jungfrau region. After the proposal, Niall planned a surprise trip to Hotel Saltus in South Tyrol, where they fell in love with Bolzano and the surrounding areas. Once the idea of an overseas wedding began to become a possibility, they knew that they needed to share their love for South Tyrol with their family and friends. It is a unique location that blends Italian and Austrian cultures, mixing the Alps and nature with beautiful frescoes and Italian culture, with every town having a slightly different personality. It felt like it blended Elspeth’s love for history and art and Niall’s love for nature in one.

How many guests did you have?

We had eighteen guests in total, sixteen family members and friends, and our two amazing photographers, Alina Smit and her assistant Marie, who, although they were there to capture the day, were guests in our eyes… Alina even joined in boogieing with us to “VooDoo Ray” by a Guy Called Gerald, which was one of many highlights on the day.

We chose to keep our wedding intimate with close family members and friends, as Elspeth had attended her Aunty Julie’s and Uncle Bob’s wedding in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland at age fourteen, where they had eleven guests. The day was perfect, filled with love, and it flowed effortlessly without any type of traditional wedding regimented structure. Reflecting on that day, Elspeth wanted to emulate that feeling at her own wedding: minimal guests and a go-with-the-flow nature with no set structure to the day. Although Niall never experienced this day, an intimate and relaxed wedding sounded up his street.

Tell us about your outfits.

I wore a dress by Monstand, which I saw on Instagram last year and had to message the bride straight away to ask her where she got it from; luckily, she replied, and the hunt for the dress was on. It was sold out on the Vietnamese designer’s website, so I purchased it from a boutique in Bahrain via WhatsApp… to my surprise, it actually arrived! I have always been fascinated by the 1920s as that was mine and my mum’s favourite era when I was growing up, so I wanted something that would represent old Hollywood. As soon as I saw the Montsand dress, it reminded me of old Hollywood glam; I was obsessed.

The veil I found on eBay was antique from the 1920s; my aunty reimagined it as a Juliette cap with floating pearls and flowers framing my face to create a whimsical look. It was something straight out of The Great Gatsby! We used Daisy Buchanan and Kate Moss’s 2011 veil as our main inspiration when researching designs.

For my jewellery, I decided to honour my family members by wearing various pieces of antique jewellery from my mum, my Great Grandma and my Gran.

I also chose to decorate my bridal bouquet using a variety of gifted antique Edelweiss brooches, which I received as gifts on my wedding day from Niall and my aunty, which was a nod to the Alps. I also used my Gran’s antique Wedgwood brooch. This brooch not only allowed me to have a piece of my gran there with me, who sadly couldn’t come as she can no longer travel, but it also allowed me to have a piece of Staffordshire, the county in England I grew up in, represented there.

For shoes and bag, I was obsessed with mixing in hints of burgundy to make the outfit not feel too bridal overall. It also matched our flowers, which I loved. The whole outfit felt very me and very eclectic.

Niall chose a suit by SS Daley which featured an alpine-esque embroidery pattern. The embroidery was not only a nod to the Alpine regions we got engaged and married in, but also Niall’s passion as an Assistant Ecologist, where he spends his working days identifying wildflowers, which he did on our wedding day!

Niall’s shirt was bespoke by the Manchester heritage brand Dooley And Rostron. Francis took Niall through every step of the bespoke process, and they landed on an off-white colour with a textured finish. The shirt also featured Elspeth’s initials on the cuff and Niall’s name embroidered into the shirt collar.

Niall’s shoes were from Common Projects, a brand that we discovered whilst shopping in Liberty (our favourite store) the year before. He knew he wanted something a little different, so decided to go with Common Projects due to their elevated designs on classic items.

Niall’s bowtie was a vintage find from Vinted. An oversized butterfly bowtie was the perfect way to bring the suit together.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

We think honestly, it was to not take it too seriously, not look too much into trends and look after our well-being in the planning process! We wanted to plan a wedding that felt like ours, so we included as many of our passions as possible over the wedding weekend.

We included a variety of activities over the wedding weekend so our guests could join us on things we love. We kicked off the weekend with a family-style dinner that Niall cooked, served outside overlooking the Dolomites, before continuing with activities like wine tasting at Castel Sallegg’s impressive vineria, hikes, and a lake day! The post-wedding lake day was so much fun; we rented a pedal boat with a slide, and all acted like big kids, exploring the lake, which is nestled into the surrounding mountains.

Niall and I are both into wellness, so we knew we wanted to incorporate that. On the actual wedding day, we knew we wanted to start the day with yoga, as Niall and I practice together regularly whilst in Manchester. Our yoga teacher, Stacey, gifted us an online session dedicated to us from everyone at the Four Noble Truths Yoga Studio, to start the day and ground us. It left the guests and us feeling calm and ready to start the day.

I think what is not talked about enough is the importance of maintaining good wellbeing amidst the stress of wedding planning. To have some me time and prepare for the wedding, I have been having monthly lymphatic massages with Elle at Lymph Luminé. This helped relax me and feel as prepared as possible for the day.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

We wanted to make sure that our wedding felt personal in every detail. We collaborated and worked alongside a lot of our very talented friends and family to make sure every detail reflected us.

Elspeth is very lucky that she comes from an extremely talented creative family, and we are both blessed that we have some amazingly talented friends. Elspeth’s grandad, Roy Proudlove, is a retired, well-known traditionalist Tattoo Artist, so she grew up surrounded by his art; he taught her how to paint in his studio when she was a child. I wanted to honour what he taught me by painting the images on my wedding stationery by hand in watercolour and gouache. I then worked with a close friend, Adam O’Connor, to create a set of wedding stationery that was featured throughout the weekend. We designed personalised door hangers, a weekend itinerary, personalised wedding day and ceremony itineraries as well as our wedding invites.

The creative juices kept flowing as Elspeth’s talented aunty, Julie, created her wedding bag, designed and tailored her veil using a pre-existing veil that they found on eBay from the 1920s, which she reimagined into her dream Juliette cap, and also created and personalised our handfasting ribbon, which was created from a piece of antique fabric with our initials sewn onto it and two alpine people. Elspeth’s cousin, Rose, hand-sewed all of the ribbon onto our hand-engraved Swiss bells, which we used as placeholders for our wedding meal. Everyone rang the bells as we entered for our wedding meal; it was an entrance we will never forget.

We also had various friends capture our wedding through their eyes. We left disposable cameras out so we could see what people saw on the day, but we were also lucky enough to have a close friend and fellow creative, Joe Lord, capture our day on video and edit it to the Rolling Stones. When we first watched it back, we cried; the video is beautiful and represents our day perfectly.

Our best friend, Jack Whiting, also conducted the ceremony, making it as personal as possible and including inside jokes and stories that our guests loved. It felt like our ceremony was ours, and we are so glad that we had someone so close to us conducting it.

Niall’s aunt, Joanne, also grew and dried the roses used in our wedding confetti. It felt like such a special touch that someone had taken that time to grow the flowers in their home garden and gift them to us for our wedding.

We feel like it was a village of talented creatives who came together to help make the day as personal as possible, and we are really lucky that we got to represent that. We could not have asked for better people to trust to bring together personal elements than the people who know us best.

Any tips for couples getting married?

We think the most important thing is to plan a wedding that reflects you. It is so easy to get sucked into trends. But in the same vein, if you like the trend, don’t be afraid to use it and don’t feel judged for doing so. You can mix your personality and trends together and don’t be afraid to do it! Elspeth’s Grandad Roy always used to say, ‘You can take inspiration from the artist, but don’t copy’.

Another tip would be to use food and beverage vendors that you both already love. Our post-ceremony apéro consisted of J&H Fagot champagne and Karrner Bruschetta. J&H Fagot champagne is a specific vineyard that Elspeth’s family uses for special occasions since her dad discovered it at a market whilst on a family holiday to the Champagne region over a decade ago. Karrner is a local bruschettaria that we used for catering as we fell in love with the restaurant when we first visited Bolzano and have made an effort to go when we have visited the region since. You cannot beat their lardo bruschetta!

We would also say think about how music can reflect you; it is such a powerful form of art that can showcase both of your personalities easily. Music was at the heart of our day, and we made multiple playlists with Elspeth’s Maid of Honour, Edie, to reflect our love for music. The ceremony was classical and heartfelt, but we soon switched up the vibe and blasted Ibiza classics and late 80’s house music. Elspeth grew up listening to Ibiza anthems and Hacienda classics from her parents, something that, when we started a relationship, Niall soon loved too, so it only felt right that we reflected that!

We also think that it is super important to form a good relationship with your vendors; they reflect your day and the better they know you, the better they can do that. We maintained consistent communication with all of our vendors throughout the process, and we think that they loved that we bounced ideas off each other and collaborated together on how the day should unfold.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Yes! We were very lucky to work with all of our vendors closely, as it was of great importance for Elspeth to have the creative freedom to work alongside them to bring her vision to life. After working in the creative industry for over 5 years through Art Directing on shoots, it was important that Elspeth worked creatively alongside the vendors so she could bounce off ideas, collaborate and create something beautiful with them.

Alina Smit: We can’t even put into words how amazingly talented Alina is and her assistant Marie. After working with a lot of photographers in Elspeth’s job, she was afraid she wouldn’t creatively and energetically ‘click’ with one, as sometimes that can take time, but Alina is honestly one of the most incredible creatives she has worked with. Her friendly personality, bubbly nature and beautiful eye for capturing moments and light in the most poetic manner is incredible. Alina makes your day feel like you, and by the end she will feel like a guest rather than a vendor.

Castell Sallegg: Michael Kuenburg and the team at Castell Sallegg are incredible. We worked closely with Michael throughout the process, and he guided and helped us through everything. His family have built a beautiful vineria, hotel and restaurant at Castell Sallegg and curated the most amazing and friendly team to host people there. Tommy, a member of the Castel Sallegg team, guided us through both our wine tasting and was in charge on the day of our reception; he received a standing ovation at the end of our meal as he honestly made it the most memorable evening. We look forward to returning to Castel Sallegg and seeing Michael and the team again in the near future. It is truly a one-of-a-kind location.

Bluemenhaus Perkmann: The team at Bluemenhaus Perkmann are some of the most talented florists we have met. The team collaborated with us on a vision to combine alpine and exotic flowers together, something that should not work, but did! They brought our vision to life better than we had ever imagined it. Their attention to detail and friendly personalities honestly made choosing the florals a dream. The craftsmanship that goes into their work is one of a kind, and we are so grateful that they curated the florals on our wedding day.

Sissi Chalet: Julian Bauer, who manages Sissi Chalet, was incredible in helping plan our wedding. Not only was the location and chalets unbelievably beautiful, but Julian helped us every step of the way. He contacted local vendors for us and helped us host our dream wedding at the venue. We are the first people to get married at this venue, but we never would have known, as Julian was an expert in the local area at finding whatever we needed. The chalets are stunningly gorgeous, fitted with luxury modern amenities including saunas - which all of the guests loved. Julian was really responsive during our stay and was at hand for whatever we needed. We can’t wait to return to Sissi Chalet and take in the breathtaking views.

Photographer: Alina Smit @alina_smit_photo | Planning & Styling: by Elspeth | Flora: Blumenhaus Perkmann @perkmann_blumenhaus | Videographer: Joe Lord @joelordpictures | Ceremony Location: Sissi Chalet @sissichalets | Reception Location: Castel Salegg @castelsallegg | Celebrant: Couple's best friend, Jack Whiting | Makeup: Elspeth did her own | Hair: Elspeth's brothers girlfriend | Catering & Beverages: (Apéro): Karrner of Bolzano; J&H Fagot @champagnejhfagot; (Reception) Castel Sallegg @castelsallegg | Cake: Castel Sallegg @castelsallegg | Stationery: Adam O’Connor & Elspeth Sargeant Doherty | Ceremony Dress: Montsand @montsand_official | Reception Dress: Galvan London @galvan london | Suit: Jacket: SS Daley @ss_daley | Shirt: Bespoke Dooley and Rostron @dooleyandrostron_ | Trousers: All Saints @allsaints | Veil: Antique Excentrique (eBay); Tailoring: Julie Farmiloe | Bowtie: Vintage from Vinted | Bag: Julie Farmiloe | Elspeth's Engagement & Wedding Rings: Arthur Kay of Manchester @arthurkayandbro | Wedding Ring: (Niall) Handmade, Freeman Bennett of Sheffield | Shoes: Christian Louboutin @christianlouboutin (Elspeth); Common Projects @commonprojects (Niall) | Wedding Party Attire: Colours reflecting the Alps/Black Suits with Bowties | Jewellery: Antique from various family members & Wedgwood @wedgwood | Yoga: Four Noble Truths @4ntyoga | Massage: Lymph Luminé @lymphlumine