Meredith & David have got the balance of rustic AND glamorous just right. The combination of gorgeous wild flowers, pastel tones and personal touches, alongside the beautiful barn setting of Heaton House Farm in the Cheshire countryside is utterly perfect.
Meredith is American, and David is British but they both live in NYC now, so this is actually a Jewish destination wedding in the UK! Their W Day is bursting at the seams with thoughtful details, elegance and fun, like the bride’s sky high pink Prada heels, a beautiful lopsided wedding cake (read on to hear the story behind that!), a meaningful ceremony, and girls on roller skates giving out shots at the after party! F-U-N !
Something that really touched me was hearing about a keychain made by the bridesmaids for Meredith depicting her beloved brother and stepfather who had tragically passed away some years before the wedding. Meredith attached the keychain to her bouquet for the wedding day itself, and to this day, carries it on her keys for a beautiful daily reminder of her wedding and her brother and stepdad.
Enjoy this sweet treat of a wedding — it’s romantic and whimsical but also sleek and stylish. And looks effortlessly so at that. All of the fabulousness was captured by STG regulars, Reportage Gallery, with the most gorgeous film by Minty Slippers at the end.
How we met
Meredith, the Bride: Dave is British (he’s from Manchester) and I’m American (born and raised in New York) and we met though a mutual friend. My brother’s friend introduced me to his wife, who is from Manchester. We became friendly and she set me up with dave. This is really meaningful to us, as Dave never got to meet my brother Gregg, who passed away in 2008. In a way, it feels like Gregg brought Dave into my life. Dave reminds me a lot of my brother and having this connection to my brother is very special.
Choosing to get married in the UK at Heaton House Farm
We were married at Heaton House Farm, in Cheshire. When Dave and I first met in New York City, Dave asked, “if we ever got married, could we do it in England?” I was thrilled to have a destination wedding. So when we got engaged, I knew we would be getting married in England.
I always wanted to have a countryside wedding, and David and his parents had attended a Jewish wedding there back in September 2012, so when Dave suggested Heaton House Farm, it was a perfect fit.
A rustic chic wedding
Our wedding planning was a close friend, Bianca Blag of Bianca B. Incorporated. She is nothing short of incredible. Our theme was rustic chic. I like things that are simple, but elegant. I am not an over the top person in terms of style.
Hair + Make-up
Planning a British wedding from New York City posed some challenges. Luckily, my incredible wedding planner found the most amazing people to work with. We went to England for three days of power wedding planning — Bianca had set everything up ahead of time, so I was able to do make up and hair trails in those days.
We chose Michelle Sisson and she was amazing. She completely got my look (which is to look as though I’m wearing as little make up as possible, since I prefer a natural look). She did the same for my hair. I had it up for the ceremony (to be able to show off the back of my dress and the veil) and took it down for the reception.
An Elizabeth Fillmore wedding dress
I knew I wanted something simple and elegant. Even as a child, I never loved the idea of the traditional wedding dress. I remember when JFK Jr. married Carolyn Bessette, I was in love with her dress.
When I was going to try on dresses one day, a close friend said to me, “You may want to check out Elizabeth Fillmore. She is incredible and has a great style.” When I got to the bridal shop, I was greeted by a woman who told me she was there doing a trunk show. She said I was the prefect fit for her dresses. I tried on a few and then tried on “the one.”
After talking to her for a few minutes, I asked her to remind me her name. Lo and I behold it was Elizabeth Fillmore. It turned out to be a great coincidence. The dress was exactly what I was looking for and they were wonderful through the fitting process. I loved my dress so much!
An Amsale veil
Keeping with my usual aesthetic, I wanted my accessories to be simple and chic. I wore a diamond heart that was my grandmothers and earrings that were a gift from my mother. When I was trying on dresses at Amsale, I tried on the most amazing veil. It was a long veil decorated with rose petals. They were reluctant to sell me the veil without the dress, but my mother and I convinced them. Paired with the Elizabeth Fillmore dress, it was a my ideal combination. One of my favourite pictures is of the back of my dress with the veil.
Prada high heels
Light pink, Prada heels (high!) with a platform. I LOVE these shoes. I wanted a pair I would be able to wear again (since the dress and veil would not be worn again!). I have got a lot of use out of them. For the party, I changed to white Nike wedge high tops. It added some fun to the dress and was worlds more comfortable for dancing.
The handsome groom
David wore an electric blue Paul Smith suit and black Ferragamo shoes purchased at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York. He looked very handsome!
Bridesmaids
I had three bridesmaids and a maid of honor. They wanted to wear matching dresses, which I was fine with as I just wanted them to be comfortable and feel good. We chose a floral design to go with the rustic chic theme.
Our chuppah design
We wanted something that went along with our rustic chic theme. The florist, Verdure, came up with the design and it was more than I could have ever envisioned myself. I loved it!
Honouring loved ones in a very special Jewish ceremony
My step father passed away a year a half before the wedding and my brother passed away seven years before the wedding. It was very important for me to incorporate them both into our day.
My bridesmaids had a key chain made for me, with a picture of my step father on one side and by brother on the other. We had it attached to my bouquet, which I carried down the aisle. It was very special to me. I carry it on my keys now, everyday, which is a beautiful daily reminder of my wedding and both of them. Also, during the ceremony, we had the tallit of my step-father and Dave’s grandfather as the top of the chuppah. It was another way to bring our loved ones into the ceremony.
My favourite part of the ceremony was walking down the aisle with my parents to Dave. It was so special to see all our loved one around us and I was so happy to be marrying my best friend.
Flowers
Verdure — I can’t say enough good this about them. They brought the room to life. They created an upside down rose garden as a main piece over the dance floor. I had never seen anything like it! I wish I could have taken it home!
Our fabulous photographer…
For our photographer, we used Pascal at Reportage Gallery. Our incredible wedding planner found him. Once we met with him and saw his work, we knew he was the perfect fit for us!
…and videographer
For videographer, we used Minty Slippers. They were great to work with and did a wonderful job of capturing the evening.
A wedding cake decorated with fresh flowers
The cake was vanilla with vanilla buttercream, decorated with fresh flowers. When we did a first walk through of the room before the wedding started, I asked why the cake was lopsided. It turns out the cake had collapsed in the van on the way to the venue! Luckily, I don’t get bothered by things like that and Dave and I had a good laugh about it. I’m not sure if it was noticeable to others!
Entertainment with the Gilev Showband + First Dance
We used The Gilev Showband and they were amazing! They played during the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. There were many of them, including dancers, which was great to set a good vibe for the night. We danced all night. They pulled us on stage many times. We had the best night! During dinner, they came out with a piano and had women’s sitting on the piano singing. And for the afterparty, we had a DJ playing great music and girls on roller skates giving out shots. It was the most fun night!
Our first dance was to a slow version of an old Roy Orbinson song, You Got It. That first dance was incredible. It was a fun song to dance to and the crowd got into it, so everyone was singing along! It was one of the highlights of the wedding for me.
Our Favours
We wanted it to be fun! We gave out flip flops (so the women could be more comfortable) and sunglasses that said “I love M & D”.
Advice to brides and grooms currently planning their wedding
If it’s in your budget, hire a great wedding planner! I was so grateful we could afford to do this and it alleviate so much worry. I was not stressed at all about the wedding. It was exactly how I wanted it to be — a fun party! Also, take in as much as you can, because the day flies by.
Meredith & David’s little white book
Photographer – Reportage Gallery
Wedding Planner – Bianca B. Incorporated
Venue – Heaton House Farm
Flowers – Verdure
Hair + Make-up – Michelle Sisson
Bride’s dress – Elizabeth Fillmore
Bride’s veil – Amsale
Bride’s shoes – light pink Prada and white Nike wedge high tops
Groom’s attire – Paul Smith suit and black Ferragamo shoes purchased at Saks Fifth Avenue
Band – The Gilev Showband
Videographer – Minty Slippers
Such a pleasure to host this beautiful Jewish Wedding – it was the perfect day!
Love the pictures.