The Belle Epoque in Knutsford is one of my favourite wedding venues so going there to photograph the winter wedding of a couple as friendly, genuine and cool as Lizzie and Matt are, I knew that it was going to be a brilliant day and that is exactly what it was. Lizzie and Matt’s wedding was full of happiness, emotion and laughter and it was a privilege to be a part of their day 🙂

Here is Lizzie with the story of their amazing wedding day:

How did Matt propose?
It was amazing and so unexpected. Matt surprised me with a meal out at a place I had never heard of called the Belle Epoque (he said it was a booking his friend had made and couldn’t keep). We arrived and had the most amazing table in a turret type part of the building. It was a Thursday night so (I thought) we both had work the next day and he was driving so we didn’t order any alcohol. When the waiter came to take the starters away Matt got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, I of course said yes ( a bit dazed!) and right on cue the waiter came back with a bottle of pink champagne and a present, a diary Matt had filled full of everything we had done together. He had also booked us a room at the Belle Epoque and secretly booked me the following day off work. The next day he took me back to Chester Zoo where we had our first date and he had adopted me my favourite zoo animal, the Spectacled Bear. He had planned the whole thing with the Belle Époque, designed a beautiful engagement ring a couple of months prior and asked for my parents blessing, and booked me time of work and I didn’t have a clue – and I am hard to keep anything from!

How did you find wedding planning?
I mostly enjoyed planning the wedding; we did a lot of it together, with very few hiccups along the way. My main tips would be not to stress over the small things, you honestly don’t notice them on the day, and to just have fun. If you can, I would also say write your own vows, I was concerned about doing it, but really glad we did, it made the ceremony much more personal to us.

Why did you choose the Belle Epoque for your wedding?
I always thought I would get married in the Lake District in the winter, but once we started looking nothing compared to the Belle Époque, with its open fires, cozy atmosphere and amazing décor, it was my dream venue! So we went back to where it all started and booked our wedding for the 7th December the following year.

What was your favourite part of your wedding day?
I loved every minute of it! But if I had to pick one thing it would be when we were announced as husband and wife, everything, all the planning had led up to that moment. We were married! I also loved the evening do, we booked a band, The Deadbeats, who were incredible, seeing everyone dancing and enjoying themselves was great as I had worried for so long that no one would dance!

Who were your favourite wedding suppliers?
Arh, I loved them all, especially you obviously (aww, thank you so much Lizzie!) I was so impressed with my make up (www.michellesisson.com) and all our stationary (betsy-button.co.uk). The flowers were also beautiful – better than I could ever have asked for (www.emmafawcett-eustace.com). I could list all the suppliers we used on here though!

We seriously had the best day of our lives. It was so emotional, everyone said they had never laughed and cried so much in a single day! All the effort and planning was more than worth it.