What should have been a weekend bash with friends in Liverpool turned into a date night for Emma & Toni when everyone cancelled. Was it a coincidence? Emma and Toni celebrated their plant-lovers wedding with homemade decor at Sefton Park Palm House recently. Emma and Toni first met six years ago at a mutual friend’s BBQ one bank holiday. They recall it started out very civilised and then turned into a very late, very drunk occasion, with killer hangovers for work the next day. We all know that feeling! The following weekend a group of friends had planned a weekender in Liverpool. By coincidence (or not perhaps) everyone cancelled at the last minute, so Emma and Toni decided to go as a pair, and that became their first date.
Plant-lovers Wedding with Homemade Decor
They fell in love with the Sefton Park Palm House the minute they turned up outside, and it’s not hard to see why. Often referred to as the jewel of Sefton Park, this majestic Victorian glasshouse ticks all the right boxes for being a unique wedding venue; stunning architecture, fab staff and catering in the perfect setting of Sefton Park. Many of our readers will know that Helen and I married here in 2004. As recommended suppliers, it’s always a pleasure to return to capture our couples. Our home is full of plants, and at every opportunity, Emma sneaks another plant in despite not having the room for it, Toni informs me.
We decided on a March wedding for a great mix of enjoying the daylight hours but also experiencing the Palm House at night with the fantastic lighting provided by Absolute! Emma also had ‘acrobats’ on her wedding bucket list. So when she heard that the Palm House could recommend silk artists Hayley Ingle and Elle, who had performed there before, we were sold.
Homemade Decor
We were fortunate in terms of organising the wedding as we had a creative bunch of around us! Bridesmaid, Amie Jolley made the most beautiful copper framed macramé backdrop for the ceremony, table plan, leafy name places and cake topper. The tropical flowers by Adam Fletcher and fern-filled balloons by Lili fitted perfectly with the theme. Family friend Esme Nickson made the most beautiful looking and tasting cake! Also, a big shout out to my mum Irene Richman who brought all of the orchids to the day including orchid baubles table numbers.
Favourite part of the day
It’s hard to choose our favourite part as everything was absolutely perfect from start to finish. Still, for both of us, the most memorable was definitely the ceremony! We arrived separately having not seen ‘the dresses’ so it was a special moment when both of us walked down the aisle together with our dads who stepped away at the top to leave us seeing each other for the first time. We’ll never forget that moment.
We shot this wedding just before the Coronavirus pandemic took hold in the UK. So editing these images while self-isolating has been a powerful reminder of how important our families and friends are. It may be some time until we get to shoot again, but we hope these images help to inspire all those couples who have had to postpone their weddings – your big day will come, don’t worry!
See you on the other side x
If you enjoyed this, take a peek at this autumn Palm House wedding.
