Well it’s been a while since I’ve tapped at these keys, owing to the fact I’ve welcomed my own little lady to the world but as she’s occupying Grandma for the afternoon, I have many wonderful things to catch you up on. Let’s start with Helen and Ross’s February wedding at Grangefields, Ashbourne. These self confessed film fanatics wanted their day to be filled with fun, love and happiness and after a quick peek at their gorgeous pictures, I’d say they did just that.

We love nothing more than sharing your Frances Day ‘Real Bride’ Stories, so before we really get into it, let’s just have a moment of appreciation for all our FDB Allumi!

Right then, grab the popcorn and get comfy as we relive the highlights through Helen’s own words.

Lights, Camera, Action, this is Mr & Mrs Locker.

Take 1 - Setting the Scene

“Our ceremony and reception both took place at Grangefields. We fell in love with Grangefields at first sight - it was the only venue we viewed as it was just stunning, and perfect for us. We are one of the last of our friends to get married, so we had been to most of the wedding venues in the local area, and we wanted somewhere unique to us. Grangefields was a fairly new venue and also not far from the majority of our guests so it was a perfect location. It is also the perfect mix of rustic and modern and would go with our vision of a timeless yet modern aesthetic.

A major selling point was the ceremony room, it is just beautiful. It looks like a church without being a church, and we could just imagine walking down the aisle and getting some gorgeous photos. The food also looked incredible, and they served pizzas in the evening. Given that we have a pizza oven at home, Grangefields just felt like the perfect fit for us! There was nothing we didn't love about it.”

Take 2 - Helen’s Bridal Style

“I have always loved a simple, clean and modern aesthetic when it comes to weddings! In my opinion you can't beat a chic white dress that allows a bride to shine, it's timeless. It also allows you to accessorise in whichever way you want, as everything goes with it! I love documentary style, black and white photos and I wanted to feel like I could belong in Vogue for one day!”

Take 3 - The Groom’s Look

“Ross loves films, so the day was subtly themed around this. Our table names were our favourite films, including memorable quotes, all the key music choices came from our favourite films and TV shows, we even had a reading from the film the Wedding Singer!

Our colour scheme was black and white, with green and a hint of blue as a nod to my Dad's favourite colour who sadly passed away in 2021. The bridesmaids dresses were navy, and the groomsmen were in black tie, with Ross wearing a navy velvet jacket to create a classy, timeless vibe.”

Take 4 - Helen’s FDB Experience

“Bridal shopping was so much fun! I had an idea of what I wanted to try on prior to arriving, however I also wanted to remain open minded and put my trust in the experts too! I had heard that dresses can look completely different on than off the hanger, so I wasn't disheartened when the dress I had liked online didn't do anything for me in real life!

Emma was great at picking up on what aspects of the dresses I did and didn't like and would make suggestions of alternative dresses based on how I was feeling and what I said. I didn't find the dress in my first session, however it was great for narrowing down the options and I came back six weeks later for another appointment as I knew my dress was at FBD, I just had to find her!

I asked Emma if I could try a dress she suggested in my first session (that I didn't try on), and she organised the dresses I had chosen into an order to try on. As I tried on the dresses it became clearer and clearer that the last dress (the one Emma had recommended) - Suzanne Neville's Penny - had all the aspects I was looking for. I tried it on and I fell in love with it, and the rest is history! Emma clearly knows her bridal fashion and what would suit me. It was like she read my mind!

I felt so supported through the whole experience, there wasn't a moment I didn't enjoy. Even when I turned up to my fittings with about 6 coats and multiple pairs of shoes to see which would go best with the dress the ladies weren't phased, and instead gleefully helped me go through the selection and choose the right accessories, so it all went together perfectly on the day.

FBD you were my incredible hype crew and I can't thank you enough for making me look and feel amazing!”

Take 5 - The Main Event

“The wedding day was incredible. It was everything we dreamed of and more! What is not to love about drinking champagne at 10 o'clock in the morning surrounded by your own personal glam squad! The morning was so relaxed. I am always late so I was worried about being on time, but on the day I barely even looked at my watch. My MUA and hairdresser were amazing at keeping to time and before I knew it, we were all glammed up and it was time to put the dress on! I did have a minor panic when putting the dress on that my sister couldn't do it up, but it turned out she was struggling with the buttons as a result of the gloves! Phew!

We had hired an old version 2 Landrover on the day which was great fun to travel in. We had the back open so spent 10 minutes laughing and waving at people as we drove by! As we turned into the venue, so did one of our guests behind us, which we found hilarious, but I think they were mortified and wouldn't return our wave as we made our way down the farm track! I made it to the venue on time which I think no-one, including Ross expected so that was a major win!

The ceremony was so lovely, we remembered our lines, the rings fitted, and all of a sudden we were married! We had quite a big wedding so after the fun confetti shots (the part I had been most looking forward to) we made an effort to say hello to as many guests as possible before we had our photos. We had an amazing magician who did us a private viewing before we sat down for dinner. He blew my mind, turning a pack of cards into a perspex box in my hand!!

The speeches were lovely and went without a hitch. My Mum did an incredible job of stepping in for my Dad who has sadly passed away, and everyone said how well she did and how good her speech was! The food was delicious, and again everyone commented on how good it was. We were so happy everyone was enjoying themselves.

We had a few more photos after the dinner, ending with a sparkler shot - which was chaos! In hindsight having 130 people around you trying to light sparklers is maybe not the best idea, especially as a spark flew off and burnt a hole in my bridesmaids dress! Luckily she was OK, handled it like a pro and there was no lasting damage - and we got some beautiful photos!

After the cake was cut the party started and once the videographer and photographer had left the high heels came off and the converse went on - it was party time! We truely had the most wonderful day!”

Take 6 - Helen’s Words of Wisdom

“After I got engaged my friend told me how she made sure really enjoyed and made the most of dress shopping as she knew she was only going to have this experience once, and that really stuck with me! I didn't stress if something didn't suit me, or put too much pressure on finding 'the one', and as a result I had the best experience.

I would also say trust the process. It can be daunting as its likely your hair and make up trials will be on different days and you won't see it all come together until the big day. However it really does all come together, and on the day the little concerns really don't matter as once you get to the bottom of the aisle the love and joy of the occasion just takes over!”

Take 7 - Newlywed Bliss

“We have most enjoyed having some time off after the wedding. We had a month wait until our honeymoon so we took a two day trip to Oxford straight after getting married, and it was so lovely to have a bit longer in the bubble before we had to go back to work. We then had our official honeymoon which was amazing! Now we are back down to earth we are looking forward to putting the final touches on our house renovation which have been somewhat on hold whilst we planned the wedding, and booking some more trips/experiences in!”