Photographer: Ayesha Photography

Ok, this Manchester city wedding gives me all the feels as a former Manny resident.

Rose and Adam first met in Wetherspoons in Darlington after they’d both returned from traveling and were both feeling at a loose end in life. They had a rocky start (Rose mistook Adam’s shyness for rudeness… easy mistake to make!) but Adam eventually proposed during a weekend away involving drunken bowling, Indian food, and dancing the night away.

After a 2 year engagement, around 9 months of planning that was scuppered by Covid, the couple managed to pull off their dream city wedding in about 3 months and with a modest budget of £7500.

The wedding theme: A big night out in Manchester!

Rose: ‘‘Our engagement had been so much fun we knew we wanted to capture that feeling again, the food, the dancing and the boozing but this time with all of our favourite people.’’

There really is nothing cuter or cooler than a laid-back city wedding in the sunshine, is there?!

Rose and Adam’s August wedding just happened to fall on a perfect summer’s day… perfect for a sunny celebration of love in gorgeous Castlefield locks and perfect for a couple who’d already faced one postponed wedding due to the pandemic.

The great thing about a city wedding is the fact that you don’t need to get very far, right? You’re already in the hub of it all. That’s exactly how Rose and Adam played it… a relaxed marriage ceremony at Manchester Registry Office, followed by a sunny stroll down the road, guests and all, sipping on some tinnies all the way to their reception venue, Lock 91 in Castlefields.

Adam: ‘‘When me and Rose first moved to Manchester and we were both working in the city we used to meet up after work on a Friday for a beer which would inevitably end up being more than one. We always had such a good time and we really wanted to capture that same feeling. We basically planned a pub crawl wedding…’’

On arrival at the reception venue, the happy couple and their wedding party spent a day on the terrace listening to live music and soaking up the sun, the vibes and the summer love before heading inside for an alternative wedding breakfast of pizza and chips.

Does it get any more un-wedding than that?

I don’t think so!

‘‘We definitely wanted it to feel like a big party with no formalities and stuffy traditions.

It was important to both of us that we did informal candid pictures. Adam’s parents are divorced so we didn’t want either side of the family to feel uncomfortable being asked to pose for group photos, and as my mum has passed away just before I met Adam, I didn’t want the pictures to highlight her absence.

My mum had been a keen gardener so it meant the world to me that my dad and his partner were able to grow flowers to make the bridal bouquets and buttonholes - they were so beautiful and so many people complimented our fabulous bright British flowers.’’

Tweaking the usual wedding traditions

The couple kept a few wedding traditions that felt personal to them. Rose’s dad walked her down the aisle and they chose to stay apart the night before the wedding.

They decided against the traditional male-dominated speeches and Rose’s Maid Of Honour gave the first speech instead.

There were no co-ordinating outfits, instead, the couple gave their bridesmaids and groomsmen free rein to wear whatever they wanted. All the bridesmaids chose to wear a shade of green and they looked phenomenal!

‘‘We bought a birthday cake from Morrisons on the morning of the wedding instead of spending megabucks on a wedding cake. It was my best friend’s birthday that day so Adam used his speech to bring out the cake and candles… cheaper and more fun!’’

Like many Covid brides, Roses original wedding dress from Otaduy had hung in the wardrobe for so long that it stopped feeling special. She started to shop around for something that felt more like a party dress and was inspired by Davina McCall wearing a gorgeous tassel dress on The Masked Singer. She opted for this Halston fringed halter neck dress so she could dance, drink and party all night!

Adam went for a simple navy blue suit from Reiss which he paired with some timeless wayfarers from Ray Ban - a strong look for a modern groom! In fact, both Rose and Adam killed it in the style stakes, proving that you don’t need pomp!

Covid made us re-evaluate our wedding plans

Despite the postponement of their original wedding and all of the disappointment that comes with it, Covid gave the couple space to re-evaluate their wedding plans and simplify things.

‘‘We went from formal food to pizza, a bridal gown to a party frock and canapes to scampi fries!’’

The couple was also blessed with a new baby niece and 2 new nephews to add to the party!

Sadly, Covid restrictions meant that Adam’s Australian family couldn’t attend so they attended via live stream. Neither could Rose’s grandparents so, they made arrangements to celebrate privately in a small family gathering the previous month.

‘‘The biggest positive is that the whole thing brought us closer to our favourite people. So many people helped out and mucked in. We felt so loved on the run-up to the wedding and on the day. Everyone was prepared to do little odd jobs, tie ribbons, steer flower girls in the right direction, choose readings, offer words of advice. Every single guest contributed in some way making it such an amazing day.’’

Advice for couples planning their wedding

‘‘Keep it simple and stay true to you.’’

Couldn’t have said that better myself!

See more from Rose and Adam’s big night out in Manchester (where they just happened to get married!) in the gallery below!