I had originally wanted an outdoorsy, forest or seaside wedding but anything coastal seemed to come at a premium and getting all my friends and family to a rural location would have been a logistical nightmare. Options closer to home seemed to consist of barns or conference rooms in hotels and neither of those really appealed to me. I started to be come frustrated with the process of finding venues but when I discovered you could have a Sunday ceremony in the National Museum Cardiff my mind focussed on a city wedding with a laid back feel. (Notice there are a lot of I's there? Martyn is extremely relaxed and let me get on with planning but looked after the transport and liaising with some of the vendors)
We were so lucky to find Chapel 1877 for our wedding reception venue. It is a converted former chapel which is now a restaurant and bar in the heart of Cardiff. It was an ideal location as it was only 5 minutes away from our ceremony venue and close to hotels for guests that were staying in the city after the reception. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff at Chapel 1877. The team did flowers for the tables, place settings and decorated everything for us. They added extra vegan and vegetarian options to the menu and offered a great value package as we got married outside the peak wedding season and on a Sunday.
I was originally going to bake my own cake but decided against it as I didn’t want any last minute stress. I went a little mad and opted for a glittery extravaganza with layers of salted caramel, lemon drizzle and chocolate marble. I also had a cheese tower cake featuring lots of cheeses from Wales and the south West. I also had a selection of vegan cupcakes and doughnuts. So much for a home baked naked sponge...
I hit a wedding decoration jackpot in TK Maxx. I found a huge selection of decorations from brands like Ginger Ray in my colour scheme and bought the lot including paper fans and table confetti. As the venue was so ornate I kept decorations simple which meant no last minute DIY decoration stress. I was going to attempt to make my own seating plan but my handwriting is a messy scrawl and I'm not particularly crafty so Lumi event designs were called in at the last minute to create a modern acrylic seating plan which I thought complimented the surroundings.
After an emotional wedding ceremony, panic about the traffic and a drawn out build up to a 5pm ceremony I had a bit of a crash at the reception. Martyn and I had our meal in a booth on our own and I really valued this time together. I felt incredibly drained and tired during the meal and like I was being pulled in all directions with my mad nan trying to take photos of me once we headed to the bar area after the meal. A quick five minutes alone outside to cool down, have an espresso martini and compose myself made the world of difference and I was able to relax and get into the party mood.
Our first dance was to The Ramones - Baby, I love you, which we listened to on our long drives to Austria for our holidays and reminded us of our trip to The Ramones museum during our trip to Berlin.
By the time the meal was over, we had cut the cake and had our first dance it was nearly 9.30pm. The whole evening passed by in a flash and is a blur of espresso martinis, cake, a GLC singalong and dancing. I feel truly lucky that Martyn and I were able to have such a perfect day with all of our favourite people. It's a bit of a cliche but the whole day went far too quickly, I barely had time to speak to all the guests and it was exhausting but thoroughly enjoyable.
Suppliers
Table Plan - Lumi Event Design | Sweet jars - Home Bargains | Sweet bags - eBay
Vegan cupcakes & doughnuts - Blanche Bakery | Magic Mirror and Love lights - iDoo
