Newlyweds Danielle and Michael’s story shows that you can have the day of your dreams, whatever your wedding budget. Our WED2B Real Weddings Liverpool feature reveals more:

Danielle and Michael met when they both worked at McDonald’s. “We went for a work night out and Michael was there too,” says Danielle. “After a few drinks, I told him I didn’t think he was very funny and that he’d always annoyed me! Later that night he walked me home and I couldn’t find my keys. So he walked me to his house, gave me his dressing gown to sleep in and I went to sleep. When I woke up in the morning I discovered him fully dressed, with no covers, curled up at the bottom of the bed! Five years later, on that exact date, we got married.”

 

Real Weddings Liverpool: How to have a fabulous day, whatever your wedding budget - Alice

 

Finally asking the question…

The couple were in Edinburgh for Christmas in 2016 when Michael proposed. “On the way there I thought, 'Is he going to ask?’,” says Danielle. “He’d always said he’d never propose, so I dismissed the thought. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe on Christmas Eve and I asked him when he was going to ask me. He said never, so I told him not to bother as I wouldn’t say yes anyway! On Christmas Day we went for a walk up to the castle and I still thought he might ask, but nope. Then after dinner, he suggested we walk up Calton Hill. At the top, I couldn’t see anything because the wind was blowing my hair in my face. When I moved my hair away Mike was stood there with a ring and said, ‘Will you marry me?’. I laughed and said, ‘Yeah, I suppose so!’”

 

Real Weddings Liverpool: How to have a fabulous day, whatever your wedding budget - Alice

 

Shopping for the dress

Danielle found the perfect dress at the very last minute in WED2B’s Liverpool store, just one week before the wedding. “I had my dress all sorted a year before the wedding,” says Danielle. “Then two weeks before the big day we had a leaky roof and my dress was right under the leak. So I went to WED2B and the second dress I tried on was the Alice dress. I knew straight away this was the dress I wanted. When the curtain opened my friends gasped and said it was perfect. I tried on two more dresses but we all knew that Alice was our favourite." 

 

Real Weddings Liverpool: How to have a fabulous day, whatever your wedding budget - Alice

 

Service with a smile

“Everyone in the store was so nice and approachable,” says Danielle. “It’s a first-class experience walking in and having someone collect your dresses and hang them up for you, so you're not dragging them around. There’s no pressure to buy any of the dresses either, just honest assistance.”

 

Real Weddings Liverpool: How to have a fabulous day, whatever your wedding budget - Alice

 

A quirky location

The wedding venue was the Oddfellows Hotel in Chester City Centre. "We had always wanted to stay there whenever we visited because it looked so quirky,” says Danielle. “It certainly didn’t disappoint! There was an Alice in Wonderland style tea room with tables and chairs on the ceiling. The room we had the ceremony in also had a chandelier with pictures of killers from horror films! It definitely made for some interesting photos. The staff at the venue really made the day. They were so polite and accommodating, did their best to answer any questions and helped everything run smoothly.”

 

Real Weddings Liverpool: How to have a fabulous day, whatever your wedding budget - Alice

 

Be smart with your wedding budget

“Stick to your wedding budget!” says Danielle. “You can definitely achieve exactly what you want within a small wedding budget. Our day was perfect and our wedding budget was £5,000. Do some research to get the best options and prices on things and don't settle for something if it’s not really what you want. If you do it will always be at the back of your mind and niggle you. You don’t want to be thinking back on anything after your wedding day, wishing you’d done it differently.”

 

Real Weddings Liverpool: How to have a fabulous day, whatever your wedding budget - Alice

 

The big day

Danielle’s Dad walked her down the aisle to an acoustic version of ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ by Elvis Presley. “The ceremony went by so quickly, it was a blur,” she says. “All Mike and I did was laugh and joke throughout the whole thing. I always thought I’d be so nervous that I couldn’t get my words out, but it ended up being the opposite. I was so calm, probably because I knew I was marrying my best friend. We married in front of a fireplace, surrounded by 30 of our closest friends and family, and walked out to Stevie Wonder’s ‘For Once In My Life’”.

 

Real Weddings Liverpool: How to have a fabulous day, whatever your wedding budget - Alice

 

Navy and silver styling

The main colours for the day were navy blue and silver. The chairs had navy covers and favours were blue boxes filled with silver and navy chocolates. “For our centrepieces, we put the bridesmaids' bouquets in jam jars and sat them on silver mirrors, surrounded by tea lights,” says Danielle. “We also had a cupcake tower with flavours of lemon, strawberry and white chocolate and prosecco and raspberry.”

 

Real Weddings Liverpool: How to have a fabulous day, whatever your wedding budget - Alice

 

The drinks reception

After the ceremony, there were cocktails and photos. “The quiet moments with Mike, when we were having our photos taken, were some of the most memorable because it was the only time we got to ourselves,” says Danielle. “We wanted the whole day to be relaxed and comfortable, so the wedding breakfast was an informal BBQ buffet. I’ve always disliked the meal part of weddings when you have to sit for two hours with people you don’t know and food you don’t like. So, at our wedding, I wanted the opposite.”

 

Real Weddings Liverpool: How to have a fabulous day, whatever your wedding budget - Alice

 

Fun and games

Later, after a quick toast by Mike, everyone went over to the bar where the couple had hired an arcade machine with games like Mortal Kombat. “Once the room had turned around, the dance floor was open for guests,” says Danielle. “It was great having the bar area with a roof terrace and then a separate room across the hall for dancing, as it allowed guests the choice of dancing or mingling. Our first dance was to ‘You Are The Best Thing ‘by Ray LaMontagne. “Later, after a few hours of dancing, we had bacon and sausage barms. One of the funniest moments was when I fell over on the dance floor at my own wedding!”

 

Real Weddings Liverpool: How to have a fabulous day, whatever your wedding budget - Alice

 

Danielle’s Dream Team:

Photographer: GCH photography (gchphotography.co.uk)

Venue: Oddfellows Hotel (oddfellowschester.com)

Make-up Artist: Aimee Labelle (@labellemua)

Hair Stylist: Lucy Howard (@lucyhowardhair)

Florist: The Flower Farm (theflowerfarm.co.uk)

Cake: One Sweet Day (one-sweet-day.co.uk)

Chair Covers: Elite Weddings and Events (facebook.com/Elitevenuedressingnorthwest)

Did your wedding have the wow factor like our wedding budget feature? If you would like your big day to be one of our real wedding features send your favourite photo to info@wed2b.co.uk and we’ll be in touch!