If your looking for a unique and quirky wedding venue, we have treat for you today with Katie and Sam’s beautiful museum wedding at The National Railway Museum in York. It’s full of personality and DIY touches from friends and family, a unity of love at a wonderful venue, not many people can say they had a museum wedding! Here we catch up with Katie who tells us all about the first meet, to the first look, and beyond…
Katie and Sam’s Railway Museum Wedding with DIY Touches and Vintage Style
“We met at the University of Glasgow in 2007. Although we’d had the same circle of friends throughout university, we somehow didn’t meet each other until third year. One of my flatmates was on the same course as Sam. He would often come round to study and would end chatting with me – we quickly realised we loved the same music and had lots in common. We ended up seeing each other at lots of the same parties and events and finally through lots of prompting from our friends we officially became an item in early 2008!”
The Proposal
“I had always wanted to visit Venice, but as we now live in Canada we didn’t have the opportunity to go quite as easily. In 2016 we visited Europe to see our families and attend Sam’s sister’s wedding in Munich. Sam mentioned that the train ride from Munich to Venice was beautiful and that this would be a great way to end our trip. We had four days in Venice to explore and on the second day we walked to the Rialto Bridge. I had no idea, but Sam was planning on proposing by the bridge. To his horror it was being restored (and had a huge H&M advert plastered on it!). Instead, he walked me to a beautiful square moments away beside the water and asked me! To celebrate, we went for a wonderful meal at a restaurant nearby and shared a bottle of champagne overlooking the canal.”
Planning the wedding
“As we are both from Yorkshire but met in Scotland we were considering either being in York or Glasgow. We wanted a venue that was easy for people to get to, would be memorable for our guests and had a vintage vibe. My Mum suggested the National Railway Museum because she had seen events planned there previously and thought we would love it. She knows our appreciation of vintage style and knew we would want to incorporate this into our event – what better than being on a 1940s style platform surrounded by vintage ephemera?”
The Venue – National Railway Museum Wedding
“We’re not train enthusiasts or anything (!) but really wanted a special venue that showcased where we are from and would stand out. We both had fond memories of visiting as children and once we saw the Station Hall decorated we knew it would be ideal. Not many people can say they got married in a museum! It was perfect: the venue spoke for itself and didn’t require any decorating aside from fairy lights and flowers to add to the atmosphere.”
The Dress
“My dress was from Bridal Rogue in York. In North America dresses tend to be either flowy, rustic style dresses or massive glittery princess style gowns, neither of which I wanted for myself. I wanted a 1950s style tea length or knee length dress. Basically every LouLou Bridal dress I tried I loved. In the end I went for a simple satin sweetheart bodice strapless dress and a custom made lace bolero, made in house at Bridal Rogue.”
The Suit – Mix and Match
“Sam was thinking about wearing his kilt but decided to wear something a bit different still
incorporating tartan. His combination of tartan trousers with a velvet jacket looked really classic and suited him perfectly. He liked that both parts of the suit would be wearable after the event both together and separately. The combination looked excellent – formal but a bit different.”
The Bridesmaids
“I wanted dresses that my bridesmaids would feel both beautiful and comfortable in. I love to wear full circle dresses because they are so elegant and look lovely when you’re dancing! My bridesmaids also share my love of the style so I chose the beautiful Blackwatch tartan full circle dresses from British Retro (which they all adored!). They are extremely well made, looked amazing on, and I love that they are made in the UK.”
The Details – DIY Touches
“Our fantastically talented friend, Ella Dyer made our beautiful three-tiered carrot cake frosted with a white chocolate ganache. I have been friends with Ella for many years, she is a fabulous baker and knew she would be able to make exactly what we had in mind. It was absolutely delicious and we both wish we’d had chance to eat more of it!”
“The incredible flower arrangements were created by our talented family friend, Jayne Kerl. My bouquet and my bridesmaids’ bouquets were stunning, full of beautiful antique roses which smelled lovely. The floral arrangements for the tables were extremely pretty and creative, surrounding candles on cake stands!”
The Best Part – The First Look
“The first look photos were extremely special to both of us. We really wanted to have that moment before the ceremony because we both knew we would cry when we saw one another – as expected, we both cried and so did our families, bridal party and random hotel guests!”
“The ceremony was perfect – we both kept it together (thankfully!). We both agree that the best part in the end was seeing friends made at different times in our lives from numerous countries finally meeting each other and celebrating with us.”
Why Choose Vintage
“We love vintage clothing and the timeless elegance of the 1940s/1950s. While neither of us commit full time to a vintage look we both appreciate incorporating elements in to our everyday style. We knew we would both go with elements of a vintage look on the day and with the 1940s feel of the platform in the Station Hall at the NRM it all came together wonderfully!
Words of Wisdom
“Make sure to have some time for yourself on the day, especially don’t miss out on the delicious food you’ve spent so long planning! Leave yourself plenty of time to plan so you can do small parts of planning when the mood takes you and you don’t end having to rush anything. Accept that it is quite stressful so do everything you can to make it easy for yourselves. Have a comfortable second pair of shoes for dancing in. No point in being uncomfortable!”
Suppliers: Katie and Sam’s Railway Museum Wedding with DIY Touches and Vintage Style
Dress – LouLou Bridal LB47 with custom bolero from Bridal Rogue Gallery @bridal.rogue.gallery
Shoes – Nick of Time – Irregular Choice @irregularchoice
Accessories: Veil – eBay, Earrings – brides own, Ring – Ken and Dana @kenanddanadesign
Florist – Jayne Kerl, The Happy Gerbera Flowers
Make up/Hair – Pin Up Curl @pin_up_curl
Grooms suit – Trousers: Hackett Blackwatch Tartan Wool Trousers @hackettlondon
Jacket: Hugo Boss Blue Nemir Shawl-Collar Cotton Velvet and Silk Tuxedo Jacket @boss
Bridesmaid dresses – Dee Dee Black Watch Tartan Vintage 50s Full Circle Dress by British Retro @british_retro
Venue – National Railway Museum
Photographer – Esme Mai @esmemaiphotography
Band: The Hailbails
Museum wedding not your thing? check out other cool and quirky venues with Geeky Wedding Inspiration with Corset Wedding Dresses, Blue Bouquets and a Doctor Who Theme
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