July to August has been craaazy busy for Alternative Weddings Manchester and we faced our biggest challenge yet on Fri 5^th August – a wedding of three parts!

To understand this very special day first you need a bit of background info on the happy couple. John and Sophie are the masterminds behind Manchester’s coolest underground art event – Art Battle Manchester, bringing ‘Art for the People, by the People’.  John and Sophie are all about creativity and expression and their lives are full of colourful characters, artists, good eggs and good vibes. This eclectic festival atmosphere was exactly what they wanted to share with their friends and family.

They had it all, literally, squeezing in a Humanist ceremony at Hallé St Peters in the afternoon, a thoroughly rustic feast at Hope Mill Theatre (provided by The Northern Pie Company and Taste the Love) and a Village fête / mini-festival in the evening with games, live art and an acoustic folk stage.

They mixed up styles and themes with a classical string quartet playing Oasis and songs like ‘Unfinished Symphony’ during their ceremony, strode over to the Ashton Canal for pictures and had live music from folk bands and Mancunian crooners on a mini-festival stage in the evening. Graffiti artists sprayed live murals against red brick walls, there were games of giant Jenga and Connect 4 and a specially commissioned cartoon montage of the best man’s speech by Tony Husband. 

The Groom’s men donned navy suits and dapper caps inspired by Peaky Blinders and photo-shoots took place outside of some of Ancoats’s most iconic landmarks (they certainly looked the part!). The bride looked stunning a delicate summer gown, laced with floral crotchet and pearl beading and even put her own creative touches into the décor by making customised tealight holders at home, adorned with lace and hessian. Rustic trestles were provided by Alternative Weddings MCR and log slices and hand-written place cards finished the look.

So much heart went into this wedding that you could hear it beating on the day. Their walk in track to The Supreme’s ‘Stoned Love’ and first dance to The Wannadies ‘You and Me’ just characterised everything John and Sophie are about – fun, love and a really beautifully sense of playfulness. It was a pleasure to plan and we wish could do it all again!!

CONGRATULATIONS JOHN AND SOPHIE! MAY YOUR LIVES TOGETHER BE AS BEAUTIFUL AND CREATIVE AS YOUR WEDDING!

Photo Credits – Dan Hough Photography