Color was the name of the wedding planning game for Joanna + Francis!
The UK-based couple knew they wanted to tie the knot in their beloved home city of Liverpool, so they got creative to balance out the potentially cloudy local climate. “We wanted to use lots of colour and different textures to jazz up what we expected to be a typically grey November day in the North of England!” say Joanna + Francis. The result was a day filled with vibrant floral creations that we CANNOT get enough of.
Joanna + Francis’s goal was a celebration that felt modern and informal. They tossed traditions that didn’t speak to them (seating charts, cake cutting, first dances, speeches) and focused on creating a colorful and authentic day that prioritized the essentials: “amazing food, music, and plenty of dancing with our closest friends and family.”
Photographer Jessica Williams shot documentary-style on digital and film to capture the moment-to-moment joy of Joanna + Francis’s day as it spanned two locations—the historic library at The Athenaeum for the ceremony and warehouse venue Scale for the reception!
Let’s take a look!
Joanna wanted to be able to revisit her bridal look after the wedding, and the wedding dresses she tried on weren’t really doing it for her, so she went with these super chic separates by Halfpenny London!
If you’re loving the look of Joanna’s off-the-shoulder tulle ruffle top and tailored trousers take a peek at our list of the best wedding jumpsuits for every bridal style or our list of 21 chic bridal suits to capture a similar silhouette!
The day’s bold and beautiful flowers were where the whole design concept began! “The colour palette all stemmed from a meeting with Anna, the mega babe, founder of Mary Mary Floral Design based in Liverpool,” say Joanna + Francis. “We met with her in her studio and talked about using reds and pinks but in a bold, joyful way. She suggested adding pops of lilac and orange, which created an incredible Elton John meets Cher and Diana Ross at Studio 54 sort of idea that we carried throughout the rest of the wedding.“
Instead going for traditional bridesmaid and MOH titles, Joanna surrounded herself with her “mates of honor” on the big day, all dressed in mix-and-match pinks and red looks they chose for themselves!
The SHOE GAME in this photo is off the charts!! Look through our list of the 41 bridesmaid shoes you’ll actually love wearing to get on these ladies’ level.
Joanna rocked a beautiful white knotted bridal headband from Aura Bridalwear. Explore our colelction of the 49 best bridal headbands for your wedding day!
A Library Ceremony
First stop on the big day was the library at The Athenaeum, a stunning sea foam green space full of local history where Joanna + Francis held their civil ceremony.
OBSESSED with how the vibrant flowers pop surrounded by all this green!
Joanna’s perfect wavy bob was the creation of Samantha Gannon, and Amy George is the mind behind her makeup—loving that bold red lip!
Francis’s relaxed and contemporary double breasted dark navy suit came from the tailors at Casely-Hayford. Check out this similar one from Banana Republic!
“When we talk to friends and family about our wedding, the best compliment that people give us is that it felt like a reflection of who we are and what we love to do,” the couple says, “which is exactly what we wanted it to be.”
Joanna’s hot pink Versace “Medusa” sling back pumps are PERFECTION with her cropped trousers and with the day’s vivid color scheme. Shop this similar pink pair from Badgley Mischka or snag those Versace’s at Nieman Marcus in other colors!
Look through our collection of the 29 best mother of the bride dresses that are not frumpy if the important ladies in your life are still on the hunt for a wedding day look as fierce as Joanna’s mom’s Helgi Printed Floral Seersucker Midi Dress by Ted Baker!
A Flower-Filled Reception
All of the fab floral action from the ceremony was transported over to Scale to fill the industrial venue with tons of fun and festive reception energy!
The sheer, flowy cape detail of Joanna’s wedding day look is a perfectly chic non-traditional-yet-bridal touch. Take a look at our list of the most stunning bridal capes for your wedding day if you’re loving this stylish silhouette as much as we are.
We still can’t get over these flowers. The day’s eye-popping arrangements were filled with everything from hot pink carnations to violet asparagus fern to red anthuriums to massive red nina roses to pink lisianthus to red and neon pink anemones.
“The day after the wedding Anna and her team at Mary Mary Floral Design even came back to the venue and turned all the flower installations into hand-tied bouquets so we could give them to our friends and family at the pub,” Joanna + Francis say. “It meant people got to take home a piece of the wedding – that was just gorgeous and nothing went to waste.” What a great way to send guests home with a meaningful memento AND making your wedding a little more eco-friendly at the same time!
Sundown Paper created these sweet pink and peach menus to prepare guests for the epic Italian meal that Feast and the Wild had cooked up.
Love the shimmery party vibe that the streamer wall by Mariel Osborn adds to the space!
Congratulations, Joanna + Francis! Your vibrant, flower-filled wedding day was totally fabulous!! Best wishes from GWS!
photography: Jessica Williams // venue name: Scale, Liverpool, Merseyside, England // florals: Mary Mary Floral Design // wedding dress boutique: Halfpenny London // hairpiece: Aura Bridalwear // hair stylist: Samantha Gannon // makeup artist: Amy George // groom attire: Casely Hayford // paper goods: Sundown Paper // catering: Fig & the Wild // specialty rentals: Mariel Osborn // music: Incredible 11 // ceremony venue: The Athenaeum
