St Luke Bombed Out Church Wedding Photos
Sophie & Joseph got married at The Bombed Out Church in Liverpool, with an elegant marquee reception.
They got legally married on Thursday and had the actual wedding on Saturday.
“We didn’t stick to the “you can’t see the bride” rule. We travelled to St Georges Hall together and met our family there. We dressed smart but nothing too fancy as we still wanted to save all the best bits for the big celebration.
We then went for a big breakfast with champagne, where my mum had been that morning without us knowing and had decorated the table with balloons and lights, it was lovely.
We all then parted ways and I cracked on with finishing the prep at the venue.
We had our Mums and Dads and my sister with us. It was lovely and relaxed, I was still slightly nervous standing in front of people saying the vows but mainly because I could see my sister in the corner of my eye and wanted to laugh!
But the 2 women doing the small ceremony were so lovely and the mums were so surprised how intimate and lovely the words they used were, a few tears of happiness were shed”
Sophie & Joseph hadn’t thought about whether the venue had a marriage license when they started looking.
“I hadn’t really thought about it until I picked where I wanted to get married and they didn’t have a licence to do the marriage, and it didn’t put me off at all as it meant I could get married somewhere I really wanted to and celebrate an extra day as well 😊”
Sophie got ready at home and had a couple of cars take her and her bridal party to the venue. Once at The Bombed Out Church, Sophie’s bridesmaids and flower girls headed down the aisle first, followed by Sophie and her dad.
“We chose Joe’s aunty to perform the ceremony, it was lovely that someone close to him could do the service, it felt really relaxed and everyone loved it. I think it made us feel like there was slightly less pressure too. Without the legal bit to do, it meant we could do our own vows and then just get on with the partying and celebrating with everyone.”
And that’s exactly what they did! After the ceremony, they headed into the marquee for drinks & canapes. Everyone sat down around the tables for the speeches, followed by the most amazing food for their wedding breakfast – sharing platters tapas-style complimented the relaxed atmosphere perfectly. And later that evening a take-away pizza delivery turned up!
They decided to add a last-minute singer / songwriter duo to their wedding and I’m glad they did – everyone was up and dancing long before the first dance!
When I asked if they had any advice for future couples planning their wedding in a similar way, this is what they said…
“Don’t be put off by it at all, it’s really nice and means no limitations to your wedding venue”
There is another benefit to getting married at a Register Office, and that’s cost. To have a civil ceremony at a venue of your choice you could have to pay close to £500, whereas it’s just ~£58 for a basic room at the Register Office.
So if you’re on a budget, this could help save those all-important pennies or you could spend them on something else! 😉
Other ideas include renting an Airbnb for the weekend – like Sophie & James. There are some beautiful houses available to rent at great prices. You can find gorgeous properties that sleep 20+ people and plenty of unique alternative options too – like entire glamping sites, whole castles or even a lighthouse on its own private island.
Or what about your parents back garden? A local pub or restaurant? A farmer with a spare field or some woodland? It might take a little more planning and effort in the research stages, but I believe to have something that is totally unique, it’s worth the hard work.
However, if the thought of that extra work puts you off there’s nothing to stop you using a more traditional wedding venue in an unusual way.
There are plenty of venues that don’t have wedding licences for several reasons. A lot don’t have a licence for outdoor weddings because they don’t have a permanent structure with a solid roof. But if you are already legally got married, there’s no reason why you couldn’t have your ceremony inside, outside or on their roof terrace! So, let’s take a look at some more traditional wedding venues.