Gift of a Wedding – Fulfilling Dreams…Creating Memories.
Kathryn & Nick had originally planned to get married in September 2015, but following the deterioration of Kathryn’s health her Doctor advised her to bring the date forward. This is where Gift of a Wedding stepped in to help. Gift of a Wedding is a Manchester based charity whose aim is to gift wedding services to people within the UK who have a terminal or life shortening illness. I provided my wedding photography for free on the day.
Edit – Kathryn sadly passed away on 14th February 2015, one week after her marriage to Nick. Rest in peace, Kathryn. x
Before you see some of my photos from the day, this short report was aired on ITV in the Granada region on Friday 6th February 2015 and explains a little bit about the charity and what they’ve done to help arrange Kathryn & Nick’s wedding :
You can view the video by clicking here – Dream Wedding for Terminally Ill Woman
The wedding took place at the Stables Country Club, Bury, Greater Manchester. Kathryn’s favourite colour is purple and as you can imagine, this particular colour was very prominent on the day with the bride opting for a purple wedding dress instead of the traditional white. Kathryn’s dog Shiva was involved too; she was the ring bearer and accompanied the bride down the aisle with the rings tied to a little cushion on her back.
Carlisle based Cinematography company, CPD Film were also in attendance on the day and you can see a preview of their video footage below:
Kathryn & Nick’s wedding wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the many businesses, both local and UK wide, who provided their goods and services for free. A great big THANK YOU goes out to…
Baked With Love MCR – Facebook Page
Bliss Cupcakes and Celebration Cakes – Facebook Page
Bravissimo – Website – Facebook Page
SES Multi Metal Stock Ltd. – Website
CPD Film – Facebook Page – Website
Essential Wedding Hire – Facebook Page – Website
Favour Fairy – Facebook Page – Website
Fresh Floral Designs – Facebook Page
Jenni Ward MUA – Facebook Page – Website
Karen Berry Photography – Facebook Page
Opulence Bride – Facebook Page – Website
Pure Indulgence – Facebook Page
Split Generation – Facebook Page – Website
Something Yummy Cakes & Catering – Facebook Page
Weddings By Kimberley Jayne – Facebook Page – Website
Zara Cakes Manchester – Facebook Page – Website
Sweet Vintage Love – Facebook Page – Website
Needy Client Nails
Thanks must also go to the founder of the charity, Patricia Harrison. Patricia and her dedicated team work tirelessly to arrange these weddings and it couldn’t happen without the many hours of hard work they put into the charity. This is Patricia below, I took this photo of her while she was being interviewed for ITV during Kathryn & Nick’s wedding day.
Additionally, Victoria Grimes of ITV was absolutely instrumental in propelling this wedding into the media spotlight, this will only help to drive the charity forward – Thank you to Victoria and her team. You can follow Victoria via her Twitter page here. The Manchester Evening News covered the story here and the Bury Times also reported on the day here.
For more information about Gift of a Wedding, including details on how you can help, please watch the short video below:
Finally, I’d like to thank Kathryn & Nick for allowing me to be part of their special day, it was an absolute pleasure to be involved and to meet your family and friends. Thank you.
Kathryn told the Manchester Evening News –
It’s the best day of my life. Everyone has been absolutely amazing and the charity has helped the whole experience come together into something amazing. I couldn’t have done that on my own.
If you’d like to make a monetary donation to Gift of a Wedding you can do so here. Any amount no matter how small will be gratefully received. Additionally, the charity are always grateful to receive donations of wedding dresses and other related items, so please get in touch here if you’d like to help. If you work in the wedding industry and would like to volunteer your goods or services please give them a call on 0845 474 0717 or contact them here.
All Photographs are copyright Steve Grogan Photography.
Cinematography is copyright CPD Film.
What a great charity. Kathryn if you are reading this ‘you looked amazing in that wonderful purple dress’. So lovely to see a break with tradition.
It is indeed a fantastic charity. I agree, nice to see something a little different. 🙂
Sorry for the late reply, yes she did indeed look amazing. I loved the purple theme. RIP Kathryn. x
Starting Gift of a Wedding was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. I get to make people happy, I get to work with a team of wonderful volunteers who work miracles everyday in order to fulfill the wedding dreams of the terminally ill, but I also get to work with some fantasic and generous wedding suppliers like Steve Grogan. I consider myself to be a very lucky lady.
Aw that’s lovely, thank you so much for the kind words. The charity you have started will go from strength to strength and you’ll be able to help many more people all over the UK. I’m honoured to be a part of it all. 🙂
Wow – What a wonderful day, It looks so emotional!
Great work Steve!
Thank you very much, Rachael. It certainly was an emotional day, but a very happy one too.