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Rain. What’s that? We’ve all been enjoying the heatwave in the UK over the past week, but real bride Jeanette and her new hubby Nick didn’t let a splash of our usual weather spoil their big day at Brides Up North Featured Supplier venue Bolton Castle. With some hot wheels, rainbow bunting and feathered friends, they brought the outside in for a pretty celebration inside the ancient walls.
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Jeanette says: We got engaged in October 2011 on ‘date night’ at the end of an evening run around Ashridge National Trust Estate in Herts, and were married on 18th May 2013.
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We had our wedding ceremony at Bolton Castle, near Leyburn in the Yorkshire Dales. This was followed by a champagne reception at the Castle and then onto Aysgarth Falls Hotel for food and evening entertainment. The Castle setting was brilliant. It was quirky and had the appeal of an old building which was great for photos. Katie who is the contact there couldn’t have been more helpful which was really refreshing. We were able to decorate the room and the views were stunning – even on a rainy day. We were told that it gets quite cold in the room as there is no heating but we had the fire roaring away which just gave it extra ambience!
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We originally wanted an outdoor wedding but in reality there are very few places with the right licence (as yet). We actually had three venues booked at one point but they all fell through for different reasons. So, on a last minute tour of the Dales to find an alternative we came across the Castle and loved it.
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We wanted to keep everything informal and fun so did just that. I didn’t want to turn into Bridezilla! The bridesmaids were in shocking pink and the best men and ushers sage green which actually went together really well. We had bunting up in the Castle with these colours and a pale yellow and blue too.
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I got my dress from the Northallerton Bridal Factory Outlet store and everyone said it was amazing! It was satin with lace over the top and covered in sequins to add some sparkle. The bridesmaid dresses were from there too and they looked stunning in them.
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The guys all wore their own suits so were a few different colours but we got them matching waistcoats and ties from an online store (Formal Tailor). The best men had cravats and the ushers ties.
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We hired Fidget (the Castle’s barn owl) to deliver our rings down the aisle for us. It was only a small amount extra to arrange and everyone loved it!
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I had my flowers made up by Fleurish in Richmond and they were fantastic although I’ve no idea what the flowers actually were!
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We hired a Triumph TR4A for my dad and I to drive to the ceremony in and then after the ceremony, we went for a spin in it and took it onto the top of the dales for some photos. Despite the rain, we did get to drive it with the roof down and again the next day when it was glorious sunshine!
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We hired a band called Hudson who were very good. We were a bit uncertain as we hired them via Function Central and only based on their reviews online however we weren’t disappointed.
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We didn’t have a cake – too busy doing everything else! The food was so filling I don’t think anyone even noticed. We gave the guests Wensleydale cheese truckles and everyone loved them. We stacked them up in lieu of a cake and guests just helped themselves on their way out.
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The whole day was perfect, even the things which didn’t turn out as you planned. It’s such a fun day that it didn’t matter that I’d forgot to ask the seamstress to add my dress bustle and ended up having to string it up with balloon ribbon!
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After the wedding, we went to the Lake District as we’ve got a little girl and didn’t want to be too far away from her, or for too long. The weather wasn’t that great but we still managed to fit lots in such as running up Skiddaw, rowing on Derwent Water, Honistor Pass and mountain biking at Whinlatter.
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My top tip for other Brides Up North would be – don’t stress. No one knows what you’ve got planned except yourself so if something doesn’t work out as planned, it’s only really you that notices as the rest of the guests are drinking champagne and having a great time. Just relax and enjoy it – it really does go too quickly.
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Congratulations Jeanette & Nick!
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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2013
Bolton Castle is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier, but this is not a sponsored post
Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier
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