Yes I know. Last time I checked, Sandhurst Military Academy wasn’t in the North either. However, I still wanted to share this classy and beautiful Real Wedding with you this frosty Monday morning, because (as well as a wedding at this usually private establishment being really rather cool) Northern bride Hannah – despite getting married out of the area – still sourced most of her fabulous wedding day suppliers Up North. And isn’t showing what we can do what Brides Up North is all about?
With images by friend of the wedding blog Lissa Alexandra Photography, Hannah and Joel’s big day is a study in elegance. Be inspired.
Hannah says: We got engaged on 1st March 2012 whilst on holiday in South Africa (Joel had just returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan). Joel proposed on a secluded beach when visiting the Cape of Good Hope.
We were married on 2nd March 2013 at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. We met just before Joel went off to Sandhurst, and we formed many good memories and friendships whilst he was there. As a result, wanted to share this otherwise inaccessible venue with friends and family.
My favourite colour is blue and our colour scheme it all took its lead from my engagement ring, which is a sapphire. As luck would have it, Joel’s uniform is also blue! The bridesmaids were in blue and our best-man and usher’s suits were blue, with a pale blue shirt and a mustard colour tie.
Our flowers were a fresh palette of greens and creams/whites using unusual flowers. Family wore mint green carnations.
I chose a lacy dress (‘Femea’) with a vintage feel from the French designer Cymbeline. I got this from a little boutique in Harrogate called The Bridal Collection.
Our bridesmaids all wore blue fitted dresses from Coast, with a pearl brooch added and nude court shoes. The men wore slim fit navy suits from a small tailor in Lymington, accompanied with brown shoes. This was teamed with a pale blue shirt, with their initials embroidered onto the cuff (which we gave them as a thank you present) and a mustard yellow tie.
The Guard of Honour all wore their number 1 dress / ‘Blues’ (smart uniform).
I carried a compact style hand tied bouquet in creams & greens using unusual flowers like brassicas, hypericum berries, viburnum and paperwhites.
A family friend who owns a chauffeuring company provided a Jaguar and a Bentley for me, my dad and the girls. It happened to be a Jaguar used as part of the recent royal wedding for Wills and Kate!
A good friend of ours Antony Raine, who was also one of the Guard of Honour (and now available on iTunes), sang “Fields of Gold” during the signing of the register.
Eight serving members of the military in uniform provided an escort and sword arch on exit from the chapel – our Guard of Honour.
Decorations were kept simple with candelabras decorated with ivy, small jam jars and raffia tied around on each table, along with kilner jars scattered around with candles in to set the mood.
We also added a touch of Yorkshire…as this was currently where we were living at the time, so the cheese cake, pork pies and band all came from Harrogate!
We put together a playlist of our favourite songs to be played over the wedding breakfast.
We didn’t have a cake as such, but opted for a tiered cake of different cheeses, with Yorkshire chutneys from our local cheese shop, The Cheese Board, in Harrogate.
We chose twig hearts for the favours – I’m obsessed with these! And, kilners of sweets – for the kids that came.
The bridesmaid thank you presents were unique handmade necklaces made by my cousin Amelia Stone Jewellery and we got champagne bottles from the day squashed (so they can hang on wall) for the parents as a memory of the day.
Our local butchers, Kendall Meats, supplied the evening food which consisted of a variety of pies (personalised with our initials!) and we also brought down a cask of Yorkshire ale – Black Sheep for the beer lovers!
My favourite part of the day was our entrance as a married couple to the wedding breakfast. It was rather overwhelming and something special to see all our friends and family smiling and cheering.
A local band from Harrogate – Kassius – provided the evening entertainment and also played/sang our first dance! One of our bridesmaids put together a playlist for between sets.
We spent our honeymoon fund on three amazing weeks travelling around Sri Lanka!
My top tip for other Brides Up North would be to keep reminding yourselves of why you are expending so much time and energy – it is so easy to get carried away and bogged down with the stress of planning a wedding. Enjoy it.
Congratulations Hannah & Joel!
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