So today’s wedding is pretty special as the bride is my lovely cousin Hannah. Tying the knot to Vince in April, Hannah is the first out of the grandchildren on my mum’s side of the family to get hitched. And my goodness has she set the bar (worryingly) high for those of us that will (hopefully) follow in her wedded footsteps!
Sensibly Hannah and Vin decided on three key areas to invest the majority of their budget in, picking the things that mattered to them most; venue, catering and honeymoon. This paid off fantastically well as the setting for their big day totally blew guests away (really, this place is stunning).
The pretty spring yellow colour scheme, Hannah’s dreamy Pronovias gown, incredible food and wonderful entertainment completed their classic and elegant big day without the need for anything remotely gimmicky. It was also clear to see how much these two university
sweethearts
mean to each other with a fair few tears shed by both the bride and groom during the ceremony and speeches.A massive thank you to Hannah and Vin for creating such a memorable big day which has left me literally quaking in my boots at the thought of organising a wedding myself that will match such a standard!
With images by Ben Pollard.
hannah says:
We got engaged on the 11th August 2013 at the Millennium Gardens on the Nottingham University campus. We’d been for a lovely walk around the campus as we’d both attended the university only a few years prior. Vin got down on bended knee and asked me to be his wife. I was so happy I just cried and said yes! We went for a champagne picnic in nearby Wollaton Park to celebrate!
Our wedding took place on 25th April 2015. We wanted a spring wedding so that all the lovely spring flowers would be out and the lambs would have just been born.
We got married at St Edmunds Church, Holme Pierrepont, followed by a reception at Holme Pierrepont Hall, near Nottingham. We chose our venue after having seen a few but knew instantly that we wanted to get married here. It’s a private estate and we were struck by the privacy, peace and quiet. The estate is surrounded by farmland, not to mention beautifully manicured gardens and grounds. It is simply stunning!
We had a yellow colour scheme, which we chose it as it’s a great spring colour. It was also a nod to my mum and dad who had yellow for their wedding day.
My wedding dress was by Pronovias Benicarlo – it’s colloquially known as ‘Swan Lake’ due to the feather detail around the sweetheart neckline coupled with the wave like layered organza skirt. It’s finished off with a vintage crystal belt above the dropped waist. I didn’t have to try any others on as it’s flirty, romantic and classic all at the same time. It’s the most stunning dress I’ve ever seen!
The groomsmen all wore the three piece Lingfield morning suit in mid-grey from Moss Bros with lemon cravats. We got bright yellow socks for the groomsmen too!
Our bridesmaids wore a beautiful dress called Maya from Coast, again in lemon. It was floor length with one strap made up of flower corsages.
To transport us on the day we hired two stretched limousines for the bridal party from Premier Limousines, they were decorated with ivory bows and ribbons.
Ben Pollard was our photographer. He shoots in a documentary style, meaning that every element of the wedding gets captured and tells a story of the day.
I carried a hand tied bouquet of yellow Dutch tulips and the bridesmaids had the same in ivory. The groomsmen had a single yellow tulip buttonhole all provided by The Flower Room in Nottingham. They were perfect!
We also had two pedestal arrangements in yellow and white in the church which we then displayed either side of the top table during the wedding breakfast, again provided by The Flower Room, Nottingham.
As favours we gave a ‘wedding day’ Yankee candle wrapped in ivory voile to all adult guests and a selection of sweets presented in the same way for the younger guests.
We bought our wedding cake from Marks & Spencer; three tiers of sponge and one tier of fruit cake. We assembled it ourselves separating the tiers with ivory foam roses. It looked fantastic and tasted just as good!
Fiona Herbert Catering provided our food on the day. Starter was a fish cake and caperberry mayonnaise, followed by a choice of chicken or lamb with seasonal vegetables and then raspberry crème brûlée for dessert. This was accompanied by a choice of either Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon.
To entertain our guests we had acoustic guitarist Joel Evans during the day who then did an amazing DJ set during the evening. Joel was fabulous, he got so many compliments, and we wouldn’t hesitate having Joel at our next event. We were lucky enough to find Joel on the internet and the testimonials on his website speak for themselves. We then saw Joel play at a local restaurant and knew we’d made the right decision!
Little extras we added included a sweetie bar for the kids (and big kids) which was a big hit. We also had a slideshow of photographs of us both from when we were little to current day, which was great for when guests wanted a break from all the dancing! Also on the wedding breakfast tables we had photo props which were Mexican themed as we wanted to incorporate our honeymoon destination into our day.
The Brackenbury family, the owners of Holme Pierrepont Hall, have got the most amazing home and we were so lucky to have if for the day. The family are lovely, very accommodating and I would highly recommend hiring their amazing home and grounds.
We just totally fell in love with the privacy. A lot of venues are open to the public and we just wanted to share our special day with those who we love most in an intimate hideaway, which is exactly what we got. The grounds are immaculate with a courtyard and extensive gardens. The flowers are amazing, the whole place is alive with colour and lambs grazing in surrounding fields. It was just idyllic and a great place for the children to run around playing hide and seek!
It’s so hard to choose just one favourite part of the day! I think seeing each other in church was just amazing. Vin turned around and that moment was very emotional, it just felt like we were the only ones in the room. We also got a short time with each other in the garden listening to the guitar before dinner. That was a very precious moment to take in everything and be with each other privately. It’s very important to do that as you don’t get much time to yourselves!
For our honeymoon we went to El Dorado Casita Suites, Riviera Maya, Mexico. It’s the most beautiful resort we’ve ever visited, incredibly relaxing but with the advantage of having one of the modern wonders of the world and liveliness of Cancun on your doorstep. It was simply the best two weeks ever!
My top tip to other Brides Up North would be – prioritise where you want to spend your money, we chose venue, caterers and honeymoon. You can go mad with loads of little things which can easily spiral, costing a lot of money.
We’d just like to say a special thanks to all involved at St. Edmunds church, the Brackenbury family, Fiona Herbert catering, Joel Evans, Ben Pollard, The Flower Room. And of course our wonderful friends and family for giving us the most happy, memorable day of our lives, we love you!
