Is there anything cooler and more original than tying the knot in a stylish brewery?
Choosing springtime earlier this year for their big day, Hannah and Jamie instantly fell for Wylam Brewery in Newcastle, booking it straight away after their first show around. With its location in a sprawling park right next to a lake – it’s the perfect city centre hideaway.
Letting this gorgeous venue do all the talking, the couple went for a rustic and effortless vibe with a dash of lavender for their colour palette. Paired with styling touches such as candles, jars, wildflowers and gin bottles – everything was pared back yet sublimely beautiful.
In keeping with the setting, tipples of other sorts snuck into their big day in other ways too, with the couple crafting their very own gin as favours and their gorgeous cake featuring a peach Bellini flavoured tier! Thirsty for more details? We think it’s time to hand the blog over to bride Hannah. Cheers everyone!
With images by Fiona Saxton Photography
Proposal
Hannah says
: We got engaged on Christmas Day 2017. Jamie was waiting for me in the sitting room with our little girl Izzy, who was nine months old. He was on one knee with Izzy and simply said, Izzy would like to know if you’d marry me? Perfect!Setting
We got married on 13th April 2019. I love spring – it’s my favourite time of the year. Jamie’s birthday is on 11th April and Izzy’s the 15th so we thought it might help us to remember our anniversary!
We tied the knot at Wylam Brewery in Exhibition Park, Newcastle. My sister and her partner told us about Wylam after they had been to an event there. They said – even before we were engaged – if you and Jamie every get married you would love Wylam. So, after the proposal we popped in for a drink – the next day we arranged an official look around and booked it that day!
It was rustic, relaxed, bright and gorgeous! They also make their own beer there – I mean come on, why would you not get married there?! We love gin, beer and drinking, so surely a brewery is the perfect venue?
We also loved the park with the lake and the fairy lights which light up the venue at night. Plus, few of our guests had been there before, as it is still pretty new. It isn’t your ‘typical’ wedding venue.
Theme
We are both pretty chilled, so didn’t want anything fussy. We just wanted the wedding to be rustic and effortless.
Our centrepieces consisted of gin bottles and wildflowers, a little homage to my mam with the baby’s breath as she had this on her wedding day.
There was no other theme as we wanted the venue to speak for itself.
We didn’t really have a colour scheme either. I love lavender, so asked for hints of that and purple. But mainly we let Amy from Muscari Events go with what she felt emphasised the venue best, as she knew Wylam really well. It had a relaxed and rustic feel, so was quite mismatched with lots of candles, lights and gin.
Dress
I wanted something with lace and that was off the shoulders, and I fell in love with a Maggie Sottero dress at YAP Bridal in Newcastle.
I initially thought I wanted something quite loose and boho. When I tried this on in the shop, I knew this was the one. It made me feel amazing. The detail in the lace was just stunning and like no other dress I had seen before. It felt almost vintage, too!
Groomsmen
Jamie wore a blue Marc Darcy suit from Master Debonair paired with a tie from French Connection and brown Hammond & Co brogues. I love Jamie in blue!
Jamie’s two best men, Ian and Chris, wore the exact same suit as him, with a slightly different coloured tie from French Connection.
Bridesmaids
Izzy wore a cream dress with lace top and leopard print Converse and my sister Rosie wore a lilac grey dress, both from Monsoon.
Beauty
My friend Molly did our hair and Georgia from Meia did our makeup. I found Georgia by chance on Facebook. I liked that she just did what she thought would make me look good, and I didn’t have to worry or think about it. She was so lovely too! I wanted to keep my hair natural and Molly knows exactly how I like it.
Photography
Fiona Saxton Photography captured our day. I found Fiona on Instagram and stalked her for a while. I loved her use of light and was drawn to the fact she loves family shoots. We were keen to have some gorgeous shots of Izzy, so wanted someone who had photographed children and families before.
Fiona and I spoke on the phone and she offered us an engagement and family shoot prior to the wedding, as this is her opportunity to meet couples, get a sense of their style and find out what they like.
She made us feel so relaxed – we were a little nervous, as we aren’t very confident, so it was nice to feel at ease. We laughed and messed on and she got some amazing shots!
Fiona is incredible and I would 100 per cent recommend her and have done – she is just about to do my friend’s wedding this month! Her photos captured our day perfectly and I could not be happier.
Styling
I carried a wildflower bouquet by Amy from Muscari Events. I let her do her thing; all I asked for was wild and purple. They were amazing!
Izzy had a flower crown of baby’s breath, not that she kept this on very long. She left it until the bottom of the aisle at least, which was more than I thought we’d get from her.
For the venue, I left the flowers in Amy’s capable hands. I had seen what she’d done on Instagram and her style was exactly mine too so I knew she would not disappoint.
We hired various bits from Amy and my best friends, and I decorated jars and gin bottles – this was a good excuse for some drunken nights in!
I put some old school board games and sweets in the reception area for the kids. This kept them entertained whilst the adults drank gin and beer. They played Buckaroo and Operation, and it was a good meeting point too. It was great for bringing people together who hadn’t met before.
Favours
Sticking with the gin theme – we made our own sloe and rhubarb and ginger gin favours, then bottled it up and shot the night away! Meanwhile, children got a mini classic game, colouring book and crayons.
Cake
We had a four-tiered semi naked cake supplied by Cakes by Lottie McPhees featuring peach Bellini, carrot (our favourite), salted caramel, and white chocolate and raspberry tiers.
Dining
Wylam Brewery gives each guest two options for each course. We wanted people to be well fed! Options included smoked salmon, house pickles and sourdough or meat terrine to start. This was followed by roast pork, black pudding and Bramley apple; cod loin and brown shrimp; or lamb with butter beans and mint for mains. Then either sticky toffee pudding or lemon roulade for pudding.
For the evening food we had street food style vendors with tacos, nachos or Thai bao. It was amazing.
Entertainment
For the reception, we had a singer that is a friend of Jamie’s called Paige Temperley. She did an acoustic set whilst we waited for our meal. This was chilled and set a really good vibe for the drinks whilst Fiona took Jamie and I off for some photos.
The Folklore were our evening band. We wanted a full band and not a DJ. They did a two-hour set and had people dancing all night.
Special touches
There were no other special touches that I can think of, as we opted for a venue that spoke for itself. Just good food, good drink and amazing people. We wanted our guests to feel relaxed and have a good time, so wanted minimal fuss.
Jamie and I made our own table plan, he made signs and the children all had something to do. I also wanted my mam to walk me down the aisle and to include Izzy where we could. She was at the centre of our top table!
Thanks to
Everything about our venue was amazing. The wedding planner Collette was on the ball, answering all our questions. The taster evening for the food was incredible and the team totally made us feel welcome. We felt wanted and listened to right from the off.
Wylam Brewery relies on its reputation and you can totally tell. Nothing is too much trouble and they were always one step ahead. And the place is just stunning. Pictures in the park by the lake, the hall, the reception room – everything was just beautiful!
Best bit
I want to do it all again. For me, the best bit was the large doors opening and seeing Jamie for the first time. I was stood with my mam, sister and my daughter beside me, which was truly special. I can’t describe it! Seeing everyone there, for us, in that beautiful hall was just breath-taking.
For Jamie, he can’t choose, he loved it all. It was relaxed, and full of people enjoying themselves which is all he wanted.
The whole thing was a great celebration and we feel it reflected us well as a couple, so we couldn’t have asked for anything more.
Honeymoon
We went to Rome for our honeymoon. We had never been to Italy before and aren’t massive holiday people, so wanted to see something different. We ate pizza and drank lots of Aperol Spritz while enjoying an amazing city together.
Getting married wasn’t really about the honeymoon for us. The break was amazing, as was Rome, but we missed Izzy!
Advice
My top tip for other Brides Up North would be – don’t stress! Go with what you like, and not what you think other people will like. People at your wedding love you and are there for you, not for fancy table decorations.
During the planning, I used Brides Up North for venue decoration inspiration and to spy at other brides’ dresses!
