We have the most beautiful late summer wedding to inspire you today, gentle readers, as we head over to the gorgeous Beamish Hall Estate for the quintessentially English garden event of the season – with more than a hint of Bridgerton vibes, in case you couldn’t tell!
Our beautiful bride Rachel simply glows on her special day, in a stun-ning fairytale of an off-the-shoulder gown with an elegant A-line silhouette, paired perfectly with classic black tie lewks for the groomsmen. This day was utterly packed with personal touches; from the homemade cake to the thrifted MOH gown, and the endless stream of hot, fresh coffee from the cutest Defender coffee van around! Perfect for the wedding of a pair of coffee lovers who began their love story in a coffee shop. Talk about a meet-cute!
The timeless charm of Beamish Hall offers couples a choice of rooms and spaces to enjoy, but a summer wedding like Rachel and Richard’s truly gets the best of inside and outside. Add to this the abundance of big, blousy blooms in a chaos of pretty pastel tones and we know you’re all going to love this one for inspo as much as we do!
With photography by Rosie Davison Photography
Proposal
We got engaged in spring 2023, in the most romantic city in the world – Paris! It was the first full day of our holiday; the sun was shining, the blossom trees were blooming and we spent the day interspacing lattes with cocktails, eating croissants by the river, and strolling hand in hand along the cobbled Parisian streets, taking in all the beauty around us. When we got back to our hotel, I remember saying ‘today has been so perfect, I don’t think anything could make it better’, to which Richard replied ‘I’m going to try’ and pulled out the most beautiful ring. Of course I said the easiest yes of my life. I’m so happy to have had that intimate moment, just the two of us together to make it more special.
One of my favourite memories is the moment after we got engaged. We cuddled up in bed and Richard told me the stories of how he had carried the ring around all day but couldn’t find the ‘perfect’ moment that was both beautiful and intimate enough, how he had asked my parents for their blessing prior to coming away, and how he had had the ring custom made and hidden in the house. It was the perfect day.
Setting
We got married at Beamish Hall Country House in Durham on the 2nd of September 2024.
We’re definitely spoiled for choice of wedding venues in the North East and we must have visited over a dozen venues, all of which were amazing, however we absolutely fell for the luxurious feel, beautiful 24 acres and exclusive use of Beamish Hall.
We had our ceremony in the Monboucher Suite as the first time we saw the space, we were immediately blown away by the stunning high feature ceilings, all the natural light and gorgeous feature fireplaces. We also loved that there was so much space for all of our family to stay on site, which was an important feature to us.
The exclusivity of the venue meant we could utilise all the gorgeous rooms for different parts of the day – the bar with outside area was ideal for our reception and the absolutely stunning winter gardens were perfect for our meal and evening celebrations.
We also loved that the venue is local to us, a mere ten minutes in the car, meaning we can go for a night away or a meal out whenever we want to relive our special day!
My best friend and I stayed at the venue the night before, which was the perfect girly sleepover, whilst Richi stayed at home and travelled over in the morning with his best man. This quality time with my best friend felt really special to me as we had such a fun evening together and it really added to the celebration! This also meant myself and my MOH were able to get ready in the bridal suite together and have breakfast with my parents in the morning, which was lovely.
Theme
We really wanted our wedding to feel elegant and timeless and to reflect the beautiful design of Beamish Hall. We went for an ‘Enchanted Garden’ design with our flowers, to add a romantic and intimate feel. We chose a soft colour scheme using lots of pastels, but also with a sprinkling of peach tones, blues and green to make it pop!
Dress
I got my dress from Wed2B in Gateshead. The staff were so friendly and attentive, and seemed to really care about helping me find a dress I loved without ever rushing or pressuring me.
I wore Aaliyah Quinn’s Brazilia; an off the shoulder A-line with glitter and beading. I absolutely adored the detailing on this dress and it made me feel like a princess all day!
The staff at Groom & Co then used their expertise to alter my dress which made it fit perfectly, making me feel both comfortable and confident. Because of the beading design of my dress, my seamstress worked tirelessly and actually did all my alterations by hand!
Groomsmen
Richard bought his suit from Woven in Durham, who were superb and made all the groom party’s suits to order. Richard went for a classic and timeless black tie to reflect our theme.
Bridesmaids
I only had one Maid of Honour, my best friend, and we chose a full length satin dress in champagne gold which matched our style and venue perfectly, as it was both beautiful and timeless!
Beauty
My best friend, my mum and I all got our makeup done by the incredibly talented MakeUp By Jessica and the amazing Madison Quinn did all of our hair. I already followed them both on instagram so I knew they would be perfect, and I got so many compliments and felt fantastic all day. Maddison did a beautiful Hollywood wave in my hair and a gorgeous up-do for my MOH.
My makeup artist, Jessica, really went above and beyond, honouring my wedding morning only a few days after giving birth to her little girl! She completely nailed what I wanted, a full coverage bronzed look. I absolutely adored my makeup and it lasted all day!
A really special moment to me was seeing my mum’s reaction to having her makeup done as she had never had it done professionally before and she loved it. Her face was priceless and I loved seeing that she felt amazing.
Photographer
Our photographer was Rosie Davison. Once again, we were spoiled with fantastic photographers in the North East but I instantly fell in love with Rosie and her style. We wanted a classic, timeless and chic aesthetic, something quite editorial but with a little softness to it. I had the vision of elegant and romantic, as well as being able to capture the relaxed, and candid moments. Rosie cultivated that exact aesthetic for the wedding – warm, comfortable, soft and effortless.
Rosie’s package came with a second shooter, Rachel Fraser, who was also brilliant. Both Rosie and Rachel did an incredible job capturing the candid shots as well as highlighting the intimate moments on camera. They navigated the space perfectly, going completely unnoticed, particularly in the ceremony. I actually couldn’t believe she managed to get so many good shots as I didn’t notice either of them at all!
I would absolutely recommend Rosie to anyone. She was so much more than a photographer. So many guests commented on how fantastic she was, some even mistaking her as the wedding coordinator! She was organised and proactive whilst also having a gentle and caring attitude that instantly put everyone around her at ease, particularly my husband who hates getting his photo taken!
She definitely went above and beyond and she wasn’t afraid to get involved, even helping me get into my dress and position my boobs correctly at times! Within minutes she became a part of the wedding party, as well as a talented and professional photographer. I couldn’t have wished for better!
Styling
Julie who runs the Enchanted Florist was incredible. She helped create a beautiful ‘Enchanted Garden Design’ to add romance, and ambiance to the venue. These were rich in soft shades of pastels, to create a beautiful walkway for our ceremony. These were then repurposed to the wedding breakfast guest tables. They were beautiful and made the venue smell incredible all day!
My bouquet was a mix of seasonal late summer blooms such as garden roses, delphiniums, cosmos, sweet peas and dahlias, which incorporated white and greens with pastel apricots, peach, pale pinks and powder blue. I loved the wildflower, garden style of my bouquet! My Maid of Honour’s bouquet was made to match mine, along with corsages for mother of the bride, and the groom, as well as the buttonholes for the groom and best man.
Beamish have an onsite company called Beamish Extras, who we hired additional extras for the day, including beautiful blossom trees for the end of the aisle in the ceremony, lights as a backdrop during the meal as well as a gorgeous neon sign for photo opportunities!
Favours
One of our favourite things we did was the incredible van from Northumberland Coffee. We really love our coffee and actually met in a coffee shop so this felt like a perfect addition to our wedding. This meant our guests could enjoy high quality coffee before the ceremony and during our reception. We opted to pre-pay so there was no need for any guests to pay, which felt like a really nice touch and a nice gift for our friends and family.
We also had personalised love hearts for each guest with our names and date on them, and they went down a treat!
Cake
We were so lucky that my mum made our wedding cake. She is an amazing baker and loves to bake in her free time. She did three layers; a classic Victoria sponge, a salted caramel and a red velvet. We got so many compliments on the cake and she put so much work into making it perfect. The fact it was homemade really made it extra special.
Dining
Beamish Hall did a fantastic job with the catering. We had three options for guests, including a beef main, a chicken main and a vegetarian option as well as three different starters and desserts for guests to choose.
We had been lucky enough to go for a meal tasting in the months leading up to the wedding, so we already knew how delicious it was going to be, and we got so many comments on people loving the food!
Entertainment
Our evening entertainment was provided by Beamish’s in-house DJ. He was happy to incorporate pop hits such as Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter for my girlies, as well as the classics that get everyone on the dance floor.
Special touches
We had the amazing Amici Musicali, a cello, flute and violin trio, play for us during our ceremony and reception. This was a really special touch for us.
Having them perform She’s Always A Woman – which in my opinion is the ultimate love song – as I walked down the aisle, is a moment I will always remember. I knew I wanted live classical music at my wedding, ever since I was little, and they absolutely did not disappoint. Guests also complimented the classy, Bridgerton vibes this special touch added to the day. It was such a beautiful part of our wedding.
I also surprised my husband by asking them to do a rendition of the Star Wars theme song at cocktail hour which he was very impressed by!
Our wedding bands were custom made by Rings by Design, who offer beautiful, bespoke wedding rings for any style. They also do workshops where you and your partner can craft your own wedding rings!
Honeymoon
We went on our honeymoon to the Italian Alps and spent 10 days exploring Northern Italy. We arrived in Verona (a place usually known for tragic love but we think we have better luck!) and ended our holiday driving through Lake Garda to Venice.
We spent the majority of our holiday in a stunning, five star spa hotel in the mountains. It was the perfect, indulgent, restful and romantic holiday we could have wanted for our honeymoon! Dinner every night was a five course meal, all locally sourced, and served at our private, candle lit table and our days were spent in the spa, in the pool or exploring the idyllic neighbourhoods and soaking in the sun. Perfection!
Best Bit
Everything on the day came together perfectly and I was on Cloud 9 all day long! I have so many memorable moments of the day. However, if I absolutely had to pick my favourite parts of the day, two come to mind. Firstly, my ‘first look’ with my dad and my brothers was so special. It was a really sweet, emotional and memorable moment to honour our relationship!
Secondly, the moment immediately after the ceremony, when Richard and I went into a quiet room, just us two, before the confetti toss and had 5-10 minutes to ourselves as newly married husband and wife! It was such a perfect moment of happiness, excitement, joy and giddy love I will always remember.
Top tip
My top tip for the girlies (and guys!) would be to not get overwhelmed by the societal pressure to lose weight for your wedding. It’s incredibly hard when a lot of wedding content is of perfectly sized girls, and that convinced me I wouldn’t find a dress that made me feel butterflies, but I was absolutely wrong.
I looked to Loved Up North for refreshingly real and honest content! Particularly the Real Weddings content, which was uplifting as well as helpful!
To all the brides who worry about their bodies in the lead up to the big day, this day is another day for you to celebrate the incredible body you were born in, exactly how it is. You don’t need to transform anything or become anyone except exactly who you are, in your own skin. On the day, the last thing I was worried about was how big my arms were or my double chin!
In terms of practical tips, we saved money in places meaning we were able to splurge in others. For example, having one Maid of Honour saved money in multiple places, including accommodation and hair and makeup. My MOH went above and beyond, even finding her dress on Vinted, unused and her size for only £20! We love a good bargain!
We also used e-bites and created a wedding website to send all our invites to guests, letting them choose their wedding meal, saving money on postage and stationary prices. And, of course, my mum made my wedding cake and I got my lovely dress from an outlet store, which meant we were able to splurge on the things we really wanted, such as the venue, photographer and band.