This is one amazing wedding we all wish we were invited to. We are talking the kind of do that includes a surprise choreographed first dance, a slideshow featuring happy memories of every guest with the couple over the years, a magician, a flare cocktail bartender and kisses in the rain. A totally fun fuelled day was what this couple had in mind and what they got, at their ‘Old English Country Wedding’ with the gents encouraged to embrace their inner country gent and ladies to look their most fabulous!
The Couple
Katie and Dan met whilst Katie worked onboard a cruise ship. Dan got a freebie cruise as he was coming on as a football coach for just the one trip. They got chatting in the Crew Bar and swapped numbers. Once the cruise was over they kept in touch despite the fact that Katie was reluctant for them to get together as Dan lived in Southampton and she lived in Northumberland when she wasn’t working away at sea for months at a time. We love that whenever she was docked in Southampton for a day, Dan used to drive down to see her from his University in London and they would have a few hours together. To keep her sweet he was the perfect gent and carried all her shopping bags!
The Proposal
Dan proposed on his birthday. He drove Katie to a special place in Devon named Bowerman’s Nose, which used to be a regular walking spot for him and his late Dad, Jim. He drove there on the pretence that Dan wanted to take some photos of Bowerman’s Nose to go on their wall alongside the picture of where Katie’s Dads ashes were scattered in Bamburgh, Northumberland. Once they had taken lots of photos Dan explained that there was another reason for bringing her there and in true traditional fashion pulled out the ring to propose!
The Venue
Their chosen venue was the gorgeous Newton Hall in Kate’s home county of Northumberland, where she’s lived and worked her whole life. Newton Hall was right next to where she kept her horse for a number of years, so she knew it well and immediately felt it was going to be the perfect location for the wedding they wanted. As they were walked through the venue they were blown away with the beauty of the setting and also the ‘can do attitude’ of all of the staff. The whole venue is quirky, luxurious and fun with each room having a completely different theme which perfectly compliments the hotel’s boutique feel.
The Dress
Katie had her heart set on a Maggie Sottero dress, being top of her wish list she was positive it would be one of her beautiful dresses she would walk down the aisle with. With three bridal boutique appointments booked, Katie’s Mum flew down from Northumberland to help and they set out to have the classic ‘wedding dress shopping’ experience. As soon as they walked into Anya Bridal Couture in Hampshire, they saw a dress from Victoria Jane collection at Ronald Joyce, a long way from the one she pictured herself wearing, but they were both bowled over!
The moment they laid eyes on it they commented on how perfect it was. The appointments flew by, but really the decision had been made – they went back to Anya’s and paid for it! Unfortunately it wasn’t all plain sailing from there. For some unknown reason, after a five month wait for it to be made the wrong size dress arrived. That’s when the professionalism of others really came into play; the girls at Anya worked hard to get the same dress sent over a size bigger, and Ronald Joyce paid for the alterations. Anya also offered a discount on a beautiful veil. All this just goes to show that when things go awry having first rate professional people work on your behalf can really help to make sure everything turns out beautifully in the end!
The pics below show the handsome groom could not wait to see his bride to be! He wasn’t too far behind in the style stakes either as his suit was created by Regent Tailoring, and perfectly matched the look they were going for. Something relaxed, smart and non-traditional to fit in with the English country wedding theme.
The Details
Kate was after something a little bit different when it came to her hair. She turned to Hair & Sun in Alnwick, who were fantastic when it came to creating something that was classic but with a unique twist that provided some real eye-catching wow factor. Especially when combined with the stunning make-up done by The Powder Room, also in Alnwick. David West saw to it that Kate and Dan got the relaxed style of creative photography they wanted, whilst videography was perfectly captured by Top Table Films.
After the meal Kate and Dan had some hilarious pictures taken, with Dan being thrown up in the air by all of the boys whilst the photographer was lying on the floor below to capture the shots! The centrepieces were accompanied by disposable cameras, with a poster on each table to guide guests to capture some nice moments. Some of the other nice touches had even more of a personal touch. Dan came up with the idea to having a photographic seating plan that guests contributed to, turning it into a guest book which now takes pride of place on the couple’s living room wall instead of being in a book gathering dust. Kate meanwhile added a creative personal touch in the handmade hessian & lace runners which took hours to create and fit in perfectly with their wedding theme.
Like many couples, Kate and Dan really went to town when it came to their first dance, by having it choreographed at Pulse Dance studio in Gosport, Hampshire which proved great fun! On the day they also had top notch entertainment for all their guest from Martin Cox who showed his undeniable talent as a magician. His close up magic tricks in particular are mind blowing, and really went down a storm!
The Memorable Moment
One of Kate’s fondest memories was being stood behind the door, waiting to walk down the aisle. The staff were all talking on their headpieces to make sure everyone was in their seat as the music began to play; Friday I’m in Love by Janet Devlin, seeing as they married on a Friday. Every time she peeked through the small window, she could see the guests craning their necks to catch a glimpse of her and it only added to the anticipation and excitement. Finally walking down the aisle, watching and waiting for Dan to turn around was so romantic and exciting! Dan’s favourite moment was their trip down to the nearby beach to have pictures taken, just as a couple. It was very cold and windy but they wanted to make the most of the day and the beautiful countryside so nothing was going to dampen the high spirits they were in.
Dan and Katie partied hard on their big day and are proud to say they were among the four the last people to go to bed at 4am so they really savoured every minute! Congratulations to this lovely couple who really inspired us on how to keep fun at the heart of a wedding!
Suppliers: Photography: David West Photography | Videography: Top Table Films | Venue: Newton Hall | Dress: Ronald Joyce Victoria Jane Collection | Suit: Regent Tailoring | Make up: The Powder Room | Hair: Hair & Sun| Dance choreography: Pulse Dance & Fitness Academy | Magician: Martin Cox
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