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Cotswolds House Hotel Wedding

So Shani and Dan got married at St James Church and The Cotswolds House Hotel in Chipping Campden. I didn’t meet Shani or Dan in person before the wedding as they were so far away but I knew from our Skype call that it was going to be an epic wedding day, not just because Shani and Dan had organised such a wonderful day for all of their guests but because they are such lovely warm fun loving people and guess what?! I was right. It was absolutely perfect, such a relaxed and fun feel to the day, everyone was having the best time and the setting was beautiful, it felt like we were in some gardens in Italys countryside.

I also had the pleasure of working alongside a fantastic team for the day including Ben from Tynegate Films, Richard , The Gloucestershire Magician and my awesome second shooter Siobhan McGill of MgGill Sister Films.

I’m going to let Shani and Dan tell you all about it in their own words.

Thanks for having us Shani and Dan. Lots of love xxxxx

Shani and Dan’s Story

We met at high school and fell for each other whilst in the process of failing A-Level Biology. We were both so terrible at the subject that the teacher sat us together and from that moment on, we didn’t get very much work done! We then completed our A-Levels, took a gap year and travelled to Asia and went on to study Business Management together at University - we really were inseparable!. We graduated with our degrees a few years later, somehow ended up gaining three crazy dogs in that time and continued to do some more travelling, our favourite being a road trip across America. We've now been together for almost ten years and live in the quiet Cotswold town of Chipping Campden, where we got married.

Getting Engaged

Dan took me to Paris for my 21st Birthday and proposed on the Champ De Mars, it was magic! When we returned our family threw us an amazing surprise engagement party. We were quite young when we first got engaged and we decided that we would get married a 'couple' of years later. This somehow turned into a 5 year engagement! So the wedding day was very special for us as we had been planning for it for a long time.

Shani’s favourite thing about Dan is how kind and selfless he is, always helping other people and looking after her in particular! Shani also love how passionate he is about his hobbies.

Dan’s favourite thing about Shani is her smile and how driven she is in everything she does. Nothing phases her and she's such a strong woman.

St James Church and The Cotswold House Hotel in Chipping Campden.

We got married at St James Church in Chipping Campden, which is close to our hearts from our childhood. We had our reception at The Cotswold House Hotel in Chipping Campden. The most important thing for us was for our guests to have a great day. We were so lucky with the beautiful weather that we were able to have our wedding reception outside in the gardens. There were moments throughout the day when we both stood together and looked around at everyone, it was such a lovely feeling watching people enjoying themselves, with the the kids running around the garden, the magician shocking everyone with his entertainment, people tucking into their food and lots of free flowing drinks! Overall there was a really lovely feel to the day and we are so happy with how it all turned out.

The Wedding Dress.

I wore an English Rose Bridal dress from The Bridal Room Broadway. The ladies in the shop were so amazing helping to choose my dream dress and the whole experience was so wonderful, they really made me feel special.

https://www.thebridalroombroadway.co.uk/

A Shout Out to Our Wedding Suppliers.

My mum did my hair for the wedding day, I knew I didn't want anyone else to do it! She's the most wonderful hairdresser and it was so special for me that she was the one helping me to get ready in the morning. She did an amazing job, even though she was so nervous!

Christine Cara was my makeup artist, she was so much fun to be with throughout all of the trials leading up to the wedding day. I chose Christine because of how amazing other people had told me her work was, she didn't disappoint at all! She made me feel confident and helped me to create the look I wanted, even when I couldn't articulate it very well myself!

http://www.christinecaramakeup.com/

Our flowers were by Charlotte Gabb, we chose Charlotte because of her wealth of experience and knowledge of the church. Charlotte was brilliant and we were so happy with the beautiful arrangements.

We had The Gloucestershire Magician, Richard Parsons for our wedding reception entertainment. He was absolutely amazing! Our guests are still talking about how they can't believe the tricks he did. We are still talking about it too! Richard helped us to create that fun, relaxed feeling that we wanted to achieve on the day.

http://www.gloucestershiremagician.co.uk/

Sally Potter made our wedding cake. Sally has been making my birthday cakes since I was 4 years old, so it was really special for me that she did our wedding cake.

Our wedding stationary was made by Cherry Press. We chose Cherry Press because they are a local business who create traditional letterpress stationary the good old fashioned way!

http://www.cherrypress.co.uk/

Ben Tynegate was our videographer. We chose Ben because my sister showed us some of his work and we fell completely in love with it. We knew that his cinematic films were what we wanted to capture our day. We now can't stop watching them and will treasure our beautiful films forever.

https://tynegate-films.com/

We chose Katie Dervin as our wedding photographer as she was recommended by a friend. From the moment we saw Katie's photos we knew we didn't want anyone else to capture the wedding. The lighting and the way they are edited are so beautiful and we wish we could frame all of them and have them all displayed in our house!! Katie was so lovely on the day too, helping us to feel so relaxed and at ease in front of the camera.

We tried to keep the wedding and the decor low key and not too over the top but still with a classic, pretty feel to it. We had lots of fairy lights and candles everywhere to create a nice warm glow, but the venue spoke for itself so we didn't have to bring in too many other decorations.

We put a lot of effort into personalised touches throughout the day, for instance, we made all of the centre pieces ourselves, our wedding guest book and our polaroid timeline and it was so rewarding to see how it all came together beautifully on the day.

We wanted to have a really relaxed day so we chose to have a BBQ instead of a traditional three-course meal, which worked really well. For music throughout the day we made a playlist of our favourite songs growing up together and then we had a DJ in the evening for everyone to dance the night away to!

Shani and Dan’s Stag and Hen Do:

Dan went to Amsterdam for his stag do, he was amazed that he survived the weekend! It consisted of beer, beer tours and more beer. He loved it there and hopes to one day go back to enjoy the city a bit more sober!

I was truly spoiled as a hen, having three wonderful hen do's! The first was a bottomless brunch with all of my lovely girls. The second was a trip to the beautiful Greek island of Mykonos with my bridesmaids. The third was organised by my lovely mum, who got all of the ladies in my family together for a weekend in London and a party boat on the river Thames.

There isn't anything we would do differently really.

The only minor thing is I wish I had kept my veil on for longer! I took it off as it was getting caught on the floor but wish I had kept it on all day!

What would your advice be to couples planning their wedding day?

Enjoy it, it really is so much fun! Don't get too bogged down in the detail and lost in small stuff that doesn't truly matter, try to be well organised in advance and that way you can enjoy it as a couple.

Brides bouquet, pink flowers and pale green leaves. (Copy)

Wedding Dress hanging in the hall way. (Copy)

Brides shoes on windowsill with 6 pence inside. (Copy)

Bridesmaid shoes and the bottom of the bridesmaid dresses. (Copy)

Bride getting ready in the hall as bridesmaid watches from the sitting room. (Copy)

Bridesmaid help to arrange wedding dress hanging from wardrobe. (Copy)

Bridesmaid has a necklace put on her. (Copy)

Bridesmaids watching bride getting ready smiling. (Copy)

Bride getting her make up put on. (Copy)

Mother of the Bride and Sister of the Bride have a moment together as they look at the bride getting ready at Cotswolds House Hotel. (Copy)

Bride comes down to see her bridesmaids in their dresses for the first time. (Copy)

The bride stands in window light as her mother helps her put on her dress. (Copy)

Long shot of Bride having her dress put on in the window light. (Copy)

Bridesmaids see Bride in her wedding dress for the first time. (Copy)

Mother of the brides hat, jacket and purse in some speckled window light. (Copy)

Father of the Bride comes to see his daughter in her wedding dress for the first time. (Copy)

Bridesmaids peeping through the window. (Copy)

Speckled sunlight coming through the trees into the doorway. (Copy)

Bridesmaids waving outside The Cotswolds House Hotel. (Copy)

Groom and Groomsmen leaving the house on the way to the church. (Copy)

Groom leading his groomsmen to the church. (Copy)

St James Church, Chipping, Campden. (Copy)

Groom getting a hug from a wedding guest. (Copy)

Bridesmaids waiting for bride to arrive. (Copy)

Onlookers wait to see the bride enter the church. (Copy)

Bride walks down the church pathway with her dad. (Copy)

Groom waits inside the church with his groomsmen. Best Man looking at his watch. (Copy)

Bride and Father of the Bride walking down the aisle in St James Church in Chipping, Campden. (Copy)

Close up of the brides dress and the grooms suit as they stand together. (Copy)

Bride and Groom photographed through foliage. (Copy)

Bride and groom stand before vicar smiling. (Copy)

Bridesmaids clapping as bride and groom kiss in foreground. (Copy)

Bride and groom walk down the aisle as husband and wife. (Copy)

Bride and Groom walk down the church path towards their guests. (Copy)

Bride and Groom have confetti thrown at them. (Copy)

Bride and Groom laugh as they have confetti thrown out them outside St James Church, Chipping, Campden. (Copy)

Bride and Groom smiling surrounded by guests and covered in confetti. (Copy)

Brides sister cuddles her boyfriend outside the church where her sister has just been married. (Copy)

A little boy watches on from the pavement and people fuss over him. (Copy)

The bride gives her friend a hug as her friend cries. (Copy)

A little hand on the skirt of the brides wedding dress. (Copy)

The bride and groom lead their guests away from the church. (Copy)

The sister of the bride helps her with her veil. (Copy)

Close up of the dress, flowers and veil as the bride and groom walk by. (Copy)

Photograph from the back of the veil. (Copy)

Bride and Groom leads their wedding guests down the street. (Copy)

Bride and Groom walk past the local shops together. (Copy)

Buildings viewed from Cotswolds House Hotel. (Copy)

Lavender in Cotswolds House Hotel Grounds. (Copy)

Wedding Time Table Painted on a Pallet. (Copy)

To The Bar Sign hanging from a tree. (Copy)

Mother and Father of the Bride Cheers each other with champagne at the bar. (Copy)

Bride and Brides sister cheers one and other with champagne. (Copy)

Little girl is picked up so she can play Connect 4 with her two taller friends. (Copy)

Little girl plays connect 4 shot through holes. (Copy)

Little girls running through the garden. (Copy)

Wedding guests enjoying the magic. (Copy)

Bridesmaid fixing grooms suit as bride has a fag. (Copy)

Little boy playing Connect 4 on blanket. (Copy)

Wedding Guests laughing in the bushes. (Copy)

Wedding guests sitting at table laughing. (Copy)

Two male guests chatting together in gardens wearing sunglasses. (Copy)

Brides sister and her boyfriend laugh together. (Copy)

Brides mum laughs with her friends around a table. (Copy)

Brides sister looks excited while holding a card during a magic trick. (Copy)

Magician shows guests a magic trick with a bent fork. (Copy)

Bride and Groom Stand Side by side in Italian looking tree rowed path. (Copy)

Bride and Groom Laugh together in Italian garden. (Copy)

Bride and Groom Having the best day ever! (Copy)

Bride and Groom standing in pathway together. (Copy)

Bride and Groom Holding on and other in front of a row of tall trees. (Copy)

Bride and Groom hold each other laughing in Italian gardens, Cotswolds House Hotel. (Copy)

Bride and Groom together in old Chipping Market Hall. (Copy)

Bride and Groom two step pose outside shop. (Copy)

Bride and Groom walk their dogs under arches. (Copy)

Bride has her dog beg for a treat. (Copy)

Bride stands in the sunlight holding her dog on a lead. (Copy)

Guest Dog Wearing a blue bow tie. (Copy)

Guests standing in garden to listen to speeches. (Copy)

Father of the bride giving speech. (Copy)

Father of the bride giving his speech. (Copy)

Another guest dog looking super cool. (Copy)

The groom gives his speech as the bride looks on supportively. (Copy)

The crowd sit in the garden laughing. (Copy)

Two red haired children and a dog sit listening to the speeches. (Copy)

The 3 men standing to give a speech cheer the bride. (Copy)

The bride laughs while the best man gives his speech. (Copy)

Guest looks on looking emotional. (Copy)

Bridesmaid and mother of the bride crying. (Copy)

Two male guests laughing together. (Copy)

Two female guests laughing together while drinking a cup of tea. (Copy)

Wedding guest holding her daughter. (Copy)

Bride throws bouquet and her sister catches it. (Copy)

Brides sister is very excited to have caught the bouquet. (Copy)

The Bride is also very excited her sister has caught the bouquet. (Copy)

Sister is doing a victory dance with the bouquet as the Bride points at her laughing. (Copy)

Suppliers:

Photographer: Katie Dervin, 2nd shot by Siobhan McGill of mcgillsisterfilms.com/

Videographer: https://tynegate-films.com/

Dress: https://www.thebridalroombroadway.co.uk/

Magician: http://www.gloucestershiremagician.co.uk/

Stationary: http://www.cherrypress.co.uk/

Make Up: http://www.christinecaramakeup.com/

Inglewood Manor Wedding Photographer

I first met Becky and Chris via a Skype call after shooting a family members wedding, Becky and Chris saw the photos and got in touch. The first thing that struck me about them both was how much they didn’t take things too seriously and were up for a good laugh. I knew I was on for a good one and I was.

Here’s Becky and Chris’s Story in their own words:

We met at main stage Avicii, Creamfields 2013 what a place to meet your husband! Chris took me to Jamie’s Italian in Liverpool where I chose spaghetti bolognese as a first date meal and tripped up the stairs! I had a code text with my mum incase he wasn’t nice as I couldn’t remember much from that night so my mum was on hand waiting for a text saying ‘the pasta is nice’ We had a ball and many more funny date stories in between. Chris proposed in panoramic 34 during afternoon tea but I wasn’t looking so the first I heard was “Come on is it a yeah or no Beck people are looking now”

Becky on Chris - “He makes me laugh all the time and behaves like a grumpy old man at the age of 34 .”

Chris about Becky - “I love how we laugh at everything and life is just one big joke when we’re together no need to take it too seriously.”

Inglewood Manor

Becky and Chris chose Inglewood Manor as they loved the country estate feel, gorgeous gardens and incredible rooms where guests could stay. Being able to have their ceremony outside in November (although you wouldn’t have thought it the weather was glorious) was a major plus and really made the day all the more special too them as they love going on adventures together and being outside.

Inglewood manor is a beautiful Edwardian Manor house in the heart of Cheshire countryside. A grade two listed building, it had many original Edwardian features and loads of character, rich mahogany wooden panelled rooms, and beautiful gardens bursting with different species of flowers, trees and wild life surrounding the house. The result of this being tons of beautiful back drops for photographs both inside and outside.

The house was built in 1909, but is actually dated as dated 1915. The house was built for F. H. Fox, a Liverpudlian millionaire (Whoop! Go on son! I love it when people from Liverpool are millionaires!) who made his fortune in marine insurance. Fishy. The outside of the house is made of stone and wooden panelling and has a Tudor look to it.

Blue skies and a swirly plane trail in the sky, views from Inglewood Manor.

Getting Ready

Becky got ready with her mum and bridesmaids at Inglewood Manor while the Chris and his groomsmen mucked about down stairs, eagerly waiting for the chairs to arrive. Upstairs with the bridesmaids it was business as usual, Becky being her usual hilarious animated self. It was lovely to see Becky being so exctied to finally marry her Chris.

Becky wore an Essence of Australia dress from Bridal Haven in Tarporley (shop now closed, but the staff there were amazing!) and Valentino shoes, and looked bloody awesome. I’m sure you’ll will agree. The shoes didn’t last very long as they were ditched shortly after the ceremony when we had to go on adventures for portraits.

The Bride makes her mother and bridesmaids laugh while telling a story.

Mother on the brides shoes lie in the sunlight on the carpet of a hotel room inside Inglewood Manor Cheshire.

Mother of the Bride and the Bride have a moment together on the morning of the wedding.

Wedding dress hangs on wardrobe at Inglewood Manor.

Brides Valentino Shoes lie on windowsill as the strong sunlight beams through onto them. The window is open showing the floor below.

Reflection of bride checking her dress in Snow White Mirror in the background of the shot, while her mum fastens her dress in the foreground.

The Bride looks out the window as her mother puts her dress on at Inglewood Manor.

The Union Jack flies outside the hotel room window at Inglewood Manor, the sun is shining.

An Outdoor Ceremony at Inglewood Manor

Becky and Chris chose to have an outdoor ceremony at Inglewood Manor. On a gloriously sunny day in November, it can happen! They put some blankets out for guests that they thought might get a bit chilly and thoughtfully labelled the reserved seats at the front with little tags with peoples names on so that people knew where to sit (and which blanket was for them!)

Under current British Law when getting married outdoors at Inglewood Manor you do need to be facing towards the house so that the registrar can marry you from the shelter of the structure of Inglewood Manor.

Empty cream wooden wedding chairs, sit empty in the sunlight casting shadows on patio awaiting the wedding guests.

The groom and his best man stand smiling awaiting their guests at their outdoor ceremony at Inglewood Manor.

Guests enjoy the sunshine while awaiting the Bride at an outdoor ceremony at Inglewood Manor.

A wedding guest in a wheel chair makes her way to watch the wedding at Inglewood manor.

Guests take their seats at the outdoor wedding ceremony, the Union Jack Flag flies behind them.

Groomsmen laugh together in the the sunlight at Inglewood Manor.

Wedding guests in blue hat chats with her friend.

Grandparents laugh together in the sunlight.

Mother of the bride is beaming with joy.

Small boy in a blue suit and red bow tie drags an older groomsmen across the patio.

The groom, best man and registrar share a joke.

The guests stand up and watch as the bride makes her way towards them at an outdoor wedding ceremony at Inglewood Manor.

Becky was walked down the aisle by her Dad looking so excited that she might burst and was greeted by an equally emotional Chris, there was a ceremony brimming with tears and laughter in equal measure and these two lovelies just looking totally besotted with each other through out. After the ceremony Becky and Chris pegged it back down the aisle grinning from ear to ear to be promptly greeted by Inglewood Manor staff who were waiting with Champagne ready for the celebrations to begin.

Flowers

Becky’s flowers were by Lisa G from Flowers of Distinction in Huyton (Lisa G was fabulous and showed Becky and Chris what the flowers would look like and had the best ideas as Becky and Chris didn’t want the bridal bouquet to be plain.)

The Bride makes her way down the aisle, arm in arm with her father during an outdoor ceremony at Inglewood manor.

The bride makes it to her groom laughing.

The bride and groom look at one and other, beaming from ear to ear at their outdoor ceremony at Inglewood Manor.

The Groom kisses the brides hand, while her father gives her a tissue to wipe their tears and snot probably.

First reading read by guest in a snazzy hat and sunglasses.

Mother of the bride and bridesmaids sit laughing together during an outdoor ceremony at Inglewood Manor.

Bride and Groom smile while holding hands.

Bride and Groom stand smiling while listening to the registrars instructions.

Bride and Groom stand facing each other, holding hands and looking to each others eyes playfully.

Bride and groom look towards registrar laughing at their outdoor ceremony at Inglewood Manor.

Bride and Groom hold hands laughing as they say their vows during outdoor ceremony.

Bride holds onto her Grooms hand while looking eager and super cute.

Close up of bouquet of flowers including red roses and berries, pink roses and eucalyptus branches.

Wedding guests laugh together as a catch them having a post ceremony cereal bar.

Bride and Groom exit the ceremony smiling.

Bride and Groom are greeted with 2 glasses of champagne at the end of the aisle by staff member.

Guests smiling in the sun shine wearing fancy hats.

Older male wedding guest holds his camera, framed by two male wedding guests wearing blue.

Bride laughs, her brides maids bouquet in the foreground of the shot.

Couples Portraits

After a cheeky swig out of Chris’s hip flask we took a quick little walk over the the tree lined path at the back of the house to get a few outdoor portraits and Becky and Chris together in the beautiful Autumnal light before heading back to the Bridal Suite at Inglewood Manor, where Becky and Chris had an idea to have a few photos of them just chilling out and having a drink together. So we did just that!

Bride takes a sqwig from her husbands hip flask as he laughs on the back steps of Inglewood Manor.

Bride and Groom laugh together on the steps on Inglewood Manor, the yellow light of the trees behind them.

Couple laugh together during their Autumnal wedding at Inglewood Manor.

Husband and wife walk through the tree lined path together laughing after their Autumnal wedding ceremony at Inglewood Manor.

Groom is attacked by a lovely red leaved branch, his wife laughs at him.

Newly weds make their way back to the house with the dusky Autumnal light behind them.

Bride raises up her flowers with a victorious strong arm as she makes her way into Inglewood Manor with her new husband.

Bride and groom sit and drink laughing in the bridal suite at Inglewood Manor.

Bride tries to stop laughing at her Groom by looking away from him, but is still laughing.

Wedding Breakfast and Speeches at Inglewood Manor

By the time we’d finished the photos, the party was in full swing, with Becky’s family and friends having a right old laugh before being ushered into the dining room at Inglewood Manor for a delicious 3 course meal followed by some hilarious and heartfelt speeches.

Becky and Chris were surprised at their table with a photograph of their beloved dog dressed in a full suit with a bow tie and a top hat, sneakily curated by Becky’s Dad (apparently it was a total nightmare to get on!)

The Wedding Cake

Their beloved pooch Barney also made an appearance on the top of the wedding cake. Becky and Chris were particularly impressed with the level of detail in shading of the fur of their beloved pooch. The talented team at The Devonshire Bakery in Frodsham took Becky and Chris’s photos and ideas and turned them into this fabulous creation!

All of Becky and Chris’s wedding stationary was made by The Complete Invitation Company.

Older male wedding guest enjoys a cup of tea at a wedding reception at Inglewood Manor

Wedding guests snuggle up to one and other at Inglewood Manor

Beautiful white ceiling and chandelier at Inglewood Manor.

Hard sunlight hits the tables that have been set for wedding guests at Inglewood Manor.

Red and white wedding cake topped with the bride and groom and their dog.

The dining room ready for guests at Inglewood Manor.

A photograph of the bride and grooms dog awaits them at their table.

The groom gives a speech as the bride laughs.

The best man presents the Groom with a car seat made up to look like a person.

The Groom congratulates the Best Man on his speech.

The Groom and Best Man smile laughing together.

Little girls watch wedding guests from the stairs.

The Party!

After the speeches were done and the cake was cut Becky and Chris and their friends and family went roaring straight into the party! Becky and Chris had a DJ and Saxophone player working the floor together to keep it jam packed and everyone with their dancing shoes on.

Henry Aspden played the saxophone all evening and the dj played Becky and Chris’s favourite songs, they found them on Jonny Ross music who also have open days so you can hear them play.

Advice From Becky and Chris for Future Couples on their Wedding Day

“Don’t take it all too seriously, ensure you laugh all day and spend the day doing everything you want to do.”

The bride reaches for the groom as they begin the first dance.

The Groom sings to his new Wife as they dance together.

Wedding guests hit the dance floor, a little girl jumps up and down as wedding guests dance behind her.

Saxophone player smiles at guests giving it their all on the dance floor.

Little boy sits on his dads shoulders cheering as wedding guests dance around them.

Grandma dances in her wheelchair surrounded by friends and family.

Bridesmaid shouts out and throws her head back as she dances.

Female wedding guest sneaks up on her friend to smack her on the bum.

Wedding guest laughs as she is driven around in Grandma's wheelchair.

Wedding guest dances making an excited face at her partner.

Bride waves her hands from side to side singing at her party at Inglewood Manor.

Groom stands nest to his new wife holding both hands in the air while grinning from ear to ear, surrounded by his friends and family.

Bride and groom dance together on their wedding day at Inglewood Manor.

A Shout Out to Becky and Chris’s Awesome Wedding Suppliers!

The Dress was an Essence of Australia dress from Bridal Haven.

Wedding Stationary by The Complete Invitation Company

Flowers by Lisa G from Flowers of Distinction

Cake The Devonshire Bakery in Frodsham

Acoustic Guitar by Ste Hadley

Saxophone by Henry Aspden

DJ found on http://www.jonnyrossmusic.com/

Make up was done by Nicola Fraser

Goldstone Hall in Market Drayton

Up on the blog today we’ve got Lucy and Nick’s gorgeous autumnal wedding at Goldstone Hall, Market Drayton where they had a intimate outdoor ceremony (despite a tiny bit of rain) amongst their closest family and friends and surrounded by the most beautiful wild flowers both inside Goldstone Hall and out! I’ll let Lucy and Nick take it from here. If you’d like to see the full day from start to finish click on the link below to watch Lucy and Nick’s nifty little Wedding Photo Trailer!

Lucy and nick’s Story

A mutual friend (James - Lucy's friend from uni and Nick's friend from school) invited us both to an outdoor film screening in Summer 2013. It wasn't intended to be a set up but we hit if off! As we met at a film screening we (unimaginatively!) arranged to go to the cinema for our first date. We saw Only God Forgives not quite realising it was full of gory violence, definitely not a first date film but at least it gave us something to talk about!

We got engaged in our flat in London, the first place we've ever lived together! It was super low key but perfect for us, Luce was wearing her pyjamas while I got down on one knee! She immediately burst into tears (and then said yes thankfully!)

Couple laugh together on their wedding day at Goldstone Hall, Market Drayton. Photograph in black and white.

Goldstone hall wedding venue

We got married at Goldstone Hall, Market Drayton, one of the most beautiful venues we've ever seen. Lucy wanted to get married in an old house and have the reception at the same venue, Nick wanted a marquee reception and so Goldstone was ideal! We visited on a rainy autumn day and even then the gardens and house looked so beautiful that we knew it was right for us! Goldstone couldn't have been better throughout our build up, they even managed to somehow give our guests a choice of food on the day!

Mother of the bride sits on a bed putting on her lipstick in front of a wall of very loud red and gold floral wall paper framed by two matching lamps.

Bride and groom say their vows in an outdoor ceremony at Goldstone Hall, Market Drayton. Photograph in black and white.

FLOWERS

The biggest superstar supplier of the day was our florist, Nicola (Brown Sugar Blooms). We wanted relaxed, colourful flowers that didn't look too neat or tidy and she absolutely blew us away! She turned something that was just inside our heads into the most perfect arrangement and made for a stunning marquee! And Lucy adored her bouquet!

The bride and groom smile at their friends and family as they walk down the red carpet and have confetti thrown at them.

Bridesmaids sit together during the ceremony holding their bouquets.

Close up of a bridesmaids bouquet of wild seasonal flowers.

Wedding SUIT

Nick's suit supplier, Beggars Run, were also awesome, making the whole process super easy, enjoyable and producing a great looking suit!

Groom and his groomsmen stand waiting for his bride to arrive.

Groom fixes his tie, photograph in black and white.

The Dress

Lucy’s beautiful wedding dress was by Maggie Sottero Designs

Reflection of the wedding dress in the glass of a painting of a green mountainous landscape.

Bride has her make up done by one of her bridesmaids as her wedding dress hangs in the window at Goldstone Hall, Market Drayton.

Close up of details of dress as bridesmaid fastens up the back.

Bride stands smiling while wearing her wedding dress.

Wedding cake

Nick's Mum made our cake and decorated it with flowers to match Brown Sugar Blooms, it looked and tasted amazing! She then went one step beyond and made all our bunting too!

Table plan in marquee full of colourful flowers and bunting at Goldstone Hall.

Guests laugh as they look at photographs together.

Photographer

Of course Katie Dervin - who did the best job! Getting our photos through after the wedding was like reliving the whole day again!

Bride and groom standing in gardens at Goldstone Hall, Market Drayton.

Silhouette of bride putting on her lipstick as her wedding dress hangs in the window behind her.

Bride and Groom stand with a sea of colourful wild flowers together at Goldstone Hall, Market Drayton.

Toddler and his father play together in the garden.

Mother of the bride puts on her corsarge while her daughters look at her.

The BAND

Our band were The Vivas and they were brilliant! They played an amazing set that got everyone dancing, so much in fact that the speakers began to shake as everyone jumped up and down! They really made the evening a great party!

Bride and groom dance laughing together.

Bride laughs while dancing with her new husband.

Male wedding guests throw out some stretchy arm dance moves.

Couple are silhouetted while they dance together, female guests wears a 50's type dress.

Groom pulls some moves on the dance floor.

Blonde female wedding guest hugs another wedding guest while dancing together.

Bride and Groom dance together in the centre on the dance floor surrounded by their friends and family at Goldstone Hall, Market Drayton.

Advice for future couples on their wedding day

The day will go really quick, so make sure to try and stay in the moment and don't worry too much about what's coming next, it'll all work out just fine! And make sure you make time for each other, it's easy to get lost in making sure everyone else is having a good time!

Middlethorpe Hall Wedding - York - Donna and Kev.

Donna and Kev got engaged on a hillside in the pissing down rain somewhere in Lancashire. After Kev dragged Donna out of their lovely warm and dry Bed and Breakfast and then up and down many hills, as the wind and rain lashed on their cold and sodden faces. Donna didn’t have a clue what was coming… and let’s be honest, she was probably feeling a little bit fed up at this point. But then Kev stopped held Donna gently by the hand and pointed her in the direction of a very familiar scene… Her favourite scene. The scene from her most treasured painting, that had held prize positioning in her home for many years. Donna had no idea that the painting was even of a real place, but some how Kev had not only figured it out, but gone and found the place and the exact spot (more or less) that the painting was painted from! Donna was gob smacked! And if that wasn’t enough, when she turns to look at Kev. The kind of “How the hell have you done this” look, she sometimes gives him… Kev is only down one knee and asking Donna to marry him!!! She said yes, of course, or this would be a weird story, they drank a bottle of Champagne that Kev had secretly stashed in his rucksack and made their way back to the B&B, warmer, happier and ready to spend the rest of their lives together!

As engagements go, this one was a corker and the wedding at Middlethorpe Hall was just as beautiful. Thank you for having me Donna and Kev, it was an absolute pleasure to spend the day with you.

P.S. Carno Kevin my Venus flytrap, is safe and well and keeping me company every day sitting on the windowsill by my desk and protecting me from flies. He says “Hi”.

If you are getting married and looking for a Documentary photographer to capture your day in a natural unobtrusive manner drop me a message or check out my online portfolio.

Katie Dervin is a Documentary Photographer based in Manchester.