I’m downright jealous of the lucky guests at this English countryside wedding; they were transported to a magical world created by White Wedding Company when they attended this enchanting celebration captured by Helen Russell. Get those Pinterest boards ready m’dears, we got a whole lot of goodies right this way!
From Sue White of White Wedding Company… Working with Rachael and Marcus was a wedding planner’s dream – they had chosen one of the most beautiful private stately homes in North Yorkshire for their wedding reception and had planned a multitude of personal and very special touches to their day and evening – it was just up to me to bring everything together and make their day perfect.
Their day started with a military church ceremony – Marcus is in the RAF and they had a military guard of honour leaving church with guests throwing homemade confetti and a surprise from Rachael’s father of a lovingly restored Aston Martin DB5 to drive themselves to the reception! On route they went to visit Rachael’s beloved horse Desmond for photos throughout the day and evening with Helen Russell.
Arriving at Duncombe Park guests were greeted with Pimms or champagne (in vintage glasses) and canapés on the terrace to the sounds of a string quartet from Event Music Company. Croquet on the lawn was played and the stunning grounds were used for photos and guests mingling. When it was time for the wedding breakfast the saloon was decorated by Kirstie and Katy from Darling and Green with creams, white and golds using classic, seasonal English flowers of peonies, David Austin roses, white lilac, hydrangea, delphinium and herbs with a mix of foliage. Table favours for ladies were lavender hearts with M&R sewn on, the men had a miniature bottle of Sloe Gin from a local distillery and the children received a book “my day as a bridesmaid” with personalised colouring pencils.
After a fabulous meal and very entertaining speeches guests were taken on a surprise walk to a secret garden for the evening party!
Rachael and Marcus summed up their day as “truly magical with so many great moments.”
From the Bride… At the secret garden party in the evening the guests followed me along a tea light lit path through the woods into a sunken garden. Here they were greeted with an outdoor sitting room with a chandelier hanging in the tree above vintage sofas, coffee table on a rug and vintage accessories.
The tree had photo frames attached with our families wedding photos in. The surrounding trees and water features were lit with up lighters, pea lights and hanging jars with tea lights. Mark from AV Matrix supplied the lighting, it was magnificent and really finished off the magical atmosphere.
The guests then went on past the fountains through to the derelict garden room to be met with a cocktail in a tea cup, a mason jar or a milk bottle. In here was decorated with tea lights, ivy and fairy lights and lamp shades hanging from the ceiling, flowers in glass bottles and jam jars, vintage chairs and tables and old suitcases with stag and hen photos in them. This led into the marquee where we had the cocktail bar with the fire place and tea cups, hat stands, chests of draws, standing lamps, sofas and chaise longue and vintage trinkets to give a parlour atmosphere we had dreamed up in our planning.
We wanted the wedding to have soft vintage tones. My grandma used to always sing a song ‘when father painted the parlour’ which use to conjure up images of back in the day. I’ve always liked anything vintage with a story, old suitcases, teacups and pretty prints. Marcus’ uniform also leant to this perfectly.
On a visit to London we went to a bar call ‘Little Nans’ which was like stepping back in time and inspired our evening event. I drew up a scrappy drawing of a vintage Parlour and we set out to make it happen. We scoured antiques fairs and charity shops for nick-nacks and found a company in the Cotswolds to supply the furniture but it was too far for them to come. Luckily the flower ladies (Darling and Green) recommended Karen and Natalie who were just starting out with vintage wedding styling. The furniture and finishing touches and styling for the secret garden were supplied by Sweet Pea Events. They did a great job, the garden was transformed.
The only big thing left to finish it off was to find a bar. We searched for months for a suitable bar but everything was too modern, expensive or uninspiring and didn’t fit in with the old furniture so Marcus decided we were to build a bar ourselves. The week before the wedding we bought a Victorian fireplace in Horncastle, Lincolnshire; this was to be the focal point of the marque.
Between Marcus, his dad and my dad they built exactly what was in our heads. Thursday afternoon was spent wallpapering it and hanging picture. It couldn’t have been any better; it was perfect; just what we had envisaged.
During the warm. balmy evening (not always so in Yorkshire) guests danced to the 5 piece vintage band Victoriana, dressed up in the photo booth, ate from the Hog Roast and generally had a great time until 2am drinking cocktails and chilling out on the vintage furniture. Luckily Rachael had provided flip flops for the girls to dance in and pashminas when it grew chilly.
Photography: Helen Russell Photography | Event Planning: White Wedding Company (Yorkshire) | Floral Design: Darling And Green | Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero | Stationery: Ruby Shoes | Ceremony Venue: St. Nicholas Church | Reception Venue: Duncombe Park | Catering: Yorkshire Party Company | Bridal Boutique: The Harrogate Wedding Lounge | Bridesmaids And Flower Girl Dresses: Kate Fearnley | Decor And Props: Sweet Pea Events | Evening Band: Victoriana | Evening Reception Marquee: GCG Marquees | Lighting And AV: Av Matrix | Photo Booth: Booth Revolution | Reception Music: The Event Music Company