Emma and Mark married back in  May at Bedern Hall, York. They then headed to Emma’s grandparents farm for a beautiful marquee reception.

They wanted their wedding to be a natural country affair, with pretty blooms, DIY décor and home made cakes. Emma looked stunning in a dress by The Couture Company while Mark and the boys donned smart tails by Austin Reed.

Thanks so much to Jay Mountford for sharing her photographs with us today.

 

 

The Proposal… I arrived home from the work the night before my birthday to find Mark beside a huge stack of presents. I sat on the floor with my legs crossed and started to unwrap. To my huge disappointment… a desk fan. My beautiful engagement ring was hidden inside.

The Vision for the Day… I had dreamed since being a little girl of having my wedding on my grandparents farm or more specifically in what I thought of as the secret garden, the orchard and pond tucked at the back of the house. I wanted a natural, country wedding where guests felt relaxed and we had time to spend with everyone on the day.

The Planning Process… I collected ideas from all over, wedding fairs, the internet, magazines and even other weddings I had been to. Initially I collected all my ideas in a scrapbook until I settled on something I was sure about. I had spread-sheets and lists for everything, these became a running joke and featured heavily in the teasing during the best man’s speech.

Budget… £16,000

The Venue… Ceremony – Bedern Hall, York. We love in love immediately with Bedern Hall, we didn’t want a religious ceremony but I aesthetically we liked the traditional setting so Bedern was perfect for us. It looked beautiful on the day with the light streaming through the windows.

Reception – Grange Farm, Little Fenton. My grandparents farm was the perfect venue for the reception. A lot of hard work went into making sure everything looked faultless on the day but we had a fantastic starting point with the garden that my grandparents have looked after for 60 years. We had a fabulous marquee from C & J rentals who saved the day when our original marquee company went bust before the wedding. I would also have to say thank you to our wedding insurance who paid back our deposit very quickly and saved us a lot of tears and worry.

The Dress + Accessories… I really struggled finding a dress and was starting to fret about the possibility of having to settle for something I didn’t feel confident in. A friend recommended The Couture Company and I was smitten from day one. The skirt was stunning and I loved the confidence the corset gave me. I didn’t have many accessories. My shoes were Kurt Geiger, my favourite. I wore jewellery that was important to me, a diamond bracelet borrowed from my grandmother’s friend, a diamond necklace that my Father and Step-Mother bought me for my 21st birthday and diamond earrings that Mark bought me for Christmas one year. I had a tiny blue hair pin to hold my veil that my maid of honour spotted in a bead shop in The Custard Factory.

Groom’s Attire… The groom and groomsmen all wore traditional attire from Austin Reed.

The Readings + Music… This was more difficult than I thought it would be. We knew very early on who we wanted to read at the wedding. Two friends that we had taught with in the first year that we were together and Mark’s sister, Grace. It was important to us that the readings were honest, we didn’t want to declare that we would never fight or that there would never be a difficult moment in our marriage.

The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman

Captain Corellis Mandolin by Louis de Bernières

The Vow by Wendy Cope

We had so many songs that meant something to us, it was difficult to narrow them down. I had an instrumental version of A Thousand Years by The Piano Guys to walk down the aisle to. Our first dance was to Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran but throughout the day and evening we made sure our favourites were included along the way.

Beautiful Bridesmaids… Helen – my closet friend from primary school who has been there for me through every up and down. Lucy B – my beautiful and talented sister, who did all the hair and make up for the day. Lucy A (maid of honour) – we met on the first day of university and lived together for three years during our studies. Sally – we met when I moved to Germany for a year to teach and left Mark behind in the UK, she was always there when I was missing him terribly and could always be relied upon to pick me up.

The Flowers… The florist was a friend of my Mother’s and was fantastic from start to finish, I wasn’t sure what flowers I wanted and my only briefly was for them to be white and green and relaxed, I didn’t want a huge trailing bouquet. In the end the main flowers was classic white roses that both looked and smelled beautiful.

The Cake… We had 12 cakes on the day! 12 friends and members of the family baked. I wanted the cake table to look like a village fete. I was a great way of getting to try all of our favourite desserts and involve people in the day!

Your Photographer… Jay Mountford. Absolutely amazing, she was on hand from day one to answer questions and discuss how we wanted the photos to look. We had a great pre-wedding shoot, that allowed us to get to know Jay and for her to get to know us. I hate having my photo taken and I just love how relaxed and happy we both look in our photos.

The Details + Decor… We did all of the décor ourselves. I arrived the day before the wedding to add the finishing touches to the marquee and garden. I wanted it to appear as though we had brought some of the outdoors inside so the décor was very natural, wood and flowers mainly. The garden looked beautiful on the night as we had hung lanterns and floating tea lights in the pond, it really was magical.

The Honeymoon… We went to New York and stayed at The Royalton. I had never been to the US before but Mark adores New York and wanted to show me his favourite places. We set up a honeyfund instead of a traditional gift registry as we have been living together for five years and already had most things for our home. This seemed like the ideal way to have a once in a lifetime trip.

Memorable Moments… The day flew past so quickly it is hard to remember any one moment. I had been so nervous all morning, but the moment I arrived at the ceremony venue my nerves just melted away. The speeches given by Father of the bride, groom and best man were fantastic and had me go through such a range of emotions. It really was the perfect day, and an amazing start to married life.

Advice for Other Couples… Try not to let the wedding take over, it is only one day after all, you have your whole lives together and it is important that the stresses over organising a wedding don’t get in the way of how excited you should be to spend the share the rest of your lives with one another. AND DON’T FORGET WEDDING INSURANCE!

Credit Where Credit is Due…

Austin Reed www.austinreed.co.uk

Something special florist www.something-special-florists.co.uk

Bedern Hall www.bedernhall.co.uk

C and J Rentals www.candjrentals.co.uk

Jay Mountford www.jaymountfordphotography.co.uk

Scott Jordan Entertainment www.scottjordan.co.uk

Friends For Dinner www.friends4dinner.co.uk

myweddinginsurance www.my-weddinginsurance.co.uk

 

 

Just beautiful, i love the relaxed feel to their day. Thanks so much to Emma and Mark for sharing their beautiful wedding with us today XOXO Lou