{"id":252054,"date":"2019-04-11T07:00:24","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T06:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whimsicalwonderlandweddings.com\/?p=252054"},"modified":"2024-03-16T16:06:01","modified_gmt":"2024-03-16T16:06:01","slug":"whinstone-view-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/whinstone-view-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"Elegant & Pretty Rustic Glam Wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bride<\/p>\n

Today we bring you WWW readers Alex and David’s “rustic glam” wedding, which took place on the 18th August 2018. A church ceremony was important to them and following their ceremony, they celebrated at Whinstone View in Great Ayton. There was plenty of sparkle, from the glorious sequinned table cloths to the detailing on the bridesmaids’ dresses and Alex’s fab Jimmy Choos!<\/p>\n

I love our couple’s idea of naming the tables after different brands of Champagne and providing each table with a bottle of their namesake instead of individual favours, I can’t imagine there were many complaints there!<\/p>\n

The blossom trees on the tables in the reception really do create such an impact, as well as all the smaller touches, which I think you’re going to love. Alex also has some wonderful advice for you so do read on for that.<\/p>\n

Our couple knew that they wanted Sally T Photography<\/a> to capture their wedding and it’s easy to see why! Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful imagery with us.<\/p>\n

\"Bride<\/p>\n\n

\"Whinstone \"Whinstone<\/p>\n\n

\"Whinstone<\/p>\n

The Proposal<\/h3>\n

We had just been bridesmaid and usher at our friends wedding and a few days later went on holiday to Lake Garda in Italy. I genuinely had no idea what was coming a few days later! We had a lovely meal at a village by the lake, the shuttle buses back to where we were staying were every hour, on the hour. The waiter came and asked if we wanted dessert, I started to say yes when David interrupted and said a firm \u2018No! We need to get the 9pm bus\u2019 I questioned why we couldn\u2019t get the 10pm bus after but went along with it. We got off the bus, and David suggested walking back to our hotel by the lake edge, the sun was setting, I was still in a huff about not getting tiramisu, and he asked if I was happy \u2013 my response was curt, I was not happy \u2013 I wanted tiramisu. When I turned around he asked if I would make him happy by being his wife. Needless to say, I said yes a million times! A few years prior, I had seen a ring in a shop (tried it on but shh) and told David if he ever proposed and it wasn\u2019t that ring, it was a no from me (joking\u2026kind of), he had bought THE ring I had seen and it fit perfectly. I had tiramisu for breakfast the next day.<\/p>\n

\"Whinstone \"Whinstone \"Bride \"Bride<\/p>\n

The Vision<\/h3>\n

I had always had two weddings in mind \u2013 either summertime, casual, light and breezy \u2013 very laid back. Or, the total opposite \u2013 winter wedding, black tie, very formal. David wasn\u2019t so keen on the second and preferred the idea of a summer wedding so that decided it for us. Based on this, a barn type setting was perfect for what we wanted.<\/p>\n

\"Welcome \"Whinstone \"Whinstone \"Bride \"Bride<\/p>\n

The Planning Process<\/h3>\n

As I\u2019m sure all brides do, I started looking online at venues the day after the ring was on my finger! We were still on holiday in Italy and had a few days by the pool that I spent googling venues and \u2018Pinteresting\u2019 everything I could possibly find! We booked a visit to view Whinstone View whilst we were still in Italy \u2013 I didn\u2019t hang around! We booked the wedding in June 2016 for August 2018 so had two years to plan. I loved every single step of the planning (David may disagree), I didn\u2019t visit many wedding fairs just because I didn\u2019t really need too, I was happy researching my own suppliers and ordering hundreds of samples! There were a couple of things that I booked far too in advance and as the wedding was coming around, I had changed my mind so we did lose a couple of small deposits.<\/p>\n

\"Confetti \"Bride \"Bride \"Bride<\/p>\n

Budget<\/h3>\n

We were very fortunate in that both sets of parents offered to pay for the whole wedding for us. A few of the more personal items, we paid for such as bridesmaid and ushers outfits, invites, favours and the sweetie table. My gran, had texted me when we had booked the wedding to say she wanted to buy us our cake, she passed away suddenly two weeks after that text, we used money that I inherited from her for our cake so that she could still buy us our cake.<\/p>\n

\"Bride \"Whinstone \"Bride \"Black<\/p>\n

The Venue<\/h3>\n

We both were very clear that we wanted a church service rather than a civil ceremony and had the service in St Peter\u2019s church in Bishopton \u2013 it was perfect and exactly what we wanted. We only looked at one venue, Whinstone View, and it ticked every single box and then more when we viewed it. We loved that it fit with our vision of \u2018rustic glam\u2019. In my head, I couldn\u2019t see my mum and my grandma in something too rustic when they\u2019re all glammed up so a proper barn was out of the question. Whinstone View was the perfect combination \u2013 barn type feel with mod-cons, the gorgeous floor to ceiling doors out on to the lawn. I also had a little tick list of things that I didn\u2019t want to negotiate on namely \u2013 I wanted ours to be the only wedding that day (I didn\u2019t want to bump into another bride) and that the bar was in the room for the evening reception \u2013 we wanted to keep the atmosphere in the room and not lose people to a second area as we weren\u2019t having a massive wedding. Whinstone View ticked both of these which further sealed it for us. Andrea, Peter, Dawn and Laura at the venue were all amazing both in the run up to the day and on the day itself. Nothing was ever too much to ask and they helped make our vision more than we could have ever imagined.<\/p>\n

\"Bride \"Bride \"Whinstone \"Dog \"Bride<\/p>\n

Your Outfits & Accessories<\/h3>\n

David is pretty keen on his suits as he wears them for work. He decided that in keeping with the rustic side of things that he didn\u2019t want tails or dinner suits. David chose his suits from Dandy Threads in Guisborough, he bought navy, three piece suits for himself, his four ushers and both of the Dads. He then swapped his waistcoat for a tweed one to make him slightly different to the others. The boys all wore knitted skinny ties \u2013 David\u2019s in navy and the ushers in blush pink to match the bridesmaids. I bought David gold Mulberry cufflinks as a wedding present which he wore on the day. He also had his shoes made by Simon at the Hand Dyed Shoe Company \u2013 he was brilliant and the shoes are amazing!!!! He had the date of our wedding tattooed onto the side by Simon (which coincidentally was also Simon\u2019s wedding anniversary).<\/p>\n

My dress was by Mori-Lee from The Wedding Dress Company in Corbridge. It was only the second shop I visited and the first dress I tried on in the shop was my dress, Mum pulled the dress out and as soon as I tried it on, I knew that was it. It was a strapless, fit and flare style with full embellishment and a long train. I had a cathedral length veil with matching lace trim to my dress as well as a beaded belt which I was only intending on wearing for the evening but as soon as my bridesmaids saw it, they said I had to wear it all day and I\u2019m so pleased I did! David bought me a pair of blue, glittery Jimmy Choo\u2019s to wear \u2013 they were my something blue. I had a jewelled hair comb in so that I still had something there when I took my veil off on the day and wore diamond and pearl earrings with a matching necklace that were gifts off my parents.<\/p>\n

\"Bride \"Bride \"Bride<\/p>\n

Beauty<\/h3>\n

Myself, my three bridesmaids and my mum all had our make up done by Kitty Kerry, she had done my make up a few times previously when I had been a bridesmaid and I loved her style. It looked so natural whilst staying put all day and night! Our hair was all styled by Michelle, Lily and Chelsea from Hooker and Young Wynyard who do my hair usually. My mum went to the salon on the morning of the wedding (along with my two aunties and two cousins) to have a blow dry by Stewart there. David had calculated exactly how many days there were between a hair cut and his ideal length (11 days) so had his hair cut at his usual barbers 11 days before the wedding.<\/p>\n

\"Whinstone \"Blossom \"Blossom<\/p>\n

The Readings & Music<\/h3>\n

With us having a church service, we had a biblical reading, our church co-ordinator was very helpful with this and sent us suggestions to have a look over. We chose John 4.7-12 as we really liked the wording of it and the way it spoke about love. One of our friends, Adam, read this for us.<\/p>\n

I asked two of my cousins to read a second reading \u2013 we chose Union by Robert Fulghum for this. The words are lovely and we felt that they really covered how we felt. We had been together for nearly eight years when we got married and this piece talks about all the elements of a relationship, how it develops over time and the ways in which you help each other.<\/p>\n

We chose hymns for the service that we knew people would know and sing to. We also had a choir which helped and I could not recommend it more! Our final hymn was Lord of the Dance, everyone loved it and it sounded great in the church.<\/p>\n

Even though we had been together a long time, we didn\u2019t have a \u2018song\u2019 so we had to try and decide on a first dance song. We didn\u2019t want one overly slow or romantic as that\u2019s not really us. I was driving one day and a song came on, I rang David straight away and he listened to it. We decided that the You and Me Song by the Wannadies would be our first dance.<\/p>\n

\"Cake<\/p>\n

The Cake<\/h3>\n

We went to two cake tastings with quite local cake makers and decided on Prettyliciouz cakes, they are a mum and daughter team based in Darlington and we loved their flavours and designs. We opted for a three tier, lemon sponge on the bottom, chocolate coconut in the middle and salted caramel sponge on the top tier. The decoration was in keeping with our \u2018rustic glam\u2019 style and consisted of a ruffled layer, a polka dot layer and the top layer being gold edible sequins. It was delicious and didn\u2019t last beyond the day after the wedding!<\/p>\n

\"Blossom \"Whinstone \"Champagne<\/p>\n

The Flowers<\/h3>\n

I can\u2019t remember now how I came across Wild and Wonderful \u2013 they are based near Sunderland and are AMAZING. They looked at all of my Pinterest boards and listened to my ideas and made them come to life. Wild and wonderful did all of our bouquets and button holes. I have very little knowledge of flowers so just gave them a few things that I did and didn\u2019t want (I wanted some thistles in my bouquet to represent my Dad\u2019s Scottish parents who had both passed away, and that I didn\u2019t want many roses). I also liked the idea of a loose bouquet with plenty of foliage and tendrils. The morning of the wedding when I saw my flowers for the first time, I couldn\u2019t believe what they have managed to create! I would definitely recommend letting the specialists do what they know!<\/p>\n

\"Whinstone \"Chalk \"Watercolour \"Champagne<\/p>\n

The Details & D\u00e9cor<\/h3>\n

Wild and Wonderful did most of our d\u00e9cor, they provided the sequin table cloths and runners to incorporate gold into the colour scheme. They also provided the 6ft blossom trees as centre pieces on our tables which took my breath away when I saw the room on the day.<\/p>\n

We wanted to make our tables personal and decided to name them all after our favourite drink\u2026Champagne! Further to this theme, instead of individual favours, we put a bottle of the Champagne that the table was named after on each table for guests to pop and enjoy as they wished. This worked really well as an ice breaker on the tables where some guests didn\u2019t know everyone on the table.<\/p>\n

Chief Chalker made our table plan and an order of the day as well as \u2018dance floor rules\u2019 on large chalk boards which fit really well with the style of the barn.<\/p>\n

I added a few little touches that were inexpensive but nice to look back on \u2013 we had a full terrace with tables for guests to relax after the meal so I added scented candles (just the Aldi ones) to each table. We also had printed from Foiled with Love, 10 x A4 prints with quotes from our favourite films and television shows on which we had dotted around the room, on the bar, next to the cake etc.<\/p>\n

We also had our pug, Bumble, included in our day \u2013 she came for photographs which was a lovely touch and nice to see her there and have her as part of our day.<\/p>\n

\"Blossom \"Blossom<\/p>\n

Your Photographer<\/h3>\n

Our photographer was Sally T \u2013 there was never any question of who it was going to be. I emailed her the second we booked the venue to check she was free. Sally had done a friend’s wedding a few years ago and then a few friends of friends so we knew we loved her style and importantly, her presence on the day. She made us feel so relaxed on the day itself and never felt imposing. I genuinely never had the feeling that so many brides mention of non-stop photos. Sally kept everything easy going and in nice timings so that we could still enjoy our day and be with our guests. Sally got our preview photos to us the Monday after the wedding and I had a proper cry in Heathrow airport, they were a million times more than I ever expected. The hardest part of it all has been choosing which ones to print out of the 500+ photos we got from Sally.<\/p>\n

\"Sweet<\/p>\n

Your Filmmaker<\/h3>\n

We didn\u2019t have a film or videographer \u2013 instead opting for a stop motion video from Sally which is amazing!!<\/p>\n

\"Whinstone \"Whinstone<\/p>\n

Groomsmen<\/h3>\n

David had three ushers and a best man. One of his ushers is my brother, the other three are all his closest friends.
\nDavid bought the ushers suits from Dandy Threads in Guisborough \u2013 they all wore a navy three piece suit by Marc Darcy with a knitted skinny tie in blush pink. David then also bought them all matching printed socks, and Liberty print pocket squares in different fabrics but a similar colour pallet. The ushers’ shirts were all from Hawes and Curtis, belts and shoes from ASOS and cufflinks from Charles Trywhitt.<\/p>\n

\"Bride \"Bride<\/p>\n

Bridesmaids<\/h3>\n

I had three bridesmaids, all three my closest friends, one from when I was six and two from university. At the time of our wedding, I had been bridesmaid for two of them and I was bridesmaid for the third in October so it felt really special that we had done it for each other and been part of each other’s special day.<\/p>\n

I bought my bridesmaids dresses from ASOS from a brand called Maya. They were blush pink tulle maxi dresses with an embellished top section. I wanted the girls to be comfortable as it had potential to be a hot day. I bought each of them a bracelet from Rox in Newcastle and then they wore their own shoes.<\/p>\n

\"Bride \"Navy \"Navy<\/p>\n

The Honeymoon<\/h3>\n

Two days after the wedding we jetted off to Vegas for a week, followed by two weeks in Mexico. We have both always fancied Vegas so decided to do it on honeymoon and go big or go home! We also wanted time to spend together as a couple and relax with a few cocktails \u2013 as we got married in our summer, this ruled out a lot of the Caribbean for hurricane season but Mexico was basking in glorious sunshine. We had a perfect mix of busy and relaxing by combining the two.<\/p>\n

\"Whinstone \"Whinstone \"Whinstone<\/p>\n

Memorable Moments<\/h3>\n

The whole day went better than we could have imagined. For me, my memorable moments are David picking me up and spinning me round during our first dance, hearing the church bells ringing as Dad and I were pulling into the village and the speeches, they were all brilliant!<\/p>\n

\"Whinstone \"Bride<\/p>\n

Advice For Other Couples<\/h3>\n

Enjoy every single second! People will tell you that the day flies by and it honestly does! Try to take time to absorb as much as you can.<\/p>\n

More practical pieces of advice that I am glad I was told or went with:<\/p>\n