Hayley:
I first met Matt
whilst on a night out with friends, a couple of my friends already knew him as
they were from the same village. He made the first move and asked my friend
Katie for my number and things just went on from there.
Matt’s proposal
took me completely by surprise. We were in the Lake District and had stopped
for a picnic when one of our dogs, Daisy, came running over to our picnic
blanket with a little white pouch tied around her collar – in it was an
engagement ring and a little note that said ‘Will you Marry Me?’ – I said YES!
We loved
everything about our wedding venue, Beeston Manor. Matt and I are quite
outdoorsy so we wanted a venue to suit the natural, country theme we had in
mind. As soon as we visited Beeston Manor we
knew it was right for us; an old converted farmhouse with exposed beams
and exposed stone walls – it was just perfect.
To go with our
country theme we used lots of hessian and lace along with rustic pastel
flowers. Matt enjoys shooting so to reflect that he went for a tweed waistcoat
and tie.
Our main idea
for the day was to create a relaxed atmosphere where guests could just chat, chill
and enjoy a few drinks! We didn’t want anything too formal or fancy.
Finding our
perfect suppliers was easy thanks to all the wedding fairs in our area. We
found both Kerry our photographer and Lizzy our florist (Lilybets) at aLittle White Books’ wedding
fair at Beeston Manor – they were both AMAZING. Kerry’s photography style was
exactly what we were looking for, again with the relaxed approach and nothing
too formal, with lots of outdoor shots. Our
florist was also amazing, she immediately got a feel for what we were looking
for and on the day, when I saw the flowers, they exceeded all my expectations. For other things such as the cake, my dress,
groomsmen outfits, hair and makeup and videographer, we tried to use
local businesses.
I found my dress
at Orchid designs in Clitheroe and I couldn’t recommend them enough. The owner
and dressmaker Liz understood the look I wanted to achieve, which was a great
help. I had been to a few other bridal shops and there was nothing that I
totally fell in love with – I was starting to worry that I would never find THE
dress! At Orchid Designs however, with Liz being a dressmaker, she suggested I
choose my favourite dress and then we would work on it together to turn it into
my perfect dress. At first this sounded a little crazy as I am not at all
creative, however with Liz’s help we transformed the dress (Mon Cheri Emerson)
into exactly what I had in mind. She did an amazing job and not only did I have
my perfect dress it was also completely original. Liz and all the girls in the
shop were just so friendly and it made my dress buying experience a joy. I also
got my shoes, hairpiece and veil from there, it was so handy to have everything
is one place.
Looking back to
my wedding day is actually a bit of a blur, the whole day just flew by so
quickly. I remember enjoying getting ready with my four bridesmaids, it was so special to have time on the morning of the
wedding with my favourite people. We had Prosecco and had our hair and
makeup done – it was wonderful to see all the girls ready and looking so
beautiful.
The speeches
also stand out as a highlight of my day, my dad’s in particular. He was so
nervous beforehand, but as soon as he got up there anybody would have thought
he was a natural born comedian. It was great to hear him officially welcome
Matt into our family. I also specifically remember Matt comparing me to his
dog, Hattie, during his speech – at first I felt a little offended, however I
then realised it was actually a compliment,
as she has always been his number one girl.
Our first dance
song was ‘The One’ by Kodaline. I felt it was a little clichéd as it is a
typical first dance song, but the song had a special place in our hearts.
For our
honeymoon we decided to go on a cruise. We visited Spain, Portugal, Madeira and
the Canary Islands onboard Royal Caribbean’s
Anthem of the Seas. We didn’t set sail until the Tuesday after we were
married, so it was nice to spend that time together relaxing after such a busy
few months planning the wedding. We loved every minute of it.
I think our
family and friends most enjoyed the food at Beeston Manor (food to die for!),
our magician Jason Rea (who was truly amazing) and also our singer Daniel Reid.
We had so many compliments and good feedback on all three of these things which
was great to hear.
So many people
went that extra mile for us on our wedding day, we are just so lucky to have
such amazing friends and family. Firstly my Auntie Sue was a massive help
before the day, helping with room décor, she definitely deserves a mention for
the many hours of bunting making too. My sister, and bridesmaid, Beth was also
brilliant in the months leading up to the wedding and on the actual day, I’m
fairly sure she is now a fully qualified wedding planner. Also my three other
bridesmaids, Emma, Katie and Becky, and Matt’s best man also called Matt, made
sure everything ran smoothly and that we had the best day possible – we
couldn’t have done it without them. Finally both sets of parents, it was just
great to see them looking so proud and of course none of it would have been
possible without them.
My advice to any
bride and grooms-to-be would be to take time to step back and take everything
in on the day. You will be told so many times that the day will go in the blink
of an eye and that is so true. It was fantastic to look around at all our
guests enjoying themselves. You will get lost in all the formalities on the day
and really what’s important is the two of you enjoying the day together, so try
to take that time out.
Many thanks to:
Venue: Beeston Manor,
Preston
[email protected]
www.beestonmanor.com
Flowers: Lilybets Flowers
[email protected]
www.lilybetsflowers.com
Photographer: Kerry Woods
Photography
[email protected]
www.kerrywoodsphotography.com
Special thanks to Kerry
Woods Photography for supplying Hayley & Matt’s fabulous images from their
wedding day.
