Yorkshire Country Wedding

A Kickass Country Wedding The Likes Yorkshire Has Never Seen!

Laura and Pete are two of the coolest most down to earth people I’ve ever met; but when it came to their country wedding, dam they sure didn’t hold back. From the details to the party what they and their family created blew my mind. Throw in a fantastic crowd and I was one happy photographer. I’ll hand over to the couple of the hour to take it from here (safe to say I won’t be forgetting my weekend in Yorkshire any time soon). Just before Laura and Pete take the floor, I’d like to say a massive thanks to Mark and Louise who joined me for this one and smashed it!

Tell us about your story pre your wedding?

We met while we were both 19 and living in Whistler, Canada. We were both training to become ski instructors and were living in the same house on Blueberry Hill (which makes our 1st dance song make slightly more sense). Since then we each went to separate uni’s, there was a well worn road between Nottingham and Manchester, but with all the visits to each others uni, it meant we both ended up with 2 sets of amazing friends!  After that we ended up living together in London and getting a giant cat called Mog!

So the engagement: It was a cold and rainy TUESDAY (madness) in January. I’d organised a dinner for us both out at a nice restaurant under the guise of our new years resolution to go out more and not sit on the sofa at home. Laura was shocked I had so many g&t’s given it was a weekday, but she didn’t catch on. When we got home from our meal I had planned an elaborate origami themed treasure hunt through the house… it started with the first clue attached to Mog (our giant cat) and ended with our passports hidden behind a picture from when we first met, when she turned around looking confused I was down on one knee! Luckily she said yes, as I had booked a surprise trip to Finland for the rest of the week to sleep in a glass igloo and try spot the northern lights!

What were your favourite parts of the day?

1. Being in the church during the most tremendous thunderstorm, with rain coming through the roof, and thunder claps at any mention of sun or springtime in the readings. The power cut was a particularly worrying moment, but the storm blew over for a perfectly timed dismissal into a bright and sunny day!
2. It was great during the fireworks to turn around and watch our friends and family, particularly their reactions to some of the more unusual musical choices!
3. We have a very talented friend who sang a couple of songs for us after the fireworks, it got everyone back on the dance floor, including Laura’s dad who I had never seen dance before!

What made you choose the location for your wedding?

Laura’s family home was the perfect location for our wedding, her parents have spent the past 5 years renovating the house and garden, and the lakeside location was Laura’s dream wedding marquee spot.

What made you choose your details and styling?

We wanted the wedding to have the feel of and English country garden party to make the most of the amazing location. We didn’t want the men to have to wear morning suits as this felt a bit stuffy and…. I can’t pull one off.

A key thing for Laura was the flowers and she spent ages looking for florists. Rebel Rebel were her absolute favourites and they did the most amazing job, from the romantic feel of the church flowers to the bright and bold reception. They even managed to forage much of the greenery from the surrounding garden. The styling of the tables was very simple and the main focus was on the vintage floral napkins that had been handmade by my mum and her team of sewing friends! My granny got involved as well and embroidered our initials onto every one!

What entertainment did you have?

We managed to find our amazing wedding band The White Keys after going to see them live in Camden, they were so energetic and fun, the dance floor was never empty! After the bands first act we had some fireworks set to some of our favourite songs which really got the party started!

Head to the bottom of the page to hear Laura and Pete’s top tips for couples planning their own country wedding

Post Wedding Brunch Party

If you thought Laura, Pete and their guests were done after that, you’d be wrong. After partying until the early hours everyone headed back the next morning for a post wedding brunch. The party soon got started again with help from one of my favourite bands – the London Essentials.

What are your top tips for couples planning their own garden party country wedding?

1. Don’t worry about the weather, theres nothing you can do about it! (Laura religiously checked 5 different weather apps…none of them got it right).
2. If you are doing the stationery yourself…. check the spelling over and over and over again!
3. Make sure to try and take it all in as it all goes by so quickly!

What were you looking for in terms of your wedding photography?

From the start we knew we were looking for someone with a relaxed style that would capture the emotion of the day without being posed or awkward. We looked at a lot of photographers but when we came across Matt’s website his stood out for his ability to capture natural and fun pictures full of personality. The engagement shoot was perfect for getting us over our worries of being awkward and camera shy. Matts style is so relaxed that you forget you are being photographed!

Kudos to the suppliers

Star Light Design (responsible for the epic Night Club and fireworks rave) | Band: The White Keys (blew my mind) | Dress: Ralph & Russo | Videographers: Story of Your Day | Flowers: Rebel Rebel London | Cake Artist: Katie Marshall | Makeup & Hair: Lucinda McClements