Living the American Dream on their Two Night Wedding at Ellingham!
Natasha & Phil
7th September 2024
Most people spend the day before their wedding feeling nervous! According to a survey by fearcourse.com, 92% of brides-to-be experience nerves the evening before their big day.
But that wasn’t the case for Natasha Taylor, who says from the moment they arrived for their Two Night Wedding at Ellingham Hall she felt completely relaxed.
“As soon as we started unloading, the team at Ellingham were extremely attentive and took care of everything – any stress we had just left us,” says Natasha.
Husband Phil agrees. “It meant we could just chill and enjoy the night before celebrations. It was one of the reasons why we chose Ellingham Hall, as we felt complete confidence straight away, that we would be in safe hands throughout the whole process. The stress was immediately taken away and every member of the team was fantastic. Matt and Wendy in particular, were brilliant!
Notes from the Couple
The Night Before the Wedding Day
Fun began early for Phil and Natasha, who travelled in style from their Cramlington home up to Ellingham Hall. The couple love all things American, and Natasha borrowed a classic Ford Thunderbird to make the journey, whilst Phil arrived in his Aston Martin. A friend of the couple, also pulled up in a Dodge Ram truck.
Phil says, “We both love America and brought the American theme to our wedding. Natasha loves the trucks, and a friend kindly brought his Ram to be used in our wedding portraits.”
Natasha says “The Thunderbird was a replacement car, as the Mustang I had planned to arrive in wouldn’t start. But it turned out well and the Thunderbird looks amazing in our photos!” We requested all our guests wear something pastel blue for the night before celebration as it’s our favourite colour. To our delight, everyone joined in, which we were so pleased about. We booked our photographer to come along the night before and everyone looked amazing in the photos!”
Guests Relax too
“We had such a lovely evening on the Friday,” adds Phil. “The barbecue was fantastic, and it was so relaxing, as we wanted to unwind and allow our guests to mingle. The team at Ellingham played our playlist on the evening, which was a mix of country music. Once we finished eating, we enjoyed a quiz.”
Phil and Natasha’s guests were particularly thankful of the two-night wedding, as it gave them the chance to spend extra time with the couple ahead of the wedding day. After such long journeys, the couple say Ellingham Hall was the perfect place for their guests to settle in and feel at home.
“We’re from Bradford, but live in Cramlington now,” explains Natasha. “We always planned on getting married at Bolton Abbey, but Northumberland is so beautiful we started looking at wedding venues in Northumberland. We instantly fell in love with Ellingham Hall.”
Phil says the two-night wedding experience helped seal the deal.
“We’d not heard of a two-night wedding before, but when one of my cousins got married, we had an impromptu meal the night before. It really helps break the ice. So, I wanted something similar. And the fact Ellingham Hall offered this and somewhere for guests to stay in one place was a big bonus for me.”
The American Dream
With guests relaxed and recounting the fun of the night before, Phil and Natasha enjoyed a fairly traditional wedding, with a string quartet performing during the ceremony.
But then the fun began! Phil and his best man hid the rings under a seat in the ceremony room to make their ceremony interactive for their guests.
After the outdoor drinks reception, guests made their way to the Chapel for the wedding breakfast where they were handed luggage tags with American place names. This helped guests to find their tables, which were named after places the couple have visited. Guests also dropped their cards into an American post box.
A gospel choir performed during dinner – bursting into song up on the mezzanine.
As day turned to night, the American theme continued with flags and cowboy hats as table centres and the food was a real taste of America.
“The catering team really got on board with it,” says Phil. “They served the food in red baskets with red and white paper and popped American flags into the chicken.”
Cowboy boot tossing and a tin-can alley were some of the fun games that took place on the day.
Advice for Couples
Phil and Natasha say that adding those personal touches is what made their day so special and unique. And that’s their advice to couples planning their wedding. “We wrote a personal letter to each guest and left it at their seat telling them what they mean to us,” says Phil. “It’s the personal touches that matter. Don’t worry about the big stuff.”
If you are looking for a Two-night Wedding Venue in Northumberland, contact our team today to arrange a viewing appointment.
Wedding Day Suppliers
Photography – Nick English Photography
Videographer – Valley Visuals
Registrar – Northumberland Registrars
Dress – Wed2B Bridal
Suit – D Raynor & Son
Hair & Mua – Carly Michelle Makeup & hair
Florist & Event Decor – Sprig and Thistle
Cake – Jacquelines Cakes
String Quartet – Andrelli
Gospel Choir – Collective Gospel Choir
Band – The Penny Kings
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