Christmas wedding Archives - Ellingham Hall - Northumberland and Scottish Borders Weddings

The Statement Dress that puts the ‘Black’ in Black Tie!

Alex & David

Tuesday 16th Dec 2021

When Alex and David Reed began looking for the ideal place to celebrate their wedding; it became apparent that they’d need to look further afield than their home turf in Lancashire and decided on a picturesque Northumberland Wedding Venue.

They quickly realised that they were looking for something timeless; but with a quirky twist. With a strong affinity to the North East (Alex studied in Newcastle for 4 years and they both love the area), they discovered Ellingham Hall and the rest is history.

Having been legally married in October 2020 (after 13 years of being together) the couple were keen to celebrate with their friends and family. Their legal marriage had taken place at the Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy in London as a nod to Alex’s late father who was appointed an MVO (Member of the Royal Victorian Order) in 1990 for his services to the Queen. This honour meant that Alex and David were entitled to marry at the chapel; however due to the Covid pandemic, they were only able to celebrate with 15 people.

Alex explained that “whilst the legal marriage was incredibly special, we really missed having all of our loved ones there – so we knew that we wanted to have a proper celebration.”

The couple, who live in Lytham St. Annes, had originally planned to have their legal marriage and celebration within six weeks of each other; however, Covid had other plans. With their celebration at Ellingham Hall postponed from December 2020 until December 2021, like so many other couples, they had to wait a little longer to celebrate at the Northumberland Wedding Venue with their nearest and dearest!

Notes from the Bride

ALEX SAYS….

Why we chose Ellingham Hall

After looking around a few venues in Lancashire that were very traditional; we quickly knew that we were looking for something that had the wow factor. We were quite picky in the sense that we wanted a venue that was classic, but with some quirky character. We visited Ellingham Hall on one of its open days and we were immediately blown away by the venue. The building itself is just stunning – and teamed with the fact that it offers exclusivity for two nights (which is uncommon); we knew it was perfect. We also loved the fact that the majority of guests were able to stay on site in the Hall itself and in the cottages on-site.

The Statement Dress

When looking for my wedding dress, I didn’t set out with the intention to wear black. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Black is my favourite colour – so the novelty of looking for a white dress was quite exciting. When I arrived at the wedding dress shop (The Ivory Dressing Room) with my mum and Maid of Honour, we immediately saw the black dress hanging up. It was suggested that I try it on as a joke, but when I came out of the fitting room to see my mum starting to tear up; it became less of a joke and more of an actual contender. I did try on a few white dresses that were more traditional; however, nothing felt as ‘me’ as the black wedding dress. With a bit of moral support, I decided to take the plunge and go for something different. It was the very first shop I visited and the very first dress that I tried on – so it was meant to be!

Guests Reaction to the Dress

It definitely had the shock factor! I don’t think anyone was expecting a black wedding dress – despite a little note on our invitations that tried to discourage the ladies from wearing black. It seemed to go down well though – and it really fitted so well with our black tie/winter glam dress code.

Best part of your wedding day

It was all amazing! The best moment was arriving at Ellingham Hall knowing it was going ahead because we had to postpone it 18 months earlier due to the Covid restrictions. It was only meant to be six weeks apart from the legal wedding in London! But I would say that without Ellingham Hall, the day wouldn’t have been what it was. David only wanted a small wedding but after the ceremony, where a mutual friend of ours acted as celebrant, he immediately said it was amazing.

Your overall experience

The Ellingham Hall team are incredible and we can’t praise the team enough – they were absolutely amazing. Some venues can feel like a wedding factory with tight turnarounds and the feeling of it being one in, one out – but we certainly didn’t have that experience at Ellingham. If we could do it all again, we definitely would. It makes us feel sad that we probably won’t ever return to Ellingham for another wedding – but we’re already lining up a trip to stay in one of their gorgeous cottages.

Advice for brides-to-be

Don’t sweat the small stuff. You can have a set vision of what you want, but even if something doesn’t quite go to plan, you’re so in the moment that you won’t even notice it. Just try to focus on the things that really matter – your day will be amazing no matter what!

If your looking for a Northumberland Wedding Venue with the wow factor, contact us to arrange a private viewing appointment.

CREDITS

Esme Whiteside Photography – https://www.esmewhitesidephotography.co.uk

New Venture Wedding Films – https://www.newventureweddingfilms.com

Celebrant – George Jolliffe (friend)

The Ivory Dressing Room (dress by Pronovias) – https://theivorydressingroom.co.uk

Lisa Jones Hair And Make Up – https://lisajoneshairandmakeup.co.uk

The Whole Sch-Bang Venue Styling – https://www.thewholeschbang.co.uk

The Lytham Cake Company – @thelythamcakecompany

Moss Bros Suits – https://www.moss.co.uk

Bridesmaid Dresses TFNC – https://www.tfnclondon.com

AMV Agency (Livewire Band) – https://amvlivemusic.com/artists/livewire

A Quality Christmas Wedding is ‘Streets’ Ahead!

Chris and Sarah Quigley

Tuesday 7th Dec 2021

A confectionery treat made the Christmas Wedding of Chris and Sarah Quigley stand out, when they joined us in December. Quality Street was the theme of their wedding cake, which was inspired by their personalised ‘Quigley Street’ tins.

The theme was chosen after Chris proposed to Sarah in Budapest, when she sported nails in the colours of the chocolate’s wrappers. With the sweet treat’s association of Christmas and memories of her nails from the proposal, it was the perfect theme.

Chris and Sarah booked their wedding for December 2020, however lockdown postponed the wedding for a year. Sarah says, “In that time the Hall got even better. I was impressed that you invested so much into improvements, especially when you were forced to turn away weddings.”

Notes from the Bride

SARAH SAYS….

Why we chose Ellingham Hall

We viewed 5 or 6 venues in the Northumberland area and as soon as we walked into Ellingham Hall, we got the feeling it was the right place. It sounds clichéd but it’s true. We were planning a Christmas Wedding and we wanted somewhere that felt warm, and we loved the cosy feeling when we viewed it with all the fires lit. The exclusive hire was one of the big attractions as there wasn’t going to be another wedding going on at the same time; it was totally private.

The dress, cake and flowers

We used local suppliers and found them through word of mouth. Marrime Bridal in Jesmond provided my beautiful dress and veil, and our wintery themed flowers came from Sprig and Thistle who also brought our vision to life with a huge wreath above the fireplace behind the top table, beautiful chair drapes and centre pieces that matched our theme, as did our cake maker Chemily’s Cakes who incorporated our flowers and even some chocolates into the finished design.

Stand out wedding moments

We hired a saxophonist quite late on after seeing something on TikTok that we wanted to do, which was them playing me and Chris into the room before the wedding breakfast. They weaved in and out of the guests playing ‘Freed From Desire’! Everyone was on their feet clapping and that set the tone after the ceremony.

We had a cardboard cutout of our lovely dog! He’s a bouncy Cocker Spaniel and he would have ruined everyone’s dresses if he’d been there. We made sure other dogs of our guests got a little dog goody bag of treats to takeaway.

Sarah dazzled on the dancefloor when she donned a pair of fairy light angel wings. She says, “They were a present from my Mum on the morning of the wedding after seeing another bride-to-be wear them on a hen do!”

Best part of your wedding day

It’s hard to choose one thing but I’d say the most memorable bit was the ceremony itself and saying the vows. Our registrar was so lovely and sincere. It felt like I was in a bubble! Chris would say that too, I think, though he might say the party was the best part!

Your overall experience

The Ellingham Hall team were brilliant. We planned our wedding through lockdown, but everything was seamless and relaxed. I thought there’d be an endless list to tell a venue what we needed, but everything was organised in one meeting. We had the ‘night before’ meeting and it was so relaxed; nothing was too much trouble.

It was so magical because getting married in December meant the Hall was beautifully decorated and the trees were gorgeous. We were also the first couple to have the After Dark experience, it was cool and a really good touch. It was a like a mini-after party with our music because you can plug into your own Spotify list.

Our family and guests loved it, too. The night before our wedding it was great. No one had been to a wedding like it where you have the whole venue to yourself, and it spans across a few nights. It was a nice icebreaker for everyone, and they could make the most of the time off work. Everyone loved the food and we got so much feedback from that.

We enjoyed not having to share the venue with other guests like you would in a hotel, so even breakfast the day after felt personal and intimate.

We loved that because it’s not a hotel where you have to share breakfast with other guests the day after your wedding, and we didn’t have to hurry for a check-out time!

Everyone was really friendly, and your team would always be in touch, even through the difficulties of lockdown. It was like clockwork. You can tell the team arrange 3 weddings a week!

Advice to brides-to-be

Have a spreadsheet so you can keep in line with your budget and plan your day how you want it. Don’t be led by others and keep it to your own vision. You can’t cater for everyone and it’s your day that you want to look back on and have no regrets!