“I feel I would have been too hot if I’d chosen to wear a long-sleeved dress in spring or summer. So, we thought a winter wedding would suit us best” said Hannah. “And as there was a date in February available, we thought that would be perfect for us.”

The couple tied the knot at Ellingham Hall’s nearby St Maurice Church, which was also something that featured on the couples dream wedding shortlist.

Notes from the Bride

Why did you opt for a Church Ceremony?

We wanted to get married in a church, and as Ellingham Hall is so close to the village church, this really helped our decision. It played a huge part as to why we chose the venue, and the location was perfect as our guests only had to walk a few minutes to the church. I arrived at the church in a horse-drawn carriage, which had always been my dream.

Tell us the Main Reasons for choosing Ellingham Hall?

We loved the venue; it’s a gorgeous house and the fact it’s exclusive use is a huge bonus. There are many wedding venues which host multiple weddings each day. I didn’t like the idea of that at all. Ellingham Hall is totally private for your friends and family, and the team were amazing too. As soon as we walked into the Hall, we felt at ease, and everyone was so helpful. The Ellingham Team offer a personalised service, and they really listen to your vision. We had viewed a lot of wedding venues and we’ve been guests at many weddings too, but we hadn’t been to a wedding at Ellingham Hall. So, as well as the amazing service, privacy and closeness to the church, the idea of getting married where no one else we know has been married was also special for us.

Had you looked at other Two-Night Wedding Venues?

No, it was totally new to us and no other venue we viewed offered that experience. We loved the idea of stretching out our wedding, because the day itself flies over. It was nice for me and Ryan because we had the chance to chat with our guests the Friday night before, so we felt less pressure to mingle on the wedding day. We visited quite a lot of wedding venues across the North East and Ellingham Hall was the first one we’d come across that offered the Two Night Wedding.

Tell us why you opted for Two Wedding Dresses?

One of my best friends told me one of her biggest regrets on her wedding day was that she couldn’t relax on the evening because she didn’t want to spoil her dress. So, I thought a second dress would be a great solution. Also, I knew that with a long-sleeved dress, I’d probably feel too hot on the dancefloor, so I wanted a shorter dress that I could easily move around in.

My main bridal gown was from Sorella Bridal boutique in Northallerton, and my evening dress I’d spotted online on Knutsford Wedding Gallery in Cheshire.

What Unique Elements did you include in your Weekend Wedding?

We really wanted to put our own stamp on our wedding. We booked an acoustic singer to perform the night before, to make it more of a cocktail party vibe. We enjoyed delicious food, the beef was gorgeous, as were the chocolate brownies.

In the church, we booked a string quartet to play, which created a nice atmosphere for the ceremony. We had personalised newspapers designed, which we laid out on the pews so guests could take a look while waiting for the ceremony to begin. The newspaper was full of fun details about our relationship over the years.

We hired a big glitter wall with neon sign, where lots of our friends and family had their photos taken. On the evening, we hired a DJ along with a saxophonist and bongos to get the party going and everyone on the dancefloor.

How was your Wedding Morning?

I recall looking out the window in Lady B’s Wedding Suite and the weather was gorgeous, so I was over the moon. It was so exciting, and I didn’t really feel nervous at all. I think, because we had been planning our wedding for two years and the wedding planning team at Ellingham had every detail captured, it really helped. Before the ceremony, me and my bridesmaids enjoyed pre-ceremony drinks in the wedding suite which was lovely. I also got a mention on BBC Radio 2 as they were doing a piece on their show about Saturday weddings. My mum wrote in when they mentioned it, and we were both live on the show.

Any Advice for Couples Planning a Wedding?

Just don’t stress, it will all come together in the end. Don’t worry about all the little things and just enjoy the planning as much as you enjoy the wedding day. Also, let people make a fuss over you!

Wedding Day Suppliers

Photographer – Stephen Beecroft Photography

Videographer – Ryan Etherington

Content Creator – Your Moment Captured

Church – St Maurice, Ellingham

Bridal Gown (day) – Sorella Bridal Northallerton

Bridal Dress (Evening) – Knutsford Wedding Gallery

Mua – Beatrice Hollie/Samantha Henry

Hair – Bridal Hair by Kayleigh

Groom Suit – Dandy Threads

Bridesmaids’ Dresses – Bridesmaid by JB

Groomsmen Suits- Moss Bros

String Quartet – Amici Musical Trio

Singer – Glen Roughead

DJ/Sax/Bongos – House of Sax

Horse & Carriage – North East Carriage Company

Cake – Batesman’s Bakes

Cold Spark Fountains – AG Events

Balloons & Glitter Walls – ALF Events

“As both our families are Catholic it was important for us to keep up the tradition. St Paul’s Catholic Church in Alnwick was perfect for us, and we wanted to find a wedding venue nearby.”

The couple looked at several wedding venues in Northumberland, but Ellingham Hall was the venue that stole their hearts…

Notes from the Bride

Why did you Choose Ellingham Hall?

We knew it was right as soon as we first walked up the driveway for the viewing. The building is stunning, and the grounds are amazing too – we both got the feeling that it was the one. The venue was a great size for all our guests, as we have two big families and the other venues we viewed were too small. Not all our guests stayed overnight as we live in Cramlington, but Ellingham Hall offers great accommodation. With a summer wedding you don’t know if you’ll get good weather, so you need to consider the indoor spaces too. And the fact it is a two-night wedding was perfect. It was amazing!

Did you know about Two-Night Weddings before Visiting?

It was the first we’d heard of it, and we loved being able to relax with our family the night before. We have family from all over the UK, and some stayed at the Hall, so the extra night was a huge benefit. Other guests stayed at the Pack Horse Inn and accommodation nearby. It was fantastic having the chance to spend quality time together the night before, as it gave everyone time to catch up.

Tell us about the Night Before the Wedding?

We enjoyed a delicious barbecue with drinks outdoors on the Chapel Terrace. The food was unbelievable, all our guests commented how amazing the food was. They loved all of it, including the food on the wedding day. It was lovely to sit outside on a summer evening and watch the peacocks parading the grounds, it was great entertainment for our guests!

Did you have a Theme for your Wedding?

I had absolutely no ideas at all! I was really starting from scratch with all the wedding planning. I’m not an organiser and I really needed that support. It was Lynn, the Group Sales & Marketing Manager who showed us around, and she was amazing and very knowledgeable. She put all our worries at ease and said that anything was possible, as they tailor each wedding to the couple’s aspirations. But the planning resources that we were sent initially with the booking pack were so helpful. That gave us a starting point to go from which included Ellingham’s recommended suppliers. The Real Wedding Blogs are super helpful too, they gave us inspiration, ideas for colours and flowers and all those things.

What did you choose for your Wedding Favours?

I’m a wildlife ranger, so we opted for wildflower seeds for our favours. I thought it was a nice little personal touch for guests to take away. We originally thought about getting married in Greece and had the idea of a blue and white theme, so we stayed with those colours, and it all came together really well.

How did you Travel from Ellingham Hall to St Pauls Church?

Stephen travelled with his good friend Connor, who was also our Master of Ceremonies on the day. I arrived at the Church in a traditional wedding car along with my bridesmaids. The reason we opted to have a church wedding was we wanted to have a traditional wedding, so the car was a must. It made me feel really special driving through Alnwick and everyone stopping and waving.

Did you see each other before Arriving at the Church?

As Ellingham Hall has two wedding suites; Lady B’s and the Ellingham Suite, it made it easy to stay separately the night before and on the morning. The team at Ellingham Hall were amazing. Alicia was fantastic and made sure everyone was out of the venue before I came down the grand staircase to get some photos before leaving for the church.

So, it all ran like Clockwork?

It absolutely did at Ellingham Hall. We had a little hiccup on the way to the venue the night before , as the cake collapsed in the back of the car. But it was one of those funny stories we’ll always remember. Alicia our wedding co-ordinator was brilliant and when we arrived, she said the team would sort it out. You couldn’t tell there’d been an issue with the cake in the end, we were extremely grateful for their help!

Now you’ve Planned a Wedding, what’s your Advice to Couples?

I’d say book Ellingham Hall!

From start to finish, everything was amazing. All the staff were helpful and always on the end of the phone. They answered emails quickly. I felt like I was nagging them, and I had so many questions, and they really put me at ease throughout the planning process.

Explore more beautiful images from Katherine & Stephen’s wedding here

If you are looking for a Summer Church wedding in Northumberland contact our team today to arrange a viewing appointment.

Wedding Day Suppliers

Photography – 2 Tone Photography

Videographer – Unveil Films

Church – St Paul’s Alnwick

Bridal Gown – Wed2B Bridal

Bridal Seamstress – The Little Seamstress

MUA – Melanie Hedley Make Up Artist

Hair – Bridal Hair by Cheryl

Suits – Suit Culture

Bridesmaids Dresses – Ever Pretty

Florist & Stylist – Made Simply Perfect

Wedding Car – AB Wedding Cars

Musicians- Andrelli Strings

Singer – Dave Red Music

Band – Hip Operation

Cake – Homemade

Wildflower Seeds – Etsy

Gareth says, “I’m from the Wirral and Rachael is from Lincolnshire so we needed somewhere with plenty of onsite accommodation as our families were travelling from all over the country.”

Throw in the fact that Rachael had also dreamed of a church wedding, and they both felt there was only one venue that could offer everything they dreamed of

Notes from the Couple

Why did you choose a Church Wedding?

Rachael: We both wanted a traditional wedding, so we decided to book a Church for our wedding ceremony. Ellingham Hall is perfectly situated next to St Maurice Church, and they could also accommodate our families for our two-night wedding celebration.

Gareth: By opting for a church wedding, we had the perfect excuse to hire a vintage car, even though we didn’t have far to travel. We chose a traditional wedding car and wanted to have some photos captured of Rachael’s arrival at the Church and also some portraits taken with the car when we arrived back at the venue for the rest of the wedding celebrations.

How was your Church Ceremony?

Rachael: I really loved the fact that the church was separate from the Hall as it gave us two different places to enjoy on the day. It was also handy for guests as they only had to walk a few minutes through the secret door in Ellingham’s grounds and down a country lane to St Maurice Church. There was a lovely little gate where the confetti was thrown and I thought the setting was gorgeous.

Gareth: We hired a string quartet to play during the ceremony which provided a lovely ambience. Once the ceremony in the church finished, the quartet then headed to Ellingham and played outdoors while we enjoyed cocktails and canapés on the lawn before the wedding breakfast. It was a lovely sunny day, and we made the right choice to have the live music in both the church and at the Hall.

Did you like the idea of a Two-Night Wedding Experience?

Gareth: We didn’t know Two Night Weddings were a thing before visiting Ellingham Hall. They chatted to us about their two-night wedding experience, and we knew it would be perfect. We viewed four or five venues including Ellingham Hall’s sister venue Lemmington Hall. It too was beautiful, but we needed more accommodation as we had so many family members wanting to stay over for the wedding. Ellingham Hall was the perfect choice, as if we’d chosen one of the other venues, a lot of our guests would have had to stay offsite, which wouldn’t have been ideal.

What did your Guests think about your Venue?

Rachael: I don’t think many of our guests knew what to expect. I think they thought it would be the same as staying in a hotel. However, on arrival, when they found out that we had Exclusive Use of the Hall and grounds, they absolutely loved it. Having the whole place to yourselves is great because you can relax as if it’s your own home.

Gareth: Everyone was so relaxed for the whole weekend. It was lovely to chill on the wedding morning with my best man and groomsmen and enjoy a beer out on the private roof terrace before heading down to the church for our wedding ceremony

You also had a Special Guest…

Rachael: Yes, our dog Finley was at the wedding. He’s a golden retriever and he wore a little bow tie, though it was hidden under his fur most of the time! We hired a dog chaperone to bring him to the venue, as he was only about nine months old at the time, so very excitable. It was a good thing that he was able to come along and interact with our guests and we could get photos with him.

Tell us about your Personal Touches

Rachael: We go on lots of holidays and our tables were named after places we’d visited with the guests who were sitting on those tables. One table was named Bali, a place where we’d met some of our friends. Our top table was named Rome as that was the city where Gareth proposed to me. All the table names meant something personal to us both.

What’s your Wedding Planning Advice for Couples?

 Rachael: Do all the planning beforehand, but on the day don’t worry about anything because it’s all in the hands of your weddings team. Just relax and enjoy your special day.

Gareth: I’d say to write everything down about what you want and add little bits as you go. We put our own personal touches on things, for example we arranged a game of rounders because Ellingham Hall has great grounds for outdoor activities. We played the game between the wedding breakfast and evening party. We made sure we had written down that we needed a rounders kit. Most importantly, enjoy the whole experience!

If you are looking for an weekend wedding venue in Northumberland or a dog friendly wedding venue, contact our team today to arrange a viewing appointment.

Credits

Photo – Phil Smith Photography

Video – Hello There Film

Church – St Maurice Church

Dress – The Ivory Room – design by Justin Alexander

Suits – Moss Bros

Bridesmaids Dresses – Azazie

Hair – Kara Scott Hair

Make Up – Anna McClen & Leanne Allen

Florist – Lavenders Blue

Band  – Chameleon

Wedding Cake –  The Little Cakery

Wedding Car – A B Wedding Cars

Stationary – Walter & Winnie Paper Studio

String Quartet – Simple Strings

Dog Chaperone – Wishbone Weddings