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Supplier Spotlight – The Master Cakesmith

Ask our Expert – Dawn Renahan

Northumberland Wedding Cake Supplier, The Master Cakesmith has been a recommended supplier for Ellingham Hall for many years.

Dawn has a wealth of experience making flawless pretty wedding cakes, iced in sugar paste and finished with handmade sugar flowers or fresh flowers.

Dawn says ‘We also provide perfectly cute wedding favours for your table settings and a few little sweet treats to display with your wedding cake for your guests’.

Popular Wedding Cake Trends

When it comes to planning your wedding cake for your wedding day, there are so many lovely designs to choose from. You could go with a classic traditional look or something a little more modern & contemporary. Whatever you choose here’s my top looks for 2023/24.

Cake Gardens

Flowers always make a cake look pretty and elevate designs to the next level. Swirls, waterfalls, placements or a flower base are all dreamy ways of incorporating flowers into the design, but our favourite for 2023 is the flower garden!

Image Katy Melling Photography

Florist Bels Flowers

A Touch of Colour

Adding a touch of colour to match or compliment your wedding décor is a popular choice. It could be a beautiful hand dyed silk ribbon or a full tier in colour as a statement.

Image Katy Melling Photography

Florist Bels Flowers

Textured

One wedding cake trend that here to stay is adding texture to the design. Pillows of fluffy ruffles, folds of icing to look like swaths of fabric or sugar pearls can all be added to add interest to any design.

Image Katy Melling Photography

Metallic’s

Metallic elements add a stunning look to any cake design. Edible gold or silver leaf add a little sophisticated glamour with a subtle hint of opulence.

Image Katy Melling Photography

Extra Tall

Extra tall cakes are impressive and create a stunning focal point for your wedding. Each of our extra tall cakes are 8” tall giving you lots of portions for your guests.

Image Katy Melling Photography

Foliage

Classic and timeless white cakes finished with fresh or handmade foliage are timeless, simple and natural. Tying in with any design or colour scheme this is the one to go for if you can’t make up your mind.

Image Katy Melling Photography

Icing Flowers

Gorgeous handmade flowers made from icing have defiantly had a comeback over recent years. They can be made to complement your wedding flowers and look oh so pretty on any design

Image Katy Melling Photography

Staging & Dressing

Staging your wedding cake to look super pretty is definitely something to think about. Add candles, runners, a gorgeous cake stand or a few bud vases. Most cake makers now offer packages to dress your cake and make it stand out.

Image Katy Melling Photography

Little Extras

Add some sweet treats to sit alongside your wedding cake. Iced biscuits, macarons, popsicles are all pretty and add interest to your cake display.

Image Helen Russell Photography

If you are looking for a professional Northumberland Wedding Cake Supplier, contact Dawn at The Master Cakesmith today to discuss your bespoke requirements.

If you are planning your dream wedding and searching for your perfect Wedding Venue in Northumberland, book your viewing appointment to come and explore everything Ellingham Hall has to offer.

Supplier Spotlight – Tina Elliott Hair Styling

Ask our Expert – Dawn Renahan

Northumberland Wedding Cake Supplier, The Master Cakesmith has been a recommended supplier for Ellingham Hall for many years.

Dawn has a wealth of experience making flawless pretty wedding cakes, iced in sugar paste and finished with handmade sugar flowers or fresh flowers.

Dawn says ‘We also provide perfectly cute wedding favours for your table settings and a few little sweet treats to display with your wedding cake for your guests’.

Popular Wedding Cake Trends

Cake Gardens

Image Katy Melling Photography

Florist Bels Flowers

Wedding Day

When I arrive at your venue, I like to make sure you have the most relaxing time prior to your ceremony, keeping a calm and fun atmosphere can really help with pre wedding nerves. I particularly love working at Ellingham Hall as you have a beautiful dressing room situated within Lady B’s Wedding Suite with amazing natural light for hair and makeup. It’s also a great space where you can retreat to for some quiet time but are close enough to the main wedding suite to be with all your party and the buzzy excitement.

I’m going to share four popular bridal looks for upcoming brides to consider for their big day:

A Touch of Colour

Adding a touch of colour to match or compliment your wedding décor is a popular choice. It could be a beautiful hand dyed silk ribbon or a full tier in colour as a statement.

Image Katy Melling Photography

Florist Bels Flowers

Textured

Image Katy Melling Photography

Metallic’s

Metallic elements add a stunning look to any cake design. Edible gold or silver leaf add a little sophisticated glamour with a subtle hint of opulence.

Image Katy Melling Photography

Extra Tall

Extra tall cakes are impressive and create a stunning focal point for your wedding. Each of our extra tall cakes are 8” tall giving you lots of portions for your guests.

Image Katy Melling Photography

If you are looking for a professional Northumberland Wedding Cake Supplier, contact Dawn at The Master Cakesmith today to discuss your bespoke requirements.

If you are planning your dream wedding and searching for your perfect Wedding Venue in Northumberland, book your viewing appointment to come and explore everything Ellingham Hall has to offer.

Supplier Spotlight – Made Simply Perfect

Ask our Experts – Susan & Glynis

Mother & daughter duo Susan & Glynis, run a multi award-winning family business – Made Simply Perfect, a Northumberland Wedding Event Stylist based in Amble.

We specialise in full Venue Styling, Floristry, Stationery & Finishing Touches and take a huge amount of pride in what we do. With a genuine passion for weddings, we work hard to earn our fantastic reputation for innovative designs and amazing service.

We offer our couples a seamless experience to styling their wedding day, across all elements that factor into the overall look and feel. Using our experience and knowledge, we are there to assist you throughout the planning process, to ensure that our designs not only meet your expectations…but exceed them.

Top Trends for Winter Styling

Winter has amazing advantages when thinking about the styling options for your wedding. Getting to consider the darker, rich & mood colour tones brings a real overall warmth. The dark, shorter days mean you can play with lighting to create a romantic ambience, by using different varieties of candles.

You’ll want to create an inviting warmth to your winter wedding. The weather is very unpredictable and one of the benefits to winter, is you can focus more on what the inside spaces can offer. Richer colours like dark greens, are a popular trend we are seeing for 2023 & 2024 weddings.

Compliment the season in your flowers, by utilising the evergreen varieties of foliage within your arrangements. If you wanted these softened slightly, they couple well with variations of eucalyptus, which brings more contrast and a more textured feel.

You may also consider frosted tones, adding greys to your colour scheme provides a lightness against those richer base colours. Again looking at ways to give your styling layers and not necessarily sticking to one colour and trying to match throughout. We would always recommend a colour palette of at least 3 colours in complimenting tones.

Table Centres

When we talk about a colour palette, you look at what tones go well together to create styling that works across your tables, the ceremony styling and the venue itself.

The rich greens of mixed foliage in your centre display, coupled with tones of grey using tapered candles and napkins look simply exquisite. Then adding warmth by using gold metallic accents across the candlesticks, charger plates & cutlery, really complete the look.

A foliage display filled with winter varieties and adding texture by using the softer sage tones of eucalyptus, gives the dimension of shades. The loose design of the foliage gives way to each variety, falling naturally as they would if grown outdoors and bringing the feeling of the outside, in.

By Candlelight

Going back to the shorter days that winter brings, think about the candlelight you can create within your centrepiece.

Mixing different varieties such as pillar and tapered styles, when using richer colours, really softens the tones and relaxes your guests into their seats. Tapered candles are a great way to add colour to your centrepiece and their delicate appearance lends themselves perfectly to the romance of the day.

If candles do not feature within the centrepiece itself, then by adding tealights to your tables will create an ambience that is a must for winter wedding styling.

Table Styling

Styling your table is not only down to the centrepiece, yes it’s the focal point, but also think about what can compliment it on the rest of your table.

Keeping in line with the trend of your dark greens, you can create a base colour using our Olive Green Chiffon table runner, loosely laid and ruffled along the centre of your table.

Each guests place setting should be well thought out and we’d recommend creating layers for texture. Our Gold Beaded Edge Charger Plates are the first layer, providing a great backdrop and continuing that gold accent from your centrepiece to the outer edge of your table. Adding grey linen napkins adds a lighter tone to the darker Cryptomeria foliage wreath which surrounds the charger plate. This sets a lovely base for our printed stationery cards which in white, goes one step further to increase the lightness overall, so stands out beautifully on each setting.

Remember, always go all out on winter styling and focus your attention to your inside spaces. Your table wants to look inviting, cosy and warm over the winter months.

Chair Styling

A huge trend for 2023/2024 are a variation of dark green fabrics to dress your Ceremony & Wedding Breakfast chairs. The most popular being Forest and Olive green (Pictured: Olive Green).

When thinking about your flowers and foliage, again your chairs styling need to compliment these. In this ceremony set up we have used the richness of the green from the winter foliage and extended this over the chairs using a chiffon drop. The chiffon drops are a soft, sheer fabric that easily offer support to the rest of the décor. A romantic fabric that has a natural drape to it and ruffles softly over each chair.

Choosing Your Winter Flowers

When thinking about what wedding flowers you would like, take as much direction from your florist as you possibly can. The team at Northumberland Wedding Event Stylist co. Made Simply Perfect, have the experience and knowledge needed to direct you on what is great during the winter months and what is not.

Many couples will already know that flowers are seasonal and some varieties are not available all year round. Plus anything requested out of season, if it can be sourced…may not live up to the high quality when in season and may increase in cost.

So, take full advantage of winter varieties, whether that be Ranunculus, Tulips or various other flowers available throughout the winter season or all year round.

If you are looking for a Northumberland Wedding Event Stylist or one based in the North East, contact Made Simply Perfect. If you are planning your dream wedding in Northumberland, contact us to speak to our wedding team today.

Supplier Spotlight – Dru Dodd

Ask our Experts – Susan & Glynis

Mother & daughter duo Susan & Glynis, run a multi award-winning family business – Made Simply Perfect, a Northumberland Wedding Event Stylist based in Amble.

Table Centres

When we talk about a colour palette, you look at what tones go well together to create styling that works across your tables, the ceremony styling and the venue itself.

2. Don’t be late

Aim to be ready with some time before the ceremony, or before you or your photographer need to leave for it. Rushing for the ceremony will leave you flustered, and you won’t take in the first few moments of the big occasion.

Being ready beforehand gives you time to get photographs in your dress and with your bridesmaids.

I’m saying this twice because it’s really important: Don’t be late. The time just before the ceremony is one of the most precious moments of your life. Being late has knock-on effects for the rest of your day and invariably it’s your photo time that gets cut.

3. Buttonholes for Bridegrooms

Despite its name, it doesn’t go through your buttonhole…it should be pinned to your left lapel a couple of inches below the buttonhole. If you can’t get it right, your lovely wedding planners at Ellingham Hall will be happy to put it right for you!

4. The Ceremony

Find out the photo policy of your venue asap. Some ban all photography, some allow it from the very back, and some don’t allow your photographer to enter the building during the ceremony. For many, the photographs of the exchanging of vows and rings are the most important part of a photo story. Don’t leave it until the day to find out, or you might be left disappointed.

At Ellingham they work with Northumberland Registrars, who have no photo restrictions. They offer many indoor and outdoor ceremony spaces, which all create different vibes for your wedding photographs.

5. Here come the Bridesmaids!

Think your entrance through carefully. Are your bridesmaids going before you? Give them time to get up the aisle and into their seats before you take your turn.

You are going to look amazing; your fiancé wants to get a clear view of you because it will be one of their favourite memories, and photographs.

Let your bridesmaids have their moment, but don’t let them block your big moment! The wedding planners at Ellingham set the bridesmaids away with an even gap, which provides a great opportunity for the photographer to capture those all-important shots.

6. Last to arrive, first to leave

You’ll be the last person to arrive to the ceremony and as newlyweds you’ll be the first to leave. You’ll head outside while all your guests slowly follow to congratulate you both and before you know it, your whole wedding party is backed up in a queue.

This can eat up time straight after the ceremony, which is crucial for getting your formal photos done. Best advice is, once you’re outside, move around the crowd sharing hugs, to allow your guests to filter out quickly, as your photographer gets your confetti shot set up.

At Ellingham Hall, they take this into consideration and take you both away into the bar area and allow the party to flow outside, ready to greet the couple with confetti.

7. The Confetti Shots

The confetti shot is that moment, captured for eternity. It is the most common photograph shared on anniversaries years after the wedding. Why? Because the confetti shot shows so much emotion. It’s a traditional shot but it’s not often on guests’ list of items to bring along so it’s worth buying confetti yourself.

Make sure you know what the venue will allow. At Ellingham Hall they only permit biodegradable or flower petals, so do make sure you buy the right confetti.

Let your photographer arrange a nice long aisle of guests for you to walk up and then walk up slowly, take your time, let it shower you!

8. Frustration Free Formals

The formal photographs can take quite an effort to get people in the right place at the right time, when time is of the essence. Make a list of who you would like in each photograph and get it to your photographer. This is something I help with. Also think of people who could help on the day, who know a lot of your guests and can get them to the photographer quickly when needed. Start big and get progressively smaller, down to the VIPs. Doing this can save you up to half an hour!

If you place a list of the numbered groups on display or into your order of service, you can create extra time for yourselves on your wedding day.

9. Rain shouldn’t stop play

Always have a wet weather contingency for your group photos. Ask your venue if it’s raining, where your photographer can take you and your guests for the photos. You should plan for 2 weddings in the most part: a sunny wedding and a wet wedding.

Ellingham Hall is an all-weather venue which makes a huge difference, so if it’s raining outside there are plenty of spaces within the Hall for all your formal shots without any disruption to your wedding day. This isn’t the case with all venues.

10. Grandparents

If you have any of your grandparents at your wedding, then you are wealthy beyond measure. I love to give grandparents special attention so get them in amongst your group photos and I’ll do images with them separately with you. A photo together will make their day as well as yours.

11. Take your Seats

Spare a thought for the photographs and how you want this to be documented, when you’re planning your wedding reception room layout and running order.

The norm is to have your wedding breakfast 2 hours after the start of your ceremony. Adding an extra 30 minutes to that time will make a huge difference to your group photos and the mingling time you will have before sitting down for your meal.

12. Speeches

I recommend having your speeches before you eat, as it takes pressure off the speakers and allows them to relax and enjoy their meal. This time is also when most of the ‘candids’ of your guests will be taken. You want your tables to look stunning, rather than messy with napkins and empty bottles lying around.

You may not have control over the position of your top table, but try and face the largest window or light source. If you sit in front of a window then a lot of your photos of the top table will be against pure white back drops, rather than the beautiful surroundings. At Ellingham Hall, the Chapel wedding breakfast space has the original high stone windows so regardless of your top table position, you don’t get any unwanted glare.

13. Videographers

I’ve been photographing weddings for over 10 years now and have encountered videographers of all styles and persuasions. If you want relaxed, mainly candid photography then it’s not a good idea to book a hands-on videographer who will direct your wedding in scenes. It’s highly recommended that you consult your photographer as to who they would recommend.

I’m lucky to know some unbelievably talented videographers, who also know how I work. Together, as a team, we can produce photos and a movie that you will cherish forever without us battling for the same piece of flooring or standing in each other’s way! Ask who’s the best in the business.

14. Throwing light on the subject

What time of year are you getting married? A summer wedding will have many hours of sunlight left after you’ve finished eating. An autumn wedding will see very limited light after the meal and a winter wedding will see the sun set during your meal.

If you want to catch that epic light, then speeches first is definitely a wise idea as you can sneak out as soon as you’ve had your desert and make the most of the sunset light. It’s not something a photographer has any influence over, so you need to take the sunlight when it’s at its best.

15. The Night

Taking good photographs in the dark isn’t easy, so find a photographer that knows how to create their own light to make dramatic, dynamic photographs.

I want to make you look like movie stars and your photos, like stills from a Hollywood film. But you shouldn’t need to be working like actors to achieve this! It’s my job to be doing the hard graft, lighting scenes and capturing your love, joy and happiness.

At Ellingham Hall you’re spoiled for choice for stunning settings to capture those moments both day and night.

If you are looking for a Northumberland wedding photographer or one based in the North East, contact Dru Dodd Photography . If you are planning your dream wedding in Northumberland, contact us to speak to our wedding team today.

Designer Bridal Style from Nuziale for your Ellingham Hall Wedding

Supplier Spotlight – Nuziale Bridal Boutique

Glynis & Susan, owners at NUZIALE Bridal Boutique in Amble say there’s a certain sense of occasion that comes from a wedding at Ellingham Hall. It’s grand staircase, soaring ceilings, and candlelit ambience provide the perfect setting for a gown that is unforgettable.

At NUZIALE, we curate collections from internationally renowned designers, including Steven Khalil, Royaldi, Luce Sposa and AIRE Barcelona, often unavailable anywhere else in the North East. Brides can experience the luxury of world-class design without the need to travel to London, discovering gowns that are refined, fashion-forward and perfectly suited to the grandeur of Ellingham Hall.

Dressing for the Setting

Glynis says “Ellingham Hall’s grandeur calls for dresses with structure, presence, and elegance. Architectural silhouettes, statement textures, and tailored lines compliment the venue’s historic interiors and grand architecture. Whether you imagine a sweeping entrance staircase or an intimate candlelit reception in the 19th century Chapel, your gown becomes part of the story, marrying perfectly with the setting.

We often advise brides to think about scale and proportion: a voluminous skirt in a small venue can feel overwhelming, while a sleek, sculptural silhouette can look understated in the vast ceremony hall. Our designers create gowns that balance drama, movement, and refinement beautifully.”

Planning Your Bridal Journey

1. Start Early – Exclusive international designers often require longer production schedules. We recommend starting your search 12–18 months before your wedding to allow ample time for ordering, fittings, and alterations, especially for gowns with intricate detailing or structured construction.

2. Arrive Inspired, But Open-Minded – Bring imagery of gowns or styles you love, it helps our team understand your aesthetic. However, many brides find the gown they fall in love with is one they had not imagined, and that’s part of the excitement of a curated appointment.

Venue vs Gown

3. Think About Movement and Venue Compatibility – Grand venues like Ellingham Hall suit gowns that flow and move beautifully, whether a cathedral-length train, a layered skirt, or a tailored silhouette. Seeing your dress in motion during your appointment helps you envision how it will look in photos and in the space itself.

4. Construction Matters – Luxury gowns are defined not only by silhouette but also by construction, fabric, and detailing. Mikado, tulle, and expertly tailored crepe create a shape that feels effortless yet structured, perfect for editorial-style wedding photography.

International Designers, Curated with Intention

We specialise in internationally renowned designers typically only found in southern boutiques. Our collections are carefully curated for brides who want something distinctive, gowns that feel considered, elevated and fashion-forward.

For an Ellingham Hall bride, that might mean:

· Architectural sleeves framed by grand interiors

· A modern crepe silhouette flowing down the staircase.

· A dramatic train for those unforgettable confetti moments

· Understated luxury that photographs beautifully in every light

Each piece is chosen not just for how it looks on a hanger, but for how it moves, feels, and transforms in a space like Ellingham Hall.

The Boutique Experience

At NUZIALE, we believe the experience of finding your gown should be just as memorable as the day itself. Our appointments are private, welcoming, and tailored, allowing you to explore your options with expert guidance, try exclusive international designers, and enjoy a luxury experience in the North East.

We are proud to be a recommended supplier for Ellingham Hall and look forward to helping you find your dream gown.

Begin your bridal journey today at NUZIALE, experience international designers and gowns carefully curated for Ellingham Hall brides. Book your private appointment online or contact our team to start your journey in luxury and style.

If you would like to explore Ellingham’s list of recommended suppliers, contact our team today!