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Tag Archive: local supplier

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 

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Supplier Spotlight – Fiona Winn

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.

What do you do?

We design and deliver memorable weddings that reflect the individual personality of our clients. We use our creativity, experience, passion, and commitment to go the extra mile to exceed their expectations.

We’re known for our full-on style, so if you love minimal, you’re in the wrong place! But if you want a ‘wow factor’ wedding, with maximum impact and minimum stress, then we’re here to help you every step of the way.

How do you do this?

We spend time listening to our clients’ thoughts on their dream wedding and then do everything we can to make that dream a reality.

To deliver this, we need to get to know them, their favourite colour scheme, what inspires them, what their lifestyle looks like and their design preferences.

Do they want a contemporary look or a timeless, classic style? Will the vibe be smart or relaxed, luxurious, or rustic?

What makes Great British Bash different?

 We create amazing environments for our clients and their guests to enjoy.  For us it’s all about the vibe and the atmosphere, not about selling products.

When we first started Great British Bash, we noticed that there was a lack of coordinated products for weddings and events. Planning required a lot of hours of online research to find items with no guarantee they would go together!

Since then, we have created 14 exclusive collections, featuring everything client’s need to create that pulled together look.

Clients have access to our amazing wedding inventory, from faux flowers to venue décor and table linens, accessories, and lighting to all the printed items.

Great British Bash at Ellingham top tips for Creating your dream wedding

Take inspiration from what you are naturally drawn too, then your wedding theme will reflect you as a couple. The ceremony room is more formal with its wood panelling and crystal chandeliers.

The chapel offers the opportunity to be grand because of its scale, but the simplicity of the architecture and décor means that a relaxed look works perfectly too.

Arch or fireplace or both!

Start with the biggest pieces. These are the stars of the show and everything else is the supporting cast! Ellingham has enough space to go big and we often use an arch at the end of the aisle to great effect in the Chapel, as it frames the fireplace. An oversize open top arch looks amazing in front of the ceremony room fireplace too.Recycle is the smart wedding plan

We encourage all our lovely couples to reuse their look all throughout the day into the evening.  This continues the look for those who are with you all day and if you have additional evening guests, they will have a good feel for the experience of the day.

The Details

These really put the final touches on your designated look.  They can add opulence and luxe touches by adding extra layers of detail.  Charger plates, gold or rose gold cutlery, designer glasses, luxe linens build texture and reflect your individuality.

So, spend on the big stuff and then whatever is left of the budget can be used to finish off with the details.

Special Touches

At Ellingham Hall they provide table, chairs, white linen tablecloths and napkins, glassware, and cutlery for your special day, however if you would like to transform your venue, by adding your own individual touches, here are some ideas to consider!

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.

Coloured Tablecloths & Napkins

We offer 30 colours in our classic Chelmsford table napkin and have an extensive range of crushed taffeta napkins and cloths if you love a luxurious look.

Bespoke Cutlery & Glassware

Choose from our gold, rose gold and silver cutlery to match your charger plates.

Our Alexa gold or silver rimmed glasses add elegance and sparkle.

Charger Plates

Select Tallulah Charger Plate if you like a crystal plate with a metal bead trim, or Cassie if you want a solid metallic look.

Stationery

We design personalized stationery to add the final touches to your unique big day.

From Save the dates, invitations, welcome sign, order of the day, menus, place cards, table plans and thank you cards for after the event.

And more

If you would like to find out more about Great British Bash, make sure to check out their website!

Supplier Spotlight – Hotspur 1364 Menswear

Ask our Expert – Lisa Aynsley

Hotspur 1364 are a multi-national award winning menswear boutique based in Alnwick, in the heart of Northumberland. Established in 2014, Lisa and her team have dressed thousands of grooms and groomsmen over the years and are recommend supplier to Ellingham Hall.

They provide style advice to help chaps build a unique standout image by sourcing tailored, personal and designer collections to compliment, enhance and profile their look.

Check out Lisa’s Top Tips to help Grooms look their Best on your Wedding Day.

1. Don’t involve Groomsmen!

Should the groom and groomsmen choose the style of the suits? NO, NO, NO!

It’s your choice who you take to choose your suits, but our experience is that groomsmen do have a tendency to behave a bit like divas.

They quite often cajole a groom into something you didn’t really want with their own opinions and choices heavily influencing your decisions. Also, it’s difficult to please all the people all of the time, so the debates can become quite intense, especially if you have a lot of groomsmen.

We find it works best if you and your partner go together with an open mind and try on different suit combinations. We encourage you to take photos and then review to make a final decision on your look for your big day.

THEN the fun stuff happens…

We book you in for your VIP fitting experience with all your groomsmen in our private showroom (there’s complimentary cold beers too!) and we encourage you to try and make a day or evening of it.

To make your experience as stress free as possible, we pull a selection of sizes and get the grooms squad all tucked and pinned ready for our in-house tailor to make you all fit perfectly.

2. Your Suit is an Investment!

The choice is yours, but its better to go with a classic look that’s timeless just like your venue Ellingham Hall! We are happy to style you any way you desire, and our huge range ensures there is something for everyone. From tweed to tuxedo, mix and match, a three piece or simply a jacket and waistcoat. Whatever your vibe, we have a style to suit.

You may be thinking that suits are just for weddings and other formal occasions, but, in fact, they can be worn whenever you want. Suits aren’t just for special occasions like your wedding day, or job interviews they’re also great for other everyday events, such as going to work or hanging out with friends. Suits are easy to wear and dress up or down accordingly.

A blazer, polo shirt and chino combination are now a staple wardrobe go to for the modern man about town, just as is a suit trouser with a smart sharp shirt which are both perfect outfits for the relaxed Night Before celebration at Ellingham. View your suit as an investment piece that can be utilised time and time again.

3. White Shirts can’t be Beaten

We believe there’s nothing better than a crisp white shirt with your suit when saying ‘I do‘.

Colours are great too, but nothing beats the ‘ WoW’ factor than a white shirt for us.

We recommend to buy new shirts from the same brand or shop! We’re often bamboozled by the men’s’ thought processes regarding shirts: they’re happy to spend a sizeable amount on a suit only to pull an old white shirt out of their wardrobe to wear with it!

Please make and extra effort for a new shirt…it really does make all the difference!

4. Suits don’t have to match Bridesmaids

Suits have evolved over the years and have moved away from your simple two button black, navy or grey. We feel the groomsmen can stand alone and still have a dramatic effect. Sometimes a matching tie and pocket square in the chosen colour scheme is more than enough to bring the look together.

We are asked a lot if the groom should look slightly different, so he stands out from the rest of his groomsmen. This is easily achieved with perhaps a contrast waistcoat or a different colour tie. But we also feel everyone knows who the main man is, so there’s no need to make him different to stand out.

5. Don’t leave it too Late to shop!

Pre-pandemic, leaving the suit shopping until the last minute was not a problem, with stock supply in abundance and a supply chain that was slicker and quicker than Lewis Hamilton in last year’s F1. You could quite easily walk in the day before your wedding and get fixed up.

Unfortunately, times have changed, so if you have your heart set on a particular style and colour, we would advise to start looking 12 months in advance of the wedding.

Supply chain is still difficult but also prices are increasing almost monthly. I know a lot of chaps may be looking to lose weight or work out prior to the wedding, so you look your best on the big day, which is often the reason for putting back the suit purchasing until nearer the wedding.

Don’t worry we have an in-house tailor who can easily tweak, take up, in, out and down to ensure you look perfect on your day.

6. The Big Day

First, have a decent breakfast to set you up for the day and try not to have too much alcohol at least until the important bit is over.

Make sure you have done up the INSIDE button on your waistcoat, so it stays in place for the day ahead, and remove all mobile phones from trouser pockets for those intimate wedding portraits within Ellingham’s stunning grounds.

Finally, RELAX and ENJOY your special day!

If you’ re looking to dress your groom, visit Hotspur 1364 in Alnwick or visit hotspur1364.co.uk For details about our wedding venue in Northumberland and to book a viewing, fill in our contact form.

Supplier Spotlight – The Beauty Box Studio

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.

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

Radiant & Peachy

This stunning bride, Ella, went for a radiant look with peachy, pink hues on the eyes, lips and cheeks. Very romantic and perfect for brides!

Supplier Spotlight – Epernay Bridal

Ask our Experts – Epernay Bridal

For years, Laurie and Judith’s makeup and artistry skills ensured every bride felt super unique and beautiful, but now we support brides to achieve the complete bridal look at Epernay Bridal.

Helping brides into their gowns and being one of the first to see the bride’s completed look, was one of the most magical moments whilst we were freelance makeup artists. It also provided us with an advantage to appreciating designs, fittings and silhouettes. Still, it gives us a real insight into every bride and their personal wedding dress shopping experiences.

Having both enjoyed the memorable moment every woman should experience when searching for her dream wedding dress, we both knew we had something unique to offer when we uncovered a shared dream to own a bridal boutique. Together we deliver an unforgettable experience for every bride pulling from personal memories and offering exceptional customer care with a creative eye for detail.

At Epernay Bridal, we have some fabulous collections and are Exclusive stockists for:

Hayley Paige & Blush by Hayley Paige

Tara Keely designed by Lazaro

Allison Webb

Ti Adora & Lucia designed by Allison Webb

Cizzy Bridal Australia

Kellylin Couture

Our boutique is welcoming, homely and cosy, filled with the latest collections. You will feel confident, and are in safe, knowledgeable hands with us both as we strive to help you to discover your dream wedding dress and say: ‘This is the One.’

Timeline for booking a wedding dress
(from initial contact to collection of dress)

Our designer’s timelines vary from 3 – 8 months.

We advise brides to start searching for their dress 12 months prior to their special day. This will allow plenty of time to visit (no more than 3 – 5) boutiques, as brides’ biggest mistake is attending too many appointments. Our advice is to research the stores you wish to visit, review their designers, and check pricing (do they meet your budget?)

Once that’s completed, invite-only those whose opinions matter to your appointments. Since our boutique is intimate, we can accommodate the bride plus three to four guests max. We propose to our brides they can invite other guests (no more than four) to their dress arrival appointment. This allows the bride to show their dress to others that we’re unable to attend the initial fitting should they wish to do so.

Your dress must arrive at least two months before your wedding date to allow plenty of time for your alterations. You will usually meet the seamstress three times during the two months leading up to the wedding date.

There are always solutions to timelines. All our designers work to rush order timelines, so we can work to (subject to approval) as little as five weeks if your timeline is short. However, this incurs a charge, and the seamstress will have to book (subject to availability) priority bookings. It is essential to think about timelines to reduce any unwanted extra costs.

We offer the chance to purchase dresses from our boutique on the day of your appointment, depending on size and fit. If the sample dress permits alterations or customisations, buying a dress at a reduced cost, which eliminates a timeline, is always an option. It’s a great solution that many brides take advantage of!

Pear Shaped Figure

Cizzy designed by Bridal Australia

Dresses that accentuate your shoulders, neckline, or bust, skimming over the thighs, and emphasizing the waist are perfect for pear shaped figures. The perfect way to draw the eye to the upper body is with bare shoulders. Our Cizzy Cz8617 dress has a satin skirt and sheer boned bodice with portrait neckline.

Hourglass Figure

Luicia designed by Allison Webb

Fitted and structured dresses compliment an hourglass figure. Our Gianna dress is an Ivory/Cashmere lace trumpet gown, with a sheer strapless sweetheart buttoned bodice and layered horsehair skirt.

Inverted Triangle Figure

Emme designed by Alison Webb

Fit and flare silhouettes help fill out your hips and balance your shoulders. Our Emme dress is an ivory stretch crepe, modified fit to flare gown with boat neckline and open back. It features a detachable black or Ivory bow and chapel train.

All Figures

Mae dress by Ti Adora designed by Allison Webb

A-line is the most popular style, as they are flattering on almost any body shape. Our Mae dress is an Ivory lace and English net A-line gown. It has a sheer natural waist, sweetheart lace bodice with spaghetti straps and detachable net shoulder pieces.

If you would like to explore our ist of recommended suppliers, contact our team today!