NOTES FROM THE BRIDE

Why choose Autumn for your Wedding?

It’s my favourite season. We had an autumnal theme with our colours being burgundy, gold and navy blue. The Hall looked beautiful as the leaves of the creeper were changing colour to dark orange and red tones. It was such a beautiful backdrop for our photos.

Why use a Wedding Planner?

We chose a wedding planner for a bit more peace of mind in the run-up to our dream wedding weekend. It was mainly because we knew she’d think of all of the questions that we would never think of asking, having never been married before.

We’d already chosen Ellingham Hall as the perfect wedding venue, and we enlisted the support of Hannah to take the reins so we could enjoy the final run up to our big day. She ticked all the boxes when it came to organising what needed booking and arranging. It meant we didn’t have to think ‘have we done everything’ or be worried we had forgotten something important.

What was the Experience like?

It was great. I think it was very straight forward for Hannah because she was dealing with an experienced team of wedding planners at Ellingham Hall.

Shaun, Hannah and I were kindly invited along to the Hall to go through the schedule of the day, which gave Hannah an insight to Ellingham Hall and us the peace of mind that both parties were on the same page.

She said there were no problems with treading on each other’s toes. And I think she liked the fact we had the whole venue, rather than at a hotel where she’d have to work around other events and weddings taking place. She said she got on with everyone and left feeling part of the team on the day of our wedding.

Was Ellingham Hall the Perfect Wedding Venue for you?

We loved the feel of Ellingham Hall. We knew that the Hall would work in any season because of how it looks. And we loved the two-night wedding experience. It meant we were able to relax and welcome our guests rather than running around trying to meet everyone on the day. We met them the night before, so it helped us feel more relaxed for our day.

Our guests had a lovely time and enjoyed staying in both the house and cottages. And they really enjoyed the After Dark Experience. I think we told one or two people beforehand but they probably forgot about it, so it was a real surprise when the party extended beyond midnight. Everyone loved it.

Any Standout Moments?

It was when our DJ let us have a last dance. We had our first dance in front of everyone, but the DJ turfed everyone out so we could have a last dance on our own!

If you’re looking for the perfect wedding venue in Northumberland, contact our wedding planning team today and let us make your wedding dreams come true!

Credits

Photographer – Sean Elliott Photography 

Film – Top Table Films

Registrar – Northumberland Registrars

Wedding Dress – The Wedding Dress Company

Suits – Master Debonair

Flowers & Styling – The Whole Sch-Bang

Signage & Stationary @l.k.n.designs (Brides own business)

MUA – Lisa Jones Hair & Make Up Artist

Cake – The Little Cakery 

DJ – Steven Maddison DJ

Live Entertainment: Saxophonist – I am Joe Reeve

Bongos – Ben Fitzgerald

Singers – Lauren Amour  @sashsings 

Wedding Planner – The Wedding Taylor 

NOTES FROM THE BRIDE

Why choose Autumn for your Wedding?

It’s my favourite season. We had an autumnal theme with our colours being burgundy, gold and navy blue. The Hall looked beautiful as the leaves of the creeper were changing colour to dark orange and red tones. It was such a beautiful backdrop for our photos.

Why use a Wedding Planner?

We chose a wedding planner for a bit more peace of mind in the run-up to our dream wedding weekend. It was mainly because we knew she’d think of all of the questions that we would never think of asking, having never been married before.

We’d already chosen Ellingham Hall as the perfect wedding venue, and we enlisted the support of Hannah to take the reins so we could enjoy the final run up to our big day. She ticked all the boxes when it came to organising what needed booking and arranging. It meant we didn’t have to think ‘have we done everything’ or be worried we had forgotten something important.

What was the Experience like?

It was great. I think it was very straight forward for Hannah because she was dealing with an experienced team of wedding planners at Ellingham Hall.

Shaun, Hannah and I were kindly invited along to the Hall to go through the schedule of the day, which gave Hannah an insight to Ellingham Hall and us the peace of mind that both parties were on the same page.

She said there were no problems with treading on each other’s toes. And I think she liked the fact we had the whole venue, rather than at a hotel where she’d have to work around other events and weddings taking place. She said she got on with everyone and left feeling part of the team on the day of our wedding.

Was Ellingham Hall the Perfect Wedding Venue for you?

We loved the feel of Ellingham Hall. We knew that the Hall would work in any season because of how it looks. And we loved the two-night wedding experience. It meant we were able to relax and welcome our guests rather than running around trying to meet everyone on the day. We met them the night before, so it helped us feel more relaxed for our day.

Our guests had a lovely time and enjoyed staying in both the house and cottages. And they really enjoyed the After Dark Experience. I think we told one or two people beforehand but they probably forgot about it, so it was a real surprise when the party extended beyond midnight. Everyone loved it.

Any Standout Moments?

It was when our DJ let us have a last dance. We had our first dance in front of everyone, but the DJ turfed everyone out so we could have a last dance on our own!

Would you do it all again?

I would! But I would also love to relive it as a guest. Everyone loved it so much and commented on how amazing Ellingham Hall was, particularly the staff, the food… well everything! It’s a real credit to the team. I keep asking friends to get married at Ellingham Hall so we can visit again!

If you’re looking for the perfect wedding venue in Northumberland, contact our wedding planning team today and let us make your wedding dreams come true!

Credits

Photographer – Sean Elliott Photography 

Film – Top Table Films

Registrar – Northumberland Registrars

Wedding Dress – The Wedding Dress Company

Suits – Master Debonair

Flowers & Styling – The Whole Sch-Bang

Signage & Stationary @l.k.n.designs (Brides own business)

MUA – Lisa Jones Hair & Make Up Artist

Cake – The Little Cakery 

DJ – Steven Maddison DJ

Live Entertainment: Saxophonist – I am Joe Reeve

Bongos – Ben Fitzgerald

Singers – Lauren Amour  @sashsings 

Wedding Planner – The Wedding Taylor 

Why use a Wedding Planner?

We chose a wedding planner for a bit more peace of mind in the run-up to our dream wedding weekend. It was mainly because we knew she’d think of all of the questions that we would never think of asking, having never been married before.

We’d already chosen Ellingham Hall as the perfect wedding venue, and we enlisted the support of Hannah to take the reins so we could enjoy the final run up to our big day. She ticked all the boxes when it came to organising what needed booking and arranging. It meant we didn’t have to think ‘have we done everything’ or be worried we had forgotten something important.

What was the Experience like?

It was great. I think it was very straight forward for Hannah because she was dealing with an experienced team of wedding planners at Ellingham Hall.

Shaun, Hannah and I were kindly invited along to the Hall to go through the schedule of the day, which gave Hannah an insight to Ellingham Hall and us the peace of mind that both parties were on the same page.

She said there were no problems with treading on each other’s toes. And I think she liked the fact we had the whole venue, rather than at a hotel where she’d have to work around other events and weddings taking place. She said she got on with everyone and left feeling part of the team on the day of our wedding.

Was Ellingham Hall the Perfect Wedding Venue for you?

We loved the feel of Ellingham Hall. We knew that the Hall would work in any season because of how it looks. And we loved the two-night wedding experience. It meant we were able to relax and welcome our guests rather than running around trying to meet everyone on the day. We met them the night before, so it helped us feel more relaxed for our day.

Our guests had a lovely time and enjoyed staying in both the house and cottages. And they really enjoyed the After Dark Experience. I think we told one or two people beforehand but they probably forgot about it, so it was a real surprise when the party extended beyond midnight. Everyone loved it.

Any Standout Moments?

It was when our DJ let us have a last dance. We had our first dance in front of everyone, but the DJ turfed everyone out so we could have a last dance on our own!

If you’re looking for the perfect wedding venue in Northumberland, contact our wedding planning team today and let us make your wedding dreams come true!

Credits

Photographer – Sean Elliott Photography 

Film – Top Table Films

Registrar – Northumberland Registrars

Wedding Dress – The Wedding Dress Company

Suits – Master Debonair

Flowers & Styling – The Whole Sch-Bang

Signage & Stationary @l.k.n.designs (Brides own business)

MUA – Lisa Jones Hair & Make Up Artist

Cake – The Little Cakery 

DJ – Steven Maddison DJ

Live Entertainment: Saxophonist – I am Joe Reeve

Bongos – Ben Fitzgerald

Singers – Lauren Amour  @sashsings 

Wedding Planner – The Wedding Taylor 

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

CREDITS

Margarita Hope Photography – https://www.margaritaphotos.com

Dan Lewis from We Were Here – videographer – https://www.wewerehereuk.com

Registrar – Northumberland Registrars

Marrime Bridal – https://marrimebridalwear.co.uk

Chemily Cakes – https://www.chemilyscakes.co.uk

Sprig and Thistle florist and event stylist – https://www.sprigandthistle.co.uk

Suit Culture – https://suitculture.co.uk

Sarah Stonehouse makeup – https://www.instagram.com/f.a.c.emakeupartistry/

Samantha Jane Bridal Hair – https://www.instagram.com/samanthajanebridalhair/

Freak Music Agency (The Emperors Band) – https://www.freakmusic.co.uk

So you’ve just started your wedding venue search and have shortlisted a number of venues which seem perfect for you both, but what do you do next? The next step in any wedding planning journey is to take a tour of the venues you’re interested in, get a feel for how they flow, how they operate, and where possible, meet the team behind the scenes.
Depending on the venue, there may be a whole host of options available to you.

Types of tours:

• Tours in person
• Zoom/guided tours
• 360 virtual tours

Like many venues, at Ellingham, we host a number of tours to help make the venue hunting experience as easy and enjoyable as possible, so whether you’re a 20-mile, or a 200-mile journey away, you get a real feel for the Hall.

Tours at the venue

Undoubtably, the most popular type of tour is a visit to the venue in person. As well as seeing the space first-hand, it gives you a great opportunity to visualise your day and importantly, you’ll also get the opportunity to meet the team. Industry heavyweight Bridebook says, aside from a venues aesthetics, the most important factor when booking a venue is the team.

Hamish Shepard, Owner of Bridebook, explained; “Couples want to know that you are genuinely nice people, that they can trust you and have confidence you are there to give them the greatest day of their lives.”

At Ellingham we aim to make sure, the team who take your round on your first look of the venue, also continue with you on wedding planning Journey.

“As soon as we walked through the door, we knew Ellingham was the right venue for us. It was really warm and cosy, with all the fires roaring and Anthony, the Managing Director who we met on our first visit, was just so lovely and down-to-earth! We were greeted with big mugs of hot tea and sat by the fire in the blue room for our initial conversation and didn’t want to leave. The service we received from our very first visit at Ellingham Hall wildly outdid any other venue we saw…and we saw a lot!” – Ami & Kam

Booking an appointment is often easy to do by requesting a viewing online and many may even have a designated page on their website to book and viewing slot.

Zoom tour appointments

Over the past year, we’ve seen a surge in virtual engagement in the wedding and hospitality sector. In a market which was once dominated by face-to-face interaction.

As wedding Industry Expert Kelly Mortimer explains, “Even post-Covid, we envisage couples viewing less venues in person and only going on site to see their top one or two!”

Although at Ellingham we’ve always offered the opportunity for a virtual tour appointment, with many of our couples being based out of region and abroad, this year we took the opportunity to invest in technology, to enhance the virtual venue experience for couples.

Wendy Sproul, our Head of Weddings explains, “I genuinely love welcoming people into our Hall whether that’s over Zoom or through our front doors. Anyone who knowns me, knows how much of a people person I am, and looking after our couples is what I do best.”

“Remember from the minute you walk through the door, be that in person or virtually, you need to feel welcomed and feel right at home.”

Virtual Appointments can be booked online, and our multi-award winning team would be happy to take you on a guided tour of our beautiful venue.

360 Degree Tours

Many venues are now able to offer 360-degree tour simulations of their venues, allowing you to wander through spaces by click and drag technologies – this allows for a fully immersive viewing experience. The best part about Our 360 virtual tour at Ellingham, is many of our couples use this tool to show to family members, or close friends as this can be accessed any time. The only downside to using this channel is many venues, like us at Ellingham, are continually investing in the in the venue, so you’ll find exciting changes season to season, year on year.

Ultimately, the ‘getting to know your venue’ element of your wedding journey is often down to what works best for you both as a couple; whether that is based on preference, location and of course, the time you have available to look into each venue. Never be afraid to approach a potential wedding venue, and if you can’t get in to view with them in person right away, try a virtual tour first and then you’ll know if they’ll be worth the wait!

Following on from the popular refurbishment of our Drawing Room last year, we were pleased to start work on our Ceremony Room in January. Opened officially at our open day event last month, the room has been given a contemporary makeover injecting light and warmth into the space with freshly painted wall panelling, giving it a modern twist on the traditional country house. Combined with luxury stylings, including crushed velvet curtains and brushed gold touches, we’ve been inundated with great feedback by our couples over the past few weeks.

The Ceremony Room is one of two indoor spaces at Ellingham Hall where couples can host their wedding ceremonies, event organisers can host private dining sessions and corporate clients can run a series of activities with exclusive access to the Hall for the duration of their event.

Take a look at a picture of our newly refurbished space shot by Carn Patrick Photography at a wedding with us or come and view for yourself!

Rachel Barlow, Marketing and Communications Manager said; “We’re delighted to have been shortlisted for the award again this year. Since being so close to winning last year, we’ve worked hard at the venue on improving our experience for couples and also on the venue itself investing substantially in a number of areas at the Hall, many of them highlighting the wonderful Northumbrian countryside.”

It’s now down to public vote and the Team are calling on your support to help them lift the national title. To vote, click here – https://natweddingawards.co.uk/nominate/vote

It’s the support from couples, their family, friends and general followers of the venue which has allowed Ellingham to be crowded winners in a number of awards ceremonies recently and it looks like there’s no sign of them slowing down.

Anthony Hunter, General Manager said; “The support we’ve received over the last 18 months has been overwhelming. We have received back to award back nominations, have excelled in both the wedding and corporate sectors and we can’t thank everyone enough.

“We always knew Ellingham was a special place, but to be recognised on such a national scale is brilliant for the venue and all the Team working hard behind the scenes.”

The awards will be held later this year at a glittering awards ceremony in Leicester and we’ll be sure to keep you updated with news following the event.