The couple met while they were both studying Accounting Finance at Sunderland University. As a result, the North East region has always held a special place in their hearts.

“We’ve always had an affinity with the region,” says Callum, whose family live in Saltburn and Scotland. “Northumberland just made sense location wise as it’s not too close to the city and was easy for my family to converge. It’s very expensive to marry in Bermuda so it all made sense, especially as we plan on moving back to the North East in the future.”

LeChé says that with the extreme heat in Bermuda, she wanted her family to travel to cooler climes for their wedding. But the autumn and winter months in the UK are too chilly to get outdoors, so we opted for a summer wedding in Northumberland.

Notes from the Couple

How did you find your Venue Search from Bermuda?

Callum: It was straight forward with Google, and we put aside a couple of days to visit a lot of venues. We wanted a manor house or something similar, so we could house all our family, especially those travelling from Bermuda.

LeChé: We had a look at some venues and while we were driving around, I looked at what other venues were in the area and Ellingham Hall popped up. So, we tried our luck and turned up at the Hall. Hats off to Lynn because she was so welcoming and took the time to show us the venue even though we hadn’t booked a viewing. It was so beautiful and exactly what we had been thinking about. But the fact that you have the venue for two nights of wedding celebrations was perfect. With everyone travelling and needing to stay over, having a two-night wedding was exactly what we needed. We had a bit of back and forth on other venues, but Ellingham Hall was the first one we both loved straight away.

How did your Families enjoy the Two-Night Wedding Experience?

Callum: It was a real icebreaker. A lot of my family hadn’t met LeChé’s family, and I didn’t want to just throw them in a crucible on the day itself. Apart from the beautiful Hall and grounds, it was a real selling point! The Bermudian side of the family really loved it and had more time the night before to meet and get to know everyone. I think LeChé’s dad was the happiest I’ve ever seen him as he mingled!

LeChé: Other venues might now offer multi day weddings, but it is the way Ellingham Hall considers the whole experience from your arrival that’s stands out. You can tell the team have been delivering weddings for many years. The Hall offers plenty of accommodation suitable for the whole family, which was perfect when everyone was travelling so far. It meant we didn’t have to rush anything, and my family really enjoyed it!

How did you Plan your Wedding being so far away?

Callum: Although we were hands-on with the planning, we relied heavily on the Ellingham Hall team, who were great. They recommended wedding suppliers, and we chose those who had worked with the Ellingham Hall team before, so they already knew how it all worked as it seemed the safest way to do it.

LeChé: It was a bit of an eye opener that we had to put so much trust in our wedding team at Ellingham to make our vision come to life, but it all came together perfectly!

How did the Team bring your Vision to Life?

LeChé: I had no idea how our ceremony space was going to look, but we sent lots of photos of what we liked and wanted. We opted for a black and white theme as we wanted it to look classic and elegant. That’s what I told our wedding stylist, Sprig and Thistle, and they brought our vision to life!

Callum: I think everything for our wedding went as perfectly as we had dreamed of, and we can’t thank you all enough!

So, Distance was no Issue?

Callum: It was seamless. The transition between canapés and cocktails to moving indoors for the wedding breakfast to the evening was perfect. We wanted an outdoor ceremony, but it rained on the morning. The day before we realised the forecast wasn’t looking great, so the team had to use plan B as the ceremony had to move indoors to the 19th century Chapel. But the team always had planned for the change of ceremony spaces.

LeChé: That’s the great thing about Ellingham Hall: they always seem to have a plan B. When they told us they didn’t think it was going to be good weather for an outside wedding, we trusted them and it worked perfectly.

How was your Wedding Day?

Callum: I was extremely nervous but my family from Scotland just told me to have a wee dram and everything would be fine. Our wedding day went by so fast from that point, and it felt like there was no time before the DJ was announcing the last song. I was shocked how quickly our wedding day passed.

LeChé: The wedding morning went so swiftly for me, especially with all my girls in Lady B’s wedding suite getting ready and enjoying toast drinks. But that was great fun. After the formalities of the wedding ceremony, it was great to relax a little. Our violinist, Charlotte, was flawless for the whole day. She even stayed with the DJ for the evening reception too, as well as for the cocktail hour. We also booked a harpist, Helena and the two musicians worked together so well. It was brilliant. And Callum’s cousin sang too, which was lovely.

Callum: We had a lot of entertainment for guests including arcade games, a 360 photo booth and lots of other fun stuff. I think that added an extra element to the day. We had an ice cream cycle too, which was great during the drink’s reception.

What’s your Advice to Couples Planning a Wedding?

Callum: If you have booked Ellingham Hall, you can trust the planning process and it will all come good.

LeChé: At first, you’re so busy planning and getting all the suppliers sorted out. Then it seems like it goes very quiet for a while and you wonder if you’ve thought of everything. But just enjoy your day and don’t worry as the planning gets busy again nearer the day and then the wedding goes over so quickly.

If you are looking for a Summer Wedding Venue in Northumberland, book a viewing appointment here.

Wedding Day Suppliers 

Photographer – Claire at Sean Elliot Photography
Videographer – Adam Chetter Wedding Films
Content Creator – @theannaplanner
Registrar – Northumberland Registrars 
Florals & Decor – Sprig and Thistle
Bridal Gown – Marrime Bridal
MUA – Irene Mua
Hair – @sophiepunshonweddinghair
Bridesmaids Dresses – Club L London 
DJ & Entertainment – A G Events
Harpist – Helena Pearson Harpist
Violinist – @charlotte.violinist
Stationary – Rosewood Co.
Cake – @cook.withkei 

Ice Cream Bicycle – Ice Cycles Weddings 

Groom Suit – Hackett London

Groomsmen Suits – Moss Bros

At Ellingham Hall it’s not all about Summer, we are a venue for all seasons!

Our stunning Country House with its elegant reception rooms, choice of ceremony spaces, luxury accommodation and 8 acres of picturesque grounds and woodland, make every season equally idyllic for a perfect exclusive two-night wedding celebration.

If you’re looking for a venue for all seasons, then contact the team at Ellingham Hall today and come and view this fabulous luxury wedding venue!