Today’s wedding is an elegant and classy affair; mixing traditional styling with a modern twist at one al styling with a modern twist at one of Yorkshire’s favourite wedding venues:  The Mansion at Leeds Roundhay Park. Gorgeous couple Kat and Vincent were lucky to have a beautiful summer’s day for their wedding, and really made the most of the grounds of the park for their wedding photos.

Images are by York wedding photographer Amy Jordison, who gets a glowing review from the couple in their English Wedding Interview below! Watch out for a stunning Essense of Australia dress (from Ava Rose Hamilton), fabulous florals by NC Floral Designs and that wonderful cake from Zoe’s Fancy Cakes.

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://amyjordisonphotography.com/

We posted a request for photographers on Bidvine.com. Of those that came back, we met those that seemed a good fit and then made a final decision based on various factors like portfolio, experience, location and rapport – the latter being important because they needed to be able to get on not just with us, but all the guests they’d be having to wrangle on the day.

Amy not only gave us some amazing photographs, she was also extremely professional on the day – staying in the background when the moment called for it, but also ably managing our guests when they had to line up in front of the camera for the posed shots. The fact Amy was so friendly and relaxed meant even Vincent’s mum, who dislikes having her photo taken, was caught smiling in almost every shot. Even if some of the credit for that should probably go to a glass or two of Prosecco, dealing with guests who’ve partaken of the free alcohol is another skill a wedding photographer needs in abundance.

Amy trickled out samples of the wedding photos as she was working through them, so by the time we got to see the full gallery we’d already seen quite a few of the highlights. Though the very first photo she sent of us on the dance-floor was very much a ‘wow’ moment – probably the first time either of us thought we looked like movie stars!

Wedding month:

June

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

Fabulous from beginning to end!

Your wedding style or theme:

We didn’t really have a style or theme, we just tried to keep to keep to a set of complimentary colours across the flowers, decorations and main wedding party.

Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)

A combination of searching online and recommendations, except for the wedding cake. This was provided by Kat’s oldest friend, who – due to either extremely good planning or extremely good luck – makes and decorates cakes for a living.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

I don’t think we have a top tip for saving money, but we would say that we had a clear idea of our overall budget and our relative priorities, so our decisions about how much we would spend were all informed by that. It was easy to rule out some amazing venues when we could see they’d cost so much we wouldn’t be able to afford anything else. In the end though, what makes the day great is the people and the atmosphere, not how many decorations or wedding favours you pay out for.

… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?

The venue and the events team were well worth the money. Not only was The Mansion at Roundhay stunning, Dine – the company that manage the venue – made the whole process painless from beginning to end. Because they were so organised and efficient (as well as their food being delicious), it gave us confidence the day would run smoothly and that confidence truly proved well-founded on the day.

Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?

Feel Good Invites provided our invitations, Vincent designed the table cards, while the thank-you cards were printed by Optimalprint using some of Amy’s photographs. We could have laboured over all the stationery ourselves, but finding time to do that as well as organising everything else and doing our day jobs was just a bit too much!

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

Yes, Kat thought it the most beautiful thing she had ever worn, and she had the best time choosing it. The wedding dress assistants at Ava Rose Hamilton were so friendly, kind and accommodating.

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

The designer: Essense of Australia. The bridal boutique: Ava Rose Hamilton, Silsden branch.

Tell us about your accessories: jewellery, shoes and anything else!

Rainbow club for shoes, with padding enough to ensure Kat could wear the heels all day. As the wedding dress had a halterneck, the only jewellery worn was a pair of earrings from Katherine Swaine. Kat also wore a crystal hair clip from Charlotte Rose which provided a dramatic effect with the plaits and bun style she went with.

And what did the groom wear?

Vincent wore a bespoke navy suit created by Gareth Beckwith of Crown to Cuff tailors. The choice to go bespoke was mainly decided by being unable to find an off-the-peg suit that fit particularly well – didn’t want to spend the big day looking or feeling uncomfortable. Crown to Cuff are specialists in tailoring for a more athletic build, and while Vincent wouldn’t claim to be an athlete, the suit was certainly perfect for the occasion.

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

Kat’s sister Caroline wore a dress from Dessy in aubergine matching the colour theme of the wedding.

Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?

Brittany Lamb was recommended by a friend. She was able to provide styles to suit bride, bridesmaid and mother of the bride. We had so many compliments throughout the day.

Describe your wedding flowers. Who arranged them for you? (florist details would be lovely please)

Natasha Coustol Floral Design supplied the flowers, which included a bridal archway for the ceremony. The flowers were really vivid and colourful and beautifully arranged.

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

The Mansion is an impressive location inside and out, so aside from the flowers, we didn’t need to do much else.

The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?

As mentioned previously, the wedding cake was created by Kat’s oldest friend who runs Zoe’s Fancy Cakes, and one of the layers – chocolate brownie with caramel – was decided as a must have after Zoe used that recipe for Kat’s birthday cake and it was just too good not to have it at the wedding. Vincent’s only problem with the cake was that he didn’t get enough of it!

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

We hired a band called ‘The Hi Fi Club’ through the Alive Network Agency, and they kept the dance-floor full and buzzing from the first dance through till the lights went up shortly before midnight.

Words of wisdom: share your best piece of advice for other couples:

Everyone says the day is over before you know it and it’s true. Try as hard as you can to live in the moment and enjoy those moments during the day, because it’ll be over before you know it. At which point having some great photos to look back on certainly helps!

What’s the best thing about being married?

Being together is the best thing, but being married makes the best thing official.