Adwoa & Jonny’s unique and eclectic York Hospitium wedding, with Bethany Clarke Wedding Photography

Published by Claire Gould on November 9, 2020November 9, 2020

Hey lovelies, how are you doing? It’s been another rollercoaster weekend – I do hope you’re all getting through this ok. Can I share something beautiful to bring a smile? Stunning couple Adwoa and Jonny were married in safer times, and their spring wedding is full of joy, elegantly styled and a delight to see. I hope you love this as much as I do!

With love,

Wedding photographer’s website

https://www.bethanyclarkeweddingphotography.com

How did you choose your photographer?

They had photographed a friends wedding and came with a great recommendation.

Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!

Our photographers were Bethany Lloyd-Clarke and Matthew Lloyd. We highly recommend them. They’re a brilliant partnership: talented, relaxed and capable of taking incredible photos without intruding. We got our pictures back very quickly, which was great – we got to enjoy looking through them on honeymoon!

Tell us about your venue – what made this place special for you?

We had our ceremony at our parish church, the beautiful and ancient Holy Trinity on Micklegate, which predates the Domesday Book. For our reception, we really wanted to make the most of the spring wedding, so booked the 14th century Hospitium in Museum Gardens in York. It’s an absolutely gorgeous setting by the river within botanical gardens. We were a little worried that it might rain on the day and our guests wouldn’t get to enjoy the lovely surroundings, but we were very lucky with the weather.
The Hospitium was a wonderful reception venue and we would certainly recommend it to other couples. The team there worked closely with all of our other suppliers to make sure that the day went without a hitch.

Did you love wearing your outfits? How was the dress / suit shopping experience?

I fell in love with an Alan Hannah dress called Evita, which I tried on at Brides of York – they provided an excellent service. To complement my skin tone, I wanted a warmer colour than pure white, so I asked for the dress to be made specially in ivory Duchess silk. It was made in London to my exact measurements and I absolutely loved it! I accessorized with a ribbon-edged veil.

Jonny wanted a beautifully-made, classic three-piece suit. He went to Mullen and Mullen in York to have it made and opted for a Royal blue with paisley lining. Both the suit and the service were fabulous. He accessorised with a champagne-coloured silk tie and classic brown brogues from Loake, which he bought from Watkinson’s.

Did you hire a florist? Tell us about any floral amazingness

Our flowers were by Mandy Barker of Wedding Blossoms.. Our original florist dropped out at the last minute and Mandy saved us! She did all of the bridal flowers and arrangements for the reception, including the floral centrepieces of roses, tulips, ranunculus, alstromeria amaranthus, eucalyptus, hydrangeas and other dainty spring flowers. They were beautiful and we loved them.

I went for a loose, hand-tied bouquet with trailing jasmine and clematis and peach and champagne roses. For Jonny, a Yorkshireman, there was no option but a white rose buttonhole!

As cake lovers here at English Wedding we’d LOVE to know who made your cake, and how delicious it was?

Jonny’s mum Pauline made our gorgeous four-tier fruit wedding cake. She had it decorated by Wildings.. We also had a cheese wedding cake, made by our caterers Bradshaws of York.

Tell us about any special personal touches, or creative projects you made yourselves

Our favours were pocket squares made from Ghanaian wax print cloth with motifs symbolising the beauty of marriage. They were handmade by Jonny, who tried out a sewing machine for the first time! We also wore traditional Ghanaian outfits for the evening.

Did you personalise your vows or have any wedding readings? What were they?

Colossians 3, 12-17: We chose this reading because it was not only about love, but also about compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, which we both felt would be qualities that any marriage would benefit from & Corinthians 13: We both loved this reading. It highlights all the attributes love has, and that without love, we are mere vessels & Song of Solomon, 2,10-13;8,6-7: this reading is from the Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison’s novel, Paradise. I (Adwoa) am a big fan of the writer Toni Morrison, who sadly died last year.

What was your first dance song? Why did you choose it?

“Better man” by Paolo Nutini. We saw Paolo live when we first started going out, and Jonny listened to this particular song a lot when we were dating and said he always thought of me when he heard it. When he suggested it as our first dance song I was very touched!