Jack & Joanna’s timelessly beautiful Hale Park wedding, with Libra Photographic

Published by Claire Gould on

Happy Friday everyone! Today’s wedding is pure celebration, with music at its heart. Gorgeous couple Joanna & Jack are both musicians, and played with their band at different points during their wedding day. We’ve LOVED reading their reviews for some of their favourite Hampshire wedding suppliers, especially for our friend and English Wedding member Nathan at Libra Photographic. This is an EPIC wedding we’ll be sharing all weekend on our instagram, so do pop over there and give us a follow! Grab a cuppa for this beauty of a wedding, and enjoy the images and our couple’s lovely words.

Wedding photographer’s website

https://libraphotographic.co.uk/

How did you choose your photographer?

Nathan (Libra Photographic) was highly recommended to us by lots of people when we’d asked for advice on Hampshire wedding photographers, we looked at his website & socials and instantly fell in love with his style – we then met with him & it felt like meeting a long-lost friend, he was SO excited to capture our day and was on board with all of our suggestions & ideas. We knew instantly that he was the guy for us!

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

We couldn’t have been more pleased and couldn’t recommend him highly enough, he was amazingly accommodating on the day & we felt like he was part of our wedding party as opposed to a photographer – he fitted in so well & managed to capture everything whilst blending in & not taking us away from our guests for long shoots – something we (and he) felt strongly about. He also managed to cater the way he worked depending on which photos we wanted, i.e., our 1year old Nephew & page boy, Frankie wasn’t likely to pose for long & therefore he captured natural moments of us & him together, which resulted in some candid & fun photos. Fast forward to him sending us the photos, and they were everything we’d dreamed of and more! Within days of our wedding, he’d sent us the most amazing slideshow preview which took our breath away. We didn’t think the photos still to come could top the slideshow, but they were so fantastic that it felt like we were living the day all over again! He is worth his weight in gold!

What’s your fondest memory of your wedding?

There were so many special moments but our top two are

1 – After the ceremony & on the way to the reception we stopped in at my 94-year-old Grandma’s house so that she got to be part of our day (she was too frail to attend) – Nathan also came along to capture that special & emotional moment & were so glad that we planned to do it.

2 – walking down the aisle to the most incredible piece of music being played by the 28-piece brass band that both Jack & I and lots of our friends and family are part of was a moment neither of us will ever forget, it was spine tingling.

Did you have a wedding video?

Our videographer was Harry Fynn – @harrysweddingfilms and we couldn’t fault him either. Just like Nathan, Harry blended in & caught all the special moments without impinging on ours or our guests experience of the day. Harry is busy preparing the footage & so we’ve not yet seen it, but we just know it’s going to be fantastic.

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

Our wedding ceremony was at the Church of St Peter & St Paul in Ringwood, Hampshire – a spectacular church that Jack & I have played in with our brass band, Hyde Band, many times over the years. We also both grew up in Ringwood & our parents still live in the parish which meant it was very special to us to marry there.

Our reception venue was Hale Park House, a breath-taking stately home with views & grounds to match. We always knew we’d like to have our reception there after my father, a builder, had undertaken work there over the years & before they started doing weddings, I’d said to him on many occasions that it would be an amazing wedding venue & that one day I’d hope to have our wedding celebrations there.

I couldn’t believe it when shortly after they started doing weddings Jack proposed, at only 5 minutes away from our home in Downton, after talks with Hale Park Weddings, it became apparent that they had the date we wanted free which was a beautiful summers day that also happened to be Jacks’ late grandmothers’ birthday, it couldn’t have been more perfect.

Did you love wearing your outfits? How was your shopping experience, was it fun to find your wedding gear?

As quite a self-conscious person, I had mixed feelings about the whole dress process & like many brides probably went to most dress shops in the local area but never quite found the dress that made me feel comfortable or gave me the wow factor, I found that part quite difficult and I wasn’t sure I was going to get that feeling, this was until I went to Anna Bridal in Ringwood.

The ladies there were so helpful & I soon found the dress for me & from then I really enjoyed the whole process, the fittings, accessory appointments all the way through to picking up my dress. I then had a string of appointments with the most wonderful seamstress, Alison Pordum who ensured it fitted perfectly. Fast forward to the day and I couldn’t have been happier – I loved my dress so much & just wish I could wear it again!

Jacks experience was a little more plain sailing. A simple trip to the nearest shopping centre with the groomsman in tow was all that was required. With a group of Jacks best friends and family alongside him, he set off to as many high street suit shops as possible, the boys discussed Jack’s key ideas and then decided on colours, styles and accessories between them, always keeping Jack’s wishes at the forefront of their decisions.

Wanting to pick something a little bit different and with an idea to step away from a plain suit, the guys found the Jenson Sky Blue Marc Darcy Three piece suit as the unanimous winner in a well known high street suit shop & after some haggling, purchased the 7 sets required.

In the mean time, we were lucky enough to stumble across a real gem of a suit store. I was helping my Dad look for his outfit which took us to the Cavendish in Romsey. They were great with my Dad who after visiting many stores, immediately found himself leaning towards one of their suits.

We were both impressed by their personal approach and whilst browsing in their store, I noticed they stocked the same suit Jack had chosen for significantly less than the discounted price Jack had secured with the other store. I spoke with them about a bulk order and they kindly offered a further discount. Keen to support a small business, we then placed our order with them. Jack re assembled the lads and they all booked in for their own fitting sessions, having the suits tailored to what was referred to as a ‘Fashion Fit’, featuring tapered trousers and slim fits.

The Cavendish could not have been more helpful, they provided all the shoes, suits, and accessories at the convenience of each individual groomsman. They ordered in different ties to try and were always willing to help with affordability. They are a fantastic shop offering a personable service. They will happily give you their time and advice and provide a fantastic tailoring service.

Jack was very happy to buy from them and felt that when buying a wedding suit, as with a wedding dress, you should be afforded time and an experience as this may be the most important piece of clothing you ever wear. This was something missed by many large retailers however, The Cavendish were able to provide this service as well as exceptionally competitive pricing. A fantastic store, a great experience and something we would recommend time and time again.

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

We didn’t have a florist, instead choosing to have handmade artificial bouquets & buttonholes by Little Village Floral Design. We found this to be the most cost-effective way for us, seeing as we had 7 bridesmaids, 6 groomsmen, a flower girl & page boy. We were also confident that it was going to be a hot day & therefore didn’t want real flowers to wilt before the day was out – looking back we’re glad we made this decision as it turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year peaking at 36 degrees!

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

Jacks younger brother Harry made our wedding cake for us. He isn’t a professional baker but has the talent to be just that if he so wished. We went for a slightly untraditional cake and opted for 3 tiers of different cheesecakes, which were sensational. There wasn’t a crumb left over, so safe to say they went down a treat!

Tell us about any special personal touches, or creative projects you made yourselves (we love that stuff!)

I’ve mentioned already that Jack & I are part of a brass band, Hyde Band, and as such they were heavily incorporated in the day, they played in the church & at the reception they played a welcome set & later an entertainment set.

Lots of our friends and family also play in the band and therefore we managed to create some lovely moments where we all joined in with the playing. This was something we loved doing and was very special to us as the band has always been a huge part of our lives & it was through the band that Jack & I formed our relationship.

Another personal touch was having photos of our late grandparents on an easel at the front of the church, we were of course sad that they couldn’t be there but by doing this we felt that they still part of our day & it was our way of acknowledging them on such an important day in both of our lives.

We also had table names that were family names as opposed to numbers – this again felt like a nod to all of those before us & a really personal touch.

In the evening, we had a DJ & also Soul conspiracy, a soul band that both Jack & his dad, Martin play in – both were fantastic entertainment & Jack and I also played ‘Everlasting Love’ with the soul band which was another very personal moment of our day.

Did you have any wedding readings? What were they?

Jacks mum, Niki read ‘Captain Correli’s Mandolin‘ by Louis de Berniéres

Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.

Because this is what love is.

Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion.That is just being in love, which any fool can do.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.

Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.

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

For our first dance, one of Jacks Groomsmen & very talented DJ, Jay, kindly made us a remix of songs that meant something to us. We started with a snippet of ‘You’re still the one’ by Shania Twain, but the Teddy Swims version which led in to an acoustic version of the Kings of Leons ‘Use Somebody’ by Boyce Avenue. This gave us the opportunity for the customary ‘slow dance’ but then to shake things up as it got to the chorus it merged into the original Kings of Leon version & then into The Killers ‘Mr Brightside’ where we got our bridal party to join us which in turn got all the guests got on their feet to join in. It was such a great moment having everyone join in with us, we didn’t fancy 3 minutes of slow dancing, to us this felt a little awkward so to do it this way, meant we got the best of both worlds!

Favourite wedding suppliers

Hyde Band – https://hydeband.co.uk
Hale Park Weddings – https://haleparkweddings.co.uk/
Marlin Marquees – https://www.marlinmarquees.co.uk/
P&P Catering & Events – https://www.ppcateringandevents.co.uk/
Anna Bridal Couture – https://annabridal.co.uk
Grace Olivia Make Up – https://www.graceoliviamakeup.com/
William Guy – https://www.williamguy.co.uk/
Libra Photographic – https://libraphotographic.co.uk/
Harrys Wedding Films – https://www.plato-video.co.uk/wedding-films
Little Village Floral Design – https://www.facebook.com/LittlevillagedesignCo/
The Cavendish Romsey – https://cavendishmenswear.com/
Alison Pordum – https://www.alisonpordum.co.uk/
Photobooth – https://www.hantsphotobooths.co.uk/
Soul Conspiracy – https://www.facebook.com/SoulConspiracy/
Best Disco – https://bestdisco.co.uk/

 


Claire Gould

Claire spends her days writing - either in beautiful calligraphy or online. She lives on the edge of the English Lake District only minutes away from the beach, where she loves to escape and unwind. Claire's calligraphy can be found at www.byMoonandTide.com. Claire launched the English Wedding Blog in November 2009 - it's been a top 10 UK wedding blog ever since, with a regional focus we hope you LOVE.

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