Hello lovely! I’ve been SO excited to share today’s wedding with you! It’s gorgeous couple Hanna & Caitlin, and their festival wedding at Willow Grange Farm! Cue the sweetest and most brilliant reviews for some amazing suppliers: Cambridge wedding photographer Damien Vickers, Florist Clemmie & Twine, Boa Boutique and Flashkate! Do scroll down to read the happy couple’s story of their day, and all of those fantastic supplier recommendations!
Wedding photographer’s website
Damien Vickers – https://www.damienvickersphotography.co.uk/
Wedding photographer review
Damien did just the most wonderful job of capturing our wedding. He perfectly balanced candid shots with group and posed photos, and the “golden hour” sunset photos he did are phenomenal – so many of our guests have commented that these are the best wedding photos they have ever seen and we can’t disagree! Damien was also a lovely person to have with us throughout the day and in the lead up to the wedding – he was unobtrusive, made sure he knew of particularly special moments and people we wanted captured, and made two camera-shy individuals feel very at ease.
Your best moment or memory
The ceremony itself – we had a wonderful celebrant (Ruth Salisbury-Higgs) who helped us come up with a really personal ceremony. We both wrote our own vows and finished with confetti from all our guests in the sunshine!
Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)
We had rum punch as one of our reception drinks in memory of a fun holiday in the Caribbean and the four tier wedding cake was made by one of the bride’s mums. We also lit a unity candle as part of our ceremony and involved our parents.
Venue name + review
Willow Grange Farm – We put a deposit down at Willow Grange Farm for our wedding before we’d visited the venue – and it truly paid off! The venue itself is beautiful and helped create a really relaxed and fun environment for the day and the gorgeous weather meant people were able to spend the whole day outside, from the ceremony under the pagoda to drinks outside the tent and then food and dancing in the tent. Oh and the sunset was incredible! Plus we had lots of guests stay on site which was a real bonus, and their commitment to sustainability is what made us select them in the first place. The team at Willow Grange Farm, Clara and Hannah especially, are just wonderful; they helped us plan all the details in the lead up to the day and stayed calm throughout, no matter how stressed we were! On the day they were both amazing, making sure everything ran smoothly and being the cogs behind the scene that made the whole day fantastic. The venue and the team have had so many compliments from out guests.
Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!
We both wore dresses by a Spanish designer, Rosa Clara who has a collection called Alma Novia.
Dress or suit shop name + review
Boa Boutique in Surrey – Philippa and Sheila were amazing; they have a wonderful collection of dresses and made us feel so comfortable and special. We had a fair amount of alterations that we needed to do before final fitting and they really paid off – we both felt amazing on the day!
Florist name + review
Clemmie & Twine – the absolute dream choice to do flowers for our wedding! From the moment we met them, they listened to some of our ideas and provided lots of creative thought where we needed it. Their hard work led to such a beautiful day – with a flower arch where we had the ceremony and then moved to the reception entrance, to flowers in our hair and beautiful bouquets, to flowers for our homemade wedding cake, to posies and candles on the tables and moveable sprays of flowers inside. They were super flexible and provided us with greenery and flowers where we wanted to put together our own little personal touches too.
Cake maker name + review
Hanna’s mum! A four tiered gluten free wedding cake – it was delicious and looked stunning with real flowers cascading down it.
Stationery maker’s name + review
Little Green Wedding – we had beautiful wildflower themed order of service cards, table names and plans. They were all printed on eco-friendly seed paper so our guests could grow wildflower seeds from them when they got home; truly beautiful!
Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?
We created a “Donation Station” and chose two charities that were important to us so people could donate rather than give us gifts. We created posters and framed them and had candles and flowers surrounding them, plus a polaroid camera so people could take photos and add them to our guest book.
Wedding readings?
Excerpts from: Thomas Merton “A Little Life” – Hanya Yanigihara “Wild Awake” – Hilary T Smith
First dance song?
Paper rings by Taylor Swift
Hair + makeup name + review
Flashkate Bridal Hair & Make up – I am so glad I had the absolute pleasure of Kate doing my hair and make up for my wedding – and she even took on a last minute ask to do my mum’s hair and my partner’s hair too! Kate has a natural knack for putting people at ease; she listens to any ideas I had and came up with styles even better than I hoped for, including fixing real flowers into my hair and making some on-the-day tweaks to what we’d previously trialled. Both hair and make up lasted so well throughout the whole day but never felt “crispy” and I felt like a better version of me!
The most memorable weddings are those which are absolutely YOU. Charlie and Lucy’s personalities shine through the photos of their day: bursting with life and love, colourful and fun with a fabulous sense of humour. The happy pair chose Chelsea Physic Garden as their wedding venue, and top London wedding photographers York Place Studios to capture their day.
I get a real sense of excitement from these photos. There’s an authenticity that makes the moments feel closer, as though I’m there in the moment with every picture. I’ve said many times how much I love real documentary wedding photography for the atmosphere it brings to every shot. I can imagine these two leafing through their wedding album in twenty years time and being transported right back to the wedding day: it all feels so real!
Styling and decor wise, this wedding has everything: the floral dress is amaaaaazing – the colour palette used everywhere is incredible. The sleek jumpsuit teamed with that fabulous jacket is just perfect; both girls are stunning on the dance floor in their outfits. The colourful streamers on the table centres are really striking; and seeing all of this riot of colour through bubbles makes it even more beautiful!!
Charlie and Lucy’s wedding was a photographer’s dream. Colourful and spontaneous, fun and silly, whilst remaining emotional and real, we absolutely loved every second. ~ York Place Studios
Chelsea Physic Garden is a truly beautiful spot for a wedding. It’s an exclusive use venue with quirks and treasures aplenty! There are secret pathways and stunning gardens for glorious photo opportunities – and it’s tucked away in a corner of Chelsea next to the Thames.
We’re head over heels in love with the joyful vibe of this wedding: from the colourful flowers to the thousands of bubbles, the rainbow brollies and the looks of love between Lucy and Charlie. It’s a belter of a wedding, a beauty of an occasion, and an absolute delight to share these photos with you! Loads more coming soon on our insta @englishweddingblog
Top tip: bubble guns + trigger happy mini people = JOY!!!
Brother and sister duo Liam and Dominique Shaw are York Place Studios. They’re the authors of Is This Something? A guide to capturing the unposed image through the lens of a wedding day.
London documentary wedding photographers York Place Studios and York Place Films are members of English Wedding
Wedding photography: www.yorkplacestudios.co.uk
Studio photography: https://kaleid.me/
Is this Something?: https://seeminglyinsignificant.com
A joyful and romantic celebration for gorgeous couple Neil and Paul and their amazing family and friends. This is a wonderful English wedding with vibrant autumnal florals and stylish decor, all beautifully done by a lovely group of talented Essex wedding suppliers.
Wedding photographer’s website
https://www.bloomwoodphotography.co.uk/
How did you choose your photographer?
We met Emma at an open evening being held by our venue. We found her to be friendly and approachable, which was unrivalled when we met with other photographers at wedding fairs.
Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!
Emma made us feel relaxed and as comfortable as possible during the pre-wedding photoshoot and on the day of our wedding. Everyone commented on how well she fitted in with the wedding party on the day, making the photos an enjoyable part of the day. We were really pleased with the photos of our wedding day and the Thank You cards and Wedding Album that she created.
What’s your fondest memory of your wedding?
The ceremony was our fondest memory – having all our family together in a beautiful venue, with a live singer and guitarist. We were trying to take in every moment of the ceremony…whilst also trying not to cry!
Tell us about your venue – what made this place special for you?
Little Channels was the perfect venue for a smaller wedding. As soon as we arrived to look around, we both knew this was where we wanted to get married. The venue is beautifully decorated with wooden beams and fairy lights. It was important to us to have the wedding breakfast, bar and DJ all in the same room, so our guests stayed together throughout the day. On top of that Little Channels has great outside space that is just for the wedding party to use. We were also impressed with the wedding team and the food at the venue.
Did you love wearing your outfits? How was your shopping experience, was it fun to find your wedding gear?
We got our suits from Dapper Chaps. We were impressed with the whole experience from choosing our suits to the fittings – it was really relaxed and enjoyable. We were really pleased with the suits we chose and how good the best men looked (as well as the grooms!).
Did you hire a florist? Tell us about any floral amazingness
Hannah Louise Flowers did an amazing job of taking our ideas and producing some of the most beautiful arrangements we had ever seen. The ceremony room, table centre pieces and pocket hole flowers were stunning! As an Autumn wedding, we chose dark reds and orange flowers with foliage and berries – and the result surpassed our brief!
As cake lovers here at English Wedding we’d LOVE to know who made your cake, and how delicious it was?
Cakes at Kims made our semi-naked 3 tier wedding cake. The cake flavours were delicious and it was decorated with matching flowers from our Florist. The guests loved the cake too – we wish we had gone with a 4th tier!
Tell us about any special personal touches, or creative projects you made yourselves
For our wedding favours we had seen online the idea of using succulents in glass jars. Paul’s mum offered to make them for us – she grew the succulents and then made up the glass jars with hessian, twine, stones and a tag with the message ‘Let Love Grow’.
Did you have any wedding readings? What were they?
We chose 2 readings: He’s Not Perfect – Bob Marley and From Beginning to End – Robert Fulghum.
What was your first dance song? Why did you choose it?
We chose not to have a first dance – it was going to be too awkward for everyone!
Favourite wedding suppliers
https://www.bloomwoodphotography.co.uk/
https://www.hannahlouiseflowers.co.uk/
https://dapperchapsformalwear.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/cakesatkims
We would also recommend Fix The Music and Stephen Cornwell who performed for our ceremony and whilst we had our Wedding meal. He had a great voice and did a brilliant job.
https://www.fixthemusic.com/wedding-singer-london-steve
I can step out of my front door and see the fells of the Lake District. It’s the most incredible place to get hitched, and as destinations for weddings go, it’s absolutely top of my list! Gorgeous couple Krystan and Abi tied the knot at the stunning Cragwood Country House, and had an intimate wedding with their closest family. Seeing this amazing celebration land in our inbox last week was basically a dream come true! Huge thanks to the beautiful couple for sharing their day with us, and to Jaye Peg Photography for the images.
We had a full weekend event booked from Friday – Sunday at Cragwood in the Lake District. The staff at the venue were lovely & our rooms were incredibly bright & beautiful. My wife (!!) and I danced alone in the library to Nat King Cole’s ‘Unforgettable’, secretly filmed by our friend Rebecca. The funniest moment was probably during the ceremony itself, we couldn’t figure out which ring was which because they’re identical… I confidently picked one up & said ‘this one!’ then put my wedding ring on Abi’s finger… my fingers are tiny! There was a panicked moment (and some very funny photos) where we thought we might have to, quoting Abi, ‘revisit this later with some butter…’ It wouldn’t be our wedding without some kind of mishap!
“We had our mums walk us down the aisle, it turned out to be an all woman wedding (mums, aunty, grandma, best friend) plus the photographer, and the two wonderful ladies from Cumbria Council who officiated. Girl power!”
Wedding photographer’s website
How did you choose your photographer?
We found Jaye by searching through Lake District Photography results on Google – we looked at her Instagram & website & decided her style matched what we wanted perfectly! We met Jaye at Cragwood, our venue, to confirm everything & we were even more sure then that we’d made a great decision.
Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!
We loved Jaye, from the first meeting to the speed at which she sent through our finished photos – everything was spot on. Our wedding was very small (5 guests plus us) so I was a bit worried people would get bored, but Jaye’s humour & easy going style of working made everything fun & she made sure to capture lots of candid photos of the guests as well as Abi & I! The photos were perfect, I’m still in awe of them now 8 months later! Great quality & editing & lighting. 10/10!
Videographer details if applicable – and any thoughts for other couples about having a wedding video?
I think videographers are a great idea, we’re just a bit too…awkward? To be filmed completely. Friends of mine have had videographers & they’ve loved it all, so I’d say go for it if you have the money!
Tell us about your venue – what made this place special for you?
If you Google Cragwood Country House & Hotel, you’ll see why we fell in love with it. It’s beautiful, the rooms and grounds are gorgeous & overlook Lake Windermere, as well as the surrounding hills. The staff are amazing, the food is incredible, the way they make you feel like the only people in the hotel is so unique & personalised. They accommodate specially for small weddings – they couldn’t do enough! I could do it all over again, a million times.
Did you love wearing your outfits? How was your shopping experience, was it fun to find your wedding gear?
I got my wedding dress from ASOS! Abi got her jumpsuit from Reiss. It was so easy…really lucky actually that we got what we wanted so quickly.
Did you hire a florist? Tell us about any floral amazingness
We were originally due to get married in July 2021, but we got Covid 9 days before! Originally we’d bought some beautiful dried flowers from Artisan Dried Flower Co on Etsy, but they didn’t last until September when we’d rearranged. I worked for M&S at the time so I bought two massive bunches of white roses & hand tied our own bouquets with twine, using the petals from about 5 other white roses for our confetti. They were simple but we loved them. I did wait until the morning of the wedding which was a big rush but we got there!
As cake lovers here at English Wedding we’d LOVE to know who made your cake, and how delicious it was?
We didn’t have a cake! Calvin, the chef at Cragwood, made two amazing 4 course dinners on the Friday and Saturday. So we ate & drank our fill of that! I can’t recommend the food highly enough, it was sensational.
Tell us about any special personal touches, or creative projects you made yourselves
Abi’s mum gave her a locket with her Gran, Grandad and Grandma inside, and a bracelet for her ‘something borrowed’. My mum gave me the necklace she got for her wedding 20 years ago – which I still have on now!
Did you have any wedding readings? What were they?
We had our own wedding vows that we read to each other later in the day. We’re not natural orators so we chose the traditional civil service ‘to have & to hold, in sickness & in health’ vows which were really meaningful in their own way.
What was your first dance song? Why did you choose it?
Nat King Cole – Unforgettable. We chose it on a whim but it has a meaningful link to both of our Grandads, so it was a nod to them.
Favourite wedding suppliers
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ArtisanDriedFlowerCo
We are head over heels in LOVE with this gorgeous styled shoot at Kelham Island Museum with real life couple Richard and David. The guys are gorgeous, the styling is dark and decadent with lush greenery and dramatic tones. Stunning stationery sets the scene and an enchanting array of sweet treats looks wonderfully tempting. Richard and David look amazing, rocking Master Debonair suits – and David’s gold crown is an absolute showstopper. Before we dive in, let me say we don’t get nearly enough LGBTQ+ weddings and shoots in our submissions inbox. Today is making us incredibly happy – and we want to see more! Huge thanks to lovely Sam, English Wedding member at Fantail Designer Florist, for sending this in. There’s a full supplier list below for all of you Yorkshire couples!
VENUE – Kelham Island Museum
PLANNING – Francesca Cliffe Events
DESIGN + FLOWERS – Fantail Designer Florist
PHOTOGRAPHY – Captured Life Photography
STATIONERY – Sheaf Design Works
MODELS – David + Richard
STYLING + NEON SIGN – Keith Woods Weddings & Events
SUITS – Master Debonair
CAKE + TREATS – The Snowdrop Cakery
HAIR – Hair by Paige Wild
PROPS + LIGHTING – Wild Wedding Days
CROWNS – Glorious by Heidi
A natural and rustic wedding breakfast table setting on long trestles, peacock chairs and benches. Beautiful swagged velvet cloth sweeping through the middle of the table added texture and a focal point for the flowers and stunning square wedding cake with floral moulding to the edges.
Raffia placemats wrapped with gold and an elaborate dessert table filled of doughnuts, iced shortbread, brownies and mini cakes entice guests to be seated.
Wedding invites and menu cards are watermarked in emerald and gold leaf while beautiful stone name places create keepsakes for guests.
Photographed by the talented Charlotte from Captured Life Photography. We knew she would be perfect and was a master of creating a story. A staged ceremony backdrop of swagging drapes really softened the fabulous blank canvas the venue has to offer.
David’s crown was the showstopper of the shoot. Designed and made my Glorious by Heidi. Why shouldn’t men wear head accessories for their wedding day? We absolutely love this styling. Flowers for David include a floral shoulder corsage of regimented petals, leaves and berries. Flowers were created simple and elegant for Richard – a compact hand tied bouquet of Veronica framed with Fern and a buttonhole of Thistle, Hypericum Berries and Veronica compliment this against his check navy blue Master Debonair suit.
The love story….. They met through best friends who worked at David’s local pub (years later they went on to take over the very same pub). David was 21 when he met Richard and they’d been together for eight years before getting married. They love spending time outdoors, holidaying and gardening. Their favourite place visited was Prague and they hope to visit the Maldives and New Orleans! They have 2 dogs, a cat and parrot!
Wedding advice? David says “RUN….. No only joking!! I would say just to remember the day is about the both of you and try to enjoy the run up to it and not stress too much. Planning is key to ensure a smooth running of the day. Delegate tasks to anyone helping you with the wedding. Create a WhatsApp group to keep information central with people helping. Make a free website to put on your invitations so guests can check for any changes to times, directions or menu choices.”
