Weddings can be beautiful and timeless: today I want to prove that to you forever and without a shadow of doubt! Janki and Andy’s day celebrated the joining of their families, in a lush, green woodland clearing. Scrolling through Tom Keenan’s gorgeous images from their Cambridge wedding, it’s the love, joy and relaxed vibes which sing from my screen, and every moment looks perfect.
Speaking of perfection, this gorgeous pair celebrated with a vegan feast at their wedding. Because they held their wedding at home they weren’t constrained by a venue’s in-house or recommended caterers, and could choose their own. As a result, their menu was fully vegan – even including the doughnuts. (Told you it was perfect, didn’t I?!)
I will never tire of sharing Indian and fusion weddings. The vibrant colours are exciting, and embrace tradition in the most joyful way. Food is a huge part of the celebration, and a meaningful aspect of ceremonies. But that doesn’t mean all traditions have to be formally adhered to. At English Wedding we always recommend you pick and choose the traditions which are meaningful to you – and fun! Janki and Andy broke tradition by being super chill about seeing each other before the ceremony. For Janki, she wanted to see her favourite person while she was getting ready – which makes all the sense in the world to me.
Last week I wrote an article inspired by a trending wedding sign which reads “[bride’s] wedding, featuring [groom]” talking about how the wedding media has alienated men to the point that many grooms feel excluded from wedding planning and even on the day itself. This wasn’t the case with Andy and Janki’s day – they celebrated together and their wedding was all the more beautiful for every moment of shared joy and delight. I LOVE how Andy made a spectacular entrance, arriving for their ceremony in a vintage Lotus car. As their wedding photographer Tom Keenan puts it: “Music blaring, ray-bans on, friends and family at your side” – what could possibly kick start the day better?
I will leave you to enjoy the images of this gorgeous pair having the time of their lives. Pure happiness, guaranteed to make you smile – and as always, there’ll be more on @englishweddingblog so head to our insta to see!
Wedding photographer’s website
Kent wedding photographer Tom Keenan https://tomkeenanphotography.co.uk
Janki and Andy were married in early summer of 2022 – yes, more than three years ago. The styling of their day, the setting, the traditional Indian dress and their focus on a meaningful ceremony and a joy-filled celebration, all mean this wedding hasn’t dated one bit. It never will. Heartfelt ceremonies and a focus on what the day means to you both as a couple are the secret to timeless, beautiful and memorable weddings.
A classic, graceful and elegant English Wedding to begin the week – and I have to say I’m in love with the flowers from Georgie and Sean’s stunning day. Styling is elegant and pretty – summer vibes all the way because I’m not ready for autumn just yet! The images are just lovely, Georgie and Sean look amazing, and do watch out for their super cute cake topper! With heartfelt thanks to a lovely couple for their glowing supplier reviews, and to Zara Davis for all of the images we’re sharing here and on instagram @englishweddingblog today!
Wedding photographer’s website
https://www.zaradavisphotography.com
Wedding photographer review
Zara was brilliant both before during and after our wedding! From when we first met her at a wedding fair we loved her style of photography and the fact that she used to work at the cathedral was a massive bonus too! Zara blended into the background really well on the day and got some lovely photos of both us and our family and friends which we will treasure forever. It was also great getting so many sneak peak photos back the following day , we weren’t expecting so many but were really happy we got so amazing photos back so fast so we could relive the day
Your best wedding moment or memory
We both really enjoyed having the ceremony in the beautiful Gloucester cathedral and were incredibly lucky to have music provided by the Flowers Brass Band which Sean is a member of. Our ceremony was a lovely mix of tradition and laid back with Sean getting leg cramp whilst kneeling at the altar providing some comic relief halfway through the ceremony and is definitely something guests found memorable about the day. Personally I won’t forget how amazing it was pulling up to the cathedral with my dad, hearing the band playing abba and seeing my mum and bridesmaids waiting on the steps for me – it suddenly felt very real and very emotional!
As the cathedral was closed to the public during the ceremony it was also nice seeing loads of tourists watching us all arrive. I will also never forgot how amazing it was to finally get married to Sean after what felt like endless planning and really being able to enjoy the day with our friends and family together .
Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)
We had the Flowers Brass Band play a mix of both traditional and modern music. We included music that was special to our grandparents but also had a bit of abba to lighten the mood! We also had our golden retriever Teddy come in the evening as we couldn’t imagine our day without him being a part of it. A few months before the wedding we did the scent my wedding experience at Jo Malone. We really enjoyed having scents that remind us of our special day.
Videographer name + review
Fox and blossom provided our videography, whilst we haven’t got the video back yet we are really looking forward to seeing the film they’ve put together, having loved the work they have done on other weddings. Kieran was also really good to work with in the lead up and on the day of the wedding.
Venue name + review
Gloucester Cathedral and Blackfriars Priory (reception)
We were incredibly lucky to have our ceremony at the amazing Gloucester cathedral which made the day really special for both us and our guests. The cloisters were great for some beautiful photos. We choose Blackfriars priory as our reception venue partly due to it being walking distance from the cathedral but also the style of the building really worked well with the cathedral.
We loved having a courtyard with garden games in for the drinks reception as it gave us and our guests a really good chance to mingle. The team at Blackfriars were amazing and were always on hand to help us both in the run up to the wedding and on the day itself.
Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!
My dress was a plain gown with structured boning in the bodice to really accentuate my waist, i wanted something that was simple and timeless and really felt that the dress I went for fitted this brief.
My dress was from Lineys Brides in Hinckley, I loved the style of dress and was able to add on some straps for a bit of extra coverage to make me feel more comfortable on the day. As I was going to be having a long walk down the aisle I opted for a dramatic royal length veil (from Amazon!) to really fill the venue. My shoes were from the rainbow club and my jewellery was a set of pearls and pearl earrings that were passed down to me by from Great Grandma.
Sean’s suit, tie and shoes were all from next. He loved the style of the suit and was able to get it altered locally so it was the perfect fit. The blue really complemented the bridesmaids dresses as well.
The bridesmaid dresses were also from lineys brides, both of my bridesmaids loved the style they chose – in fact it was the first dress they tried on! The flower girl dresses were from monsoon.
Florist name + review
Silver Birch. 
Our florist was amazing, we met a few times to go over our mood board and nail the colour palette. Rebecca got exactly the style we wanted to go for and produced beautiful bouquets for myself and my bridesmaids, she also made some really cute flower crowns for our 2 flower girls as well as corsages and buttonholes for our family and groomsmen.
On the day we were all getting ready at a few different venues and Rebecca was so helpful in delivering the flowers to different venues to take away the stress of delivering the flowers from us.
Cake maker name + review
As we had afternoon tea for our wedding breakfast we weren’t sure if we wanted a cake or not. In the end we opted for a wedding cake from Waitrose which Sean and my mum decorated with flowers and a little model of our dog which made the cake feel really personal to us.
Stationery maker’s name + review
One of my close friends Molly is an illustrator and was kind enough to design our save the dates, invitations and even a map showing guests how to get from the cathedral to Blackfriars.
Molly has a lovely illustration style and even worked our dog Teddy into the design to make it more personal to us. Instagram @moll.Saunders
Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?
We really enjoyed having both best men and my maid of honour do speeches, all have known us a long time and they all gave funny, emotional and personal speeches which guests were talking about throughout the evening and beyond.
Having family and friends stay at the same accommodation as us was also really nice, we got married on a Friday and most people stayed Thursday – Sunday which gave us lots of time to hang out and relax with loved ones. It was also really nice seeing them all head off to the wedding ahead of my car arriving – it made it all suddenly feel very real!
Wedding readings?
My stepdad did a reading from Corinthians and one of our groomsmen Pete did a reading we found on TikTok! Both readings were really nice and we felt that they both really reflected our relationship well.
Hair + makeup name + review
The bridal party make up was done by Leanne O’Neil. I really loved Leanne’s style of make up as it was heavy enough for a wedding day but still looked really natural. Leanne got exactly the vibe I wanted straight away at my trial and I was really happy with how my make up turned out on the day! Leanne was also great with our flowergirls who both loved having a bit of lipgloss put on whilst we were getting ready.
I loved Anna and Ali’s wedding as soon as I laid eyes on their images. This is everything a wedding needs to be, nothing more or less: a lovely couple surrounded by their best people, and a heartfelt celebration filled with love. Images by Newcastle wedding photographer Joss Denham are relaxed, natural and utterly perfect. Styling was kept understated, yet beautiful, with white and pink blush for the flowers. And the advice Anna and Ali share for other couples resonates with many of our recent posts here on the blog and on our instagram:
“Don’t stress over the small stuff and the things Instagram and Pinterest tell us we need to make a wedding special. In the end they really don’t matter and you won’t notice or care!”
Wedding photographer’s website
Jesmond Dene wedding photographer Joss Denham
Joss was amazing! He was really friendly and relaxed with all of the guests. We got a lot complements the day after saying how lovely he was with everyone. We’d definitely recommend Joss. He drove us both to dinner after the ceremony and even stayed a bit longer than planned to capture some extra shots! Legend.
Wedding photographer review
We both loved the photography so much! Joss managed to capture a relaxed, unposed aesthetic with beautiful natural lighting and composition. There are so many lovely images of all of our guests interacting and it really captured the joy of the day. There is nothing more we could have wanted, he captured it all perfectly and didn’t mind us trying different things on the day!
Photographer: Joss Denham Photography
(North East and Yorkshire)
Ceremony Venue: Jesmond Dene House
Reception Venue: Peace and Loaf
Florist: Wild Flower And Rose
Dress Boutique: Marrime
Dress Designer: Sarah Seven
Suit Designer: Moss Bros
Cake Maker: Peace and Loaf
Venue name + review
We got married at Jesmond Dene House and then had our reception at Peace and Loaf restaurant in Jesmond.
Our May wedding was always going to be a small intimate ceremony with only close family, with a larger ‘party’ happening in the Summer. We looked at a few different registry offices to get married at in Newcastle as that’s where Anna is from and it was close proximity for her grandmother (who’s 95) to attend. On the off-chance we reached out to Jesmond Dene House to see if they offered smaller ceremony options.
Anna has always loved Jesmond Dene House, having been there for many a lunch with her family, as well as for Christmas dinner. It’s such a gorgeous venue and it’s right next to Jesmond Dene, which is so peaceful. Ali also went to university in Newcastle and lived in Jesmond at the time, so it felt very fitting. Jesmond Dene House confirmed that they did in fact offer smaller (and more affordable options), so the choice was made!
We then thought it would be lovely to have everyone join us for a meal afterwards. News of this travelled and Anna’s Auntie Sheila stepped in and said she’d like to get us this as a wedding gift. She suggested Peace and Loaf, and we were sold. They let us create our own bespoke menu, choose our own cocktails, and even had a cake made for us. They were sensational from start to finish and we couldn’t have asked for a better evening.
Tell us a little about your outfits
I chose Maude by Sarah Seven. It’s not fussy but elegant and has a wonderful silhouette. I wanted to feel beautiful without extravagance, I also wanted to feel super relaxed when I put it on. I came across Sarah Seven on Instagram, it’s an American designer and I fell in love with all of their dresses. Fate stepped in and the designer that previously I’d only seen sold abroad announced that they were now stocked in my home town of Newcastle at Marrime. This was perfect because it meant that although I live in London, I could come and try on the dresses alongside my mam, my cousin and maid of honour. I honestly love the dress, but I did have some issues with how it was fitting. But a few miles of boob tape later and a mini-meltdown behind me, I was set to go and felt great.
Florist name + review
I gave a really open brief to my florist Wildflower and Rose because I loved her style which is slightly wild and relaxed. I only specified that I’d liked Peonies because they’re my favourite flowers and they’re in season in May. The rest I let her run with! When they arrived I was over the moon, and they look unbelievable in the photos too. The bouquet was just the right size.
Cake maker name + review
Again, very open brief to Peace and Loaf! We aren’t cake enthusiasts and don’t like going overboard just because it looks good in photos. We simply told Peace and Loaf that we loved red velvet cake and thought it would be fun to have ‘A&A’ written on the top. Lo and behold they made the most delicious and thoughtful cake… unreal.
Wedding readings?
My dad read a lovely poem in the ceremony that he had written himself.
Unusually, let’s start today’s gorgeous wedding blog with a fun fact: Tony proposed to Kian after gifting her a sky dive for her birthday. He tandem jumped first at 15,000 feet and then Kian followed. As Kian landed Tony was on one knee with a gorgeous ring. He had a videographer jump from the plane with Kian and captured the whole thing on video!
The wedding day was possibly a less adrenaline-filled occasion, but full of heart and soul. With images beautifully captured by Lake District wedding photographer Mark Battista, the couple celebrated with their closest family, ending the evening in their wedding outfits and slippers playing board games and eating cheese in their cosy, intimate and charming country house venue. It sounds utterly perfect.
Do scroll down for heartfelt supplier recommendations from beautiful couple Kian and Tony, along with the lovely story of their secret wedding and why they chose a quieter celebration over a big party.
Lots more, as always, on our instagram @englishweddingblog
Wedding photographer’s website
Lakes photographer Mark Battista – www.markbattistaphotography.co.uk
Wedding photographer review
Mark was an absolute dream to spend our wedding day with. His photography knowledge and skills were amazing. We knew what we wanted photo wise but had no idea how we’d make it happen but Mark did. We had our sneak peek photos back in the early hours of the following day and they took our breath away. They are everything we wanted and so much more. We received our remaining photos a few weeks later and they were incredible. We would 100% recommend Mark, a friendly, down to earth bloke who is insanely good at what he does.
Your best wedding moment or memory
Some of our most cherished moments include seeing each other for the first time at the aisle, Kian’s first look with our boys and the peaceful time we shared together on the jetty whilst Mark ran to the other side to capture photos.
We also loved spending the evening laughing and enjoying the company of our guests whilst eating cheese and biscuits and playing board games with a glass of wine.
Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)
We booked our day in September 2023 and married in May 2025. We kept it secret from all our friends and family apart from our 2 boys, Tony’s Mum, our witnesses and their partners.
After Kian lost her Mum in January 2022 we felt like it would be more noticeable that she wasn’t there if we had a big wedding plus to be honest, it wasn’t what we wanted, we are not big party people and prefer a quieter vibe.
Sitting around eating cheese and biscuits, in our wedding clothes with slippers on, playing board games, laughing and drinking wine was absolutely perfect.
Whilst we initially worried about how some family and friends would react everyone was genuinely happy for us and very supportive. We have no regrets, it truly was the perfect day.
I guess a Mountain Goat tour isn’t really traditional either? For us, we live in the Lake District and we love hiking and cold water swimming, we wanted that to be part of our day in some way, plus we knew the photos with those backdrops would be incredible!
Venue name + review
Lindeth Howe.
We chose the venue because it is in the Lake District, a place that means a lot to us and holds so many special memories. It had such a unique, quirky charm with incredible decor that really stood out.
On top of that, it offered the perfect package for an intimate wedding which is exactly what we were looking for.
As soon as we visited we knew it was the right place for us. We wanted the day to feel intimate, relaxed, and full of personality, something that truly reflected us.
The venue’s unique decor and cosy atmosphere gave us the perfect backdrop. The space already had so much character, so we just added small touches to make it feel like “us.”
It turned out exactly how we hoped, stylish, a little quirky and full of heart.
Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!
Kian: an art deco inspired wedding dress with plunging neckline and white sandals. Although, whilst up in the mountains I wore my Hunter wellies and even an IKEA bag!
My necklace had my Mums ashes in and was a gift from Tony. It was from a local company called Cumbria Castings.
Tony: Navy 3 piece suit with brown shoes.
Hair + makeup name + review
Lucy Pearson. Lucy was absolutely amazing. From my trial right up to our wedding day Lucy has been there every step. From my panicked, “what if you’re ill?” questions to my bust lip 7 weeks before our wedding, sharing tips for protecting my make up from tears, attaching my veil, to buttoning my dress on the day, nothing was too much for Lucy. She kept me at ease, the morning of my wedding felt like my matron of honour and I were getting ready with a friend we’d known forever. I can’t thank Lucy enough. The time and effort that she put into our day means so much to us. We had the most amazing day and I felt so good. My make up lasted all day and my hair didn’t move at all!
Florist name + review
@megsmake_s on Instagram. Megan was amazing, we sent many pictures with ideas of things we liked. She advised on what would and wouldn’t work together and the end result was perfect. They fitted our style just right.
Favours
The Cakeup Artist: Abbie made our wedding favours and they were so delicious! We love treating ourselves to Abbie’s bakes so we knew we needed to treat our guests and vendors too! @cakeupartist.x on Instagram.
Wedding rings
Affinity jewellers: Kians ring was custom made to fit around her uniquely shaped engagement ring. It is perfect!
Cake maker name + review
Lindeth Howe. It looked and tasted amazing!
Cake topper: OtisOfCreations on Etsy.
Flowers: @megsmake_s on Instagram
Cake board: The Range
Tell us about your wedding ceremony / celebrant / readings?
Our boys walked Kian down the aisle. Our ceremony was small, intimate, with happy tears and lots of laughter. We’d both written our own meaningful vows and read them during the ceremony.
I’m so delighted to be sharing Amy and Ethan’s stunning Woodhill Hall wedding with you today. Their wedding theme was spring meadow with wildflowers and hints of sage green. Everything is happy and colourful, and Willow and Vine‘s styling with florals and foliage is out of this world. Joss’s images are – as always – beautiful, authentic and joyful. It’s lovely to read Amy & Ethan’s glowing review which confirms Joss Denham Photography as one of the North East’s favourite wedding photographers. The happy pair are gorgeous, the vibe of this entire wedding is laid back and full of fun, and the flowers are jaw-droopingly amazing!
One little piece of advice from Amy & Ethan before we dive into their words and see their wedding play out in those glorious photos: “Take the time to pick suppliers/vendors that align with your vision and you feel represent you. Being able to put our trust in those playing such a big part on our wedding day allowed us to relax, spend time with our guests and have THE most fun which in turn means your guests have the best time!”
Suppliers websites & insta handles:
Venue: Woodhill Hall
Florist: Willow and Vine
Make Up Artist: Blade and Blush
Dress Boutique: You Are Precious
Dress Designer: Madi Lane Bridal
Suit Designer: Gieves And Hawkes
Live Music: Glen Roughead
DJ: Bride and Groove
Ice cream: Di Meos
Photobooth: Ag Events
Live Music: Helena Pearson
Wedding photographer’s website
North East and Northumberland wedding photographer Joss Denham Photography.
Wedding photographer review
World class – Theres not much more to say!
We have so many images we will continue to treasure forever and ever. To say we are the awkward camera shy people we are amazed at the amount of gorgeous images Joss Denham has provided. From the candids to the portraits we couldn’t be happier. So many special moments captured forever pretty much sums it up!
Joss integrated into the day seamlessly – such a chilled guy with a great personality. All our friends and family commented on just how lovely he was and the effort he went to to remember names. Half of the images we have I don’t ever remember seeing Joss – which is a testament to how unobtrusive he was. The perfect blend of being in the background but also being super friendly and putting everyone at ease with subtle direction.
Would recommend to anyone who is considering documentary style wedding photography and especially those who are less comfortable in front of the camera. A big bonus was how quick we got our gallery – we were astounded!
Venue name + review
Woodhill Hall
The concept of a wedding weekend drew us in for an open day. The wooded drive was what originally sold us when we first visited, not to mention the elephants and the wow factor (neither of us stopped smiling after our first visit)
There was enough accommodation for family with bedrooms full of personality and we loved that the venue had a separate room for each part of the day and felt it would flow nicely. The staff were also fabulous.
Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!
Amy: I ended up with the opposite of what I thought I was going for but as soon as I put it on I felt bridal and super happy! I went through the motions of every style, I even wanted to try a poofy meringue dress to indulge in feeling like a princess (definitely not me though). I must have tried around 25-30 dresses on before ending up at YAP where Ruthy pulled out a sister dress to the dress I had originally gone to try and that was that!
I wanted a super intricate veil which was super expensive, instead went to trusty Vinted and got a brand new veil second hand and mum and grandma painstakingly added pearls and extra lace to meet my vision – they made it all the more special. For my evening dress, I always wanted to try making a wedding outfit so decided to make my own short puffy evening dress! It took a bit of trial and error but finished it 5 days before the big day and turned out perfect! I couldn’t have missed out on getting some matching personalised converse for the evening either!
Black tie and tails didn’t feel right for Ethan. He wanted something light and summery but didn’t want to feel like he was going to the office. He came across Savile Row tailors Gieves and Hawkes and they sold the dream of a tailor made suit. He spent one afternoon going through fabric samples and landed on a prince of wales check with a red lining which fit the bill of something a bit different and very him.
It took a while to land on groomsmen suits as all we had to go off was a vision and a tiny swatch. Groomsmen were travelling from far and wide and had to pray all suits would fit and work well together – it wasn’t until the morning of the wedding everything fell into place and thankfully they all looked fab.
Florist name + review
At the first open day we attended at Woodhill Hall we met Margaret from Willow and Vine. We spent a good 20 minutes chatting to her about the arrangements she had brought and the work she does and more importantly got to know her and how fab her and the team were!
We spent countless hours in the run up to the wedding sitting and chatting over a cuppa and biccies not only about our wedding vision but about life, sharing funny stories. Our vision was spring meadow, wild flowing flowers, lots of colours and happiness. Margaret more than met the brief. We couldn’t stop happy dancing when the girls brought the bouquets on the morning of the wedding, and through every room the florals were perfect.
Wedding cake
Cake originally wasn’t in the plan but Amy’s mum wanted to see a cake cutting. We ended up with the biggest box of gorgeous cake samples in so many flavours and agreed a cake was for the best!
After trying everything from lemon cake to salted caramel we settled on red velvet for one tier and chocolate cake with an oreo crunch buttercream for the second tier and god was it tasty. We wanted to keep things simple so stayed with a white buttercream covering with a hint of pastel peach smudge and gold leaf with some added florals.
Catering
Catering provided by Woodhill was second to none.
From the Friday night lasagne and curry to the canapes and wedding breakfast the food was exquisite. To top it all, the mother of the groom is coeliac and to keep things simple the chef cooked all meals gluten free. You would never have guessed that sticky toffee pudding was GF, it was the lightest yummiest pudding ever!
Allergies and dietary requirements – nothing was too much to ask.
So many people commented on the food and how fab it was. Still unsure how the chef cooked so many sirloins to perfection!
Big shout out to the evening food – personal pizza boxes, you can never go wrong after a few drinks. At the end of the night we ate lots of pizza and slices of cake and sat looking through the photobooth guestbook laughing at all the fab pictures!
Di meos – couldn’t not have the best ice cream in Newcastle. Went down a treat and was the perfect addition on such a sunny day. Holds a special place in our hearts, had many an ice cream date and pizza at Di meos. Come wind rain or shine we are always down for ice cream and as soon as we got engaged it was one of Amy’s non negotiables!
Entertainment
Helena – harpist for the wedding ceremony, playing the most gorgeous songs, there was a heavy country theme to a lot of the music and of course we had to have Shania twain as the entrance song. Sadly we couldn’t have Lizzie Mcguire as our exit song but Helena did a fab rendition of Bruno mars and we made up for the lack of lizzie mcguire at the wedding breakfast entrance! This truly is what dreams are made of!!
Glen – top geezer, provided some great vocals and good vibes for the sunny drinks reception. Not to mention the added photography. We both agreed we wanted a live first dance song, and so he stayed on to do a live set at the evening reception making it all the more special.
Bride and groove – shout out to the best DJ managing to mix country with pop, r&b and a sprinkle of ABBA (for grandma). Couldn’t have asked for a better evening full of dancing and fun. He even obliged in playing the iconic DDID by Trey Lewis! Also a shout out to the photobooth for providing some hilarious photos!
