For those who’ve had their fill of mince pies, garish knitwear, and socialising at office Christmas parties, take a break from festive forced fun and join us as we look back at Vicky and Alex’s autumn wedding here at The Normans.
October is an oft overlooked month to tie the knot, but, luckily, it happens to be Vicky and Alex’s favourite time of year.
“We chose to get married in autumn, as it is our favourite season,” explains bride Vicky. “We love going for autumnal walks, watching the colours of the trees change, and also having cosy evenings in as the nights draw in.”
But before we get too carried away with the couple’s stunning seasonal decor, let’s meet the lady of the moment, pictured below getting ready in The Normans Cottage.
Vicky’s choice of dress for her Big Day was a beautiful Blue by Enzoani bridal gown from The Bridal Collection, Harrogate.
“The whole team [at The Bridal Collection] were brilliant at giving a friendly and personalised service,” says Vicky. “The shop itself has been decorated beautifully and is in a perfect position overlooking the Stray in Harrogate. It was such a lovely experience going for each fitting.”
The result, you’ll agree, is stunning.
“I originally wanted a dress with lace sleeves, but ended up really liking a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline. When The Bridal Collection told me that they could make up some removable sleeves out of the same lace used on the dress, I was sold! This gave me two different looks - I wore the sleeves for a more formal look during the ceremony and took them off for the party afterwards.”
The bridesmaids’ dresses were all individually bought to suit the girls’ individual styles and personalities.
“We went for dresses in the same colour which suited everyone, explained Vicky. “A merlot colour in different styles, bought from Coast, BCBG Max Azria and JJ’s House.”
To ensure bridesmaids and Alex’s groomslady kept warm on a chilly autumn day, Vicky commissioned seamstress Val Hoyle to make faux fur shawls using materials found in a fabric shop on London’s Goldhawk Road.
”The beautiful floral arrangements were by Sheryl Popplewell from Fulford Flowers,” says Vicky. “Sheryl is unbelievably talented and her flowers are just out of this world - we had never seen anything like them!”
“Sheryl completely understood our vision right away and did an amazing job of creating the autumnal scene that we had imagined. The floral arrangements included black baccarat roses, orange orchids, blue thistles, viburnum berries, eucalyptus and various other foliage. The colours of the flowers were set alight by all the twinkling fairy lights around The Normans.”
Not ones for convention, Vicky and Alex opted for a ‘first look’ walk down the aisle before guests were seated for the ceremony.
We’ll admit: we weren’t sure how the ‘first look’ would work, but we soon realised it afforded bride and groom an intimate moment together before the day began - and made for some great photos. Furthermore, Vicky and Alex could spend more time with their friends and family during the drinks reception.
Meanwhile, guests were given a taste of the autumnal theme that permeated the venue, thanks to some beautifully designed signage at the gate…
… and the order-of-the-day painted onto a pallet and embellished with rust-red leaves…
Hidden Compass String Quartet from London provided the soundtrack for the ceremony, while order of ceremony and confetti awaited guests on each seat.
Once guests were seated, they were soon standing again: for the entrance of the bride (again). Needless to say, stunning Vicky didn’t put a foot wrong!
As a passionate feminist, Vicky chose not to be ‘given away’, as such, but to to walk herself down the aisle: “Whilst I love my dad very much, it was important to me to walk myself down the aisle, and my feminist dad was completely on board with that!”
(Traditionalists need not fret too much: Vicky’s dad still did the father-of-the-bride speech!)
Vicky may have made a solo journey down the aisle, but she returned with a man in hand.
Alex, in case you were wondering, is wearing a tailored blue suit with a tweed waistcoat from Dapper in Surbiton, London.
The Hog & Apple were at it again with their excellent edibles.
“The canapés went down a treat with our guests,” recalls Vicky. “A lot of our friends have turned vegetarian in the last year, so for ease we had all-vegetarian canapés. The mini pie and pint was a particular standout.”
Once drinks had been quaffed and canapés consumed, the Grain Shed doors were opened and guests found their places for the wedding breakfast with the help of this beautiful seating plan.
“We are keen travellers and have visited over 30 countries together in the last 10 years,” says Vicky. “So for our table seating plan we used a map of the world and luggage tags, and named the tables as different countries we have visited.”
We were pleased to see the autumn trees make another appearance in the Grain Shed - relocated by the team at Fulford Flowers to frame the top table.
Meanwhile, candelabras were imbued with autumnal colours - merlot, burnt orange, gold, green and navy blue - and contrasted wonderfully against the creams and whites and fairylights in the Grain Shed.
Hog & Apple’s classic Yorkshire sharing board - a medley of fine meat, pate, and fresh bread finished off with delectable handmade chutneys - was placed on each table before guests took their seats.
“For the meal we wanted informal, warming foods, the kind of comfort food that you want to eat on a chilly autumn day,” says Vicky. “We went with Yorkshire sharing boards for starters; pulled pork, pork belly [or pulled jackfruit for vegetarians] and warm autumnal salads for mains. For dessert, it was sticky toffee pudding, followed by espresso martinis for the all-important pre-dancing caffeine hit!”
Vicky and Alex weren’t too bothered about the cutting of the cake, so instead opted for Hog & Apple’s chocolate woodland board, which featured rocky road chocolate log, brownie pine cones, chocolate autumn leaves, chocolate soil, and marshmallow mushrooms.
“It was really striking and looked and tasted amazing,” enthuses Vicky. “Some of our friends took some of the leftovers with them at the end of the night, but we were told that they were promptly scoffed and did not even last the journey home!”
Food was followed by some quite touching speeches…
… and then Vicky and Alex’s first dance as a married couple.
Vicky and Alex’s guests were lured onto the dance floor by the fantastic Mini Big Band, here at The Normans for the second time.
“The Mini Big Band completely made our wedding evening,” says Vicky. “As we and many of our guests are musicians, having great music on our wedding day was a priority. The Mini Big Band and singer Paul really wowed our guests, who were very impressed with their standard of musicianship and charisma. We think they’re an absolute must!”
“The Normans is a stunning venue and we really valued the fact that we could decorate it and make it our own for the day (with access to the venue the day before). It made it seem so much more personal to us. We didn’t feel like other venues could offer anywhere near as much flexibility and personalisation as The Normans.”
