Regular readers of this blog will know that Team Normans has a soft spot for a love story. Admittedly it’s in our interest that people fall in love and get married, but that’s by the by… Laura and Dain's romantic backstory is a belter.
Girl meets boy on Hinge. Global pandemic promptly locks girl and boy in their respective homes. Undeterred, romance blossoms over voice notes and (socially distanced) walks in the Peak District... and five years later, the whole glorious saga is printed on the front page of their very own wedding newspaper.
Honestly, we couldn't have written it better ourselves. (We're glad they did, actually - it saved us the job of an opening paragraph.)
"It was another way to add that splash of colour, and so much fun to create!" says Laura. "It also allowed us to explain the meaning behind the Turkish cultural traditions that would be seen throughout the day, in honour of my Turkish heritage - and gave guests something to read whilst I was (inevitably) running slightly late."
A newspaper that entertains the congregation and caveats the bride's timekeeping. Genius.
So, without further ado, let's turn the page on lovely Laura and dashing Dain's day at The Normans...
The Calm Before The (Barn)Storm(Ing) Party
Bucks fizz was flowing early doors in The Normans Cottage, with bridesmaids rocking matching blue pyjamas, while breakfasting on ice cream straight from the tub. (The Normans is a safe space, and anything goes on your wedding day).
The girls were joined by make-up maestro Marta, aka The Costa Chic, and hair heroine Samantha Ashley.
“Both these women are so good at what they do,” purrs Laura, “[they] brought such lovely, relaxed energy to my wedding morning!”
The positive vibes were accompanied by a bucketful of happy tears - starting when Laura opened a card from her soon-to-be husband...
... and again when her bridesmaids clapped eyes on The Dress for the very first time.
Their reaction says it all.
And what a dress. Laura wore the Louie Flowy gown by Aussie label Made with Love, found at Nora Eve Bridal.
“The search for my dream dress was actually a lot trickier than I'd ever imagined,” Laura admits. “There are so many beautiful dresses out there, but finding one that I also felt like myself in was the real goal. The Louie Flowy was the second dress I tried on and I instantly fell in love. It gave me the romantic and modern look I'd been searching for, whilst feeling so comfortable and light to wear — an essential for dancing all night long! The 3D lace detailing had me instantly sold... and that was before I discovered the dress even had pockets.”
We repeat: Pockets. Pretty and practical.
Dain, meanwhile, received a gift of his own: a beautiful engraved watch, inscribed ‘See you at 1pm. Yours forever, Laura.’
Punctuality, dear readers, has never been so romantic. (See also: newspaper, above.)
As for the gents - tuxedos all round, courtesy of Moss Bros.
“I've never been someone who particularly enjoys wearing suits,” says Dain, “so it felt important to choose something that felt special and completely different from anything I'd worn before. My grooms-party was spread across the country, and Moss Bros made it incredibly easy for everyone to get measured and collect their suits locally. One less thing to worry about during the whirlwind of wedding planning!”
All Aboard!
Now, we've seen guests arrive at The Normans in all manner of vehicles over the years - but there's something extra special about a vintage York Pullman double-decker rolling up the lane, ribbons fluttering, with a top deck full of wedding guests enjoying the Yorkshire breeze (and, in some cases, a restorative glass of fizz).
And who were there to greet passengers? Why, the groomsmen - resplendent in black tie and high-vis vests, serving bubbly en route. Health and safety has never looked so good.
Guests then made their way past Laura and Dain's hand-illustrated welcome sign (part of a gorgeous stationery suite that ran right through the day - more on that later) and into The Courtyard.
A Ceremony To Remember
If you've followed us for any length of time, you'll know our Ceremony Barn scrubs up rather nicely. But Laura and Dain - with the help of stylist Rebecca and florist Vicky - took things to another level entirely.
“The Normans is such a beautiful venue that you really could get away with no decor and still have the absolute wow factor!” says Laura (we're blushing). “But with a summer wedding, and being big fans of colourful details, we knew we wanted to bring in a bright, fun and colourful theme that would complement the twinkly lights of The Normans. Rebecca and Vicky both blew us away by how they brought our vision to life.”
Fun fact: florist Vicky also happens to be married to the couple's photographer, Ben Barron. Talk about a family affair - and, between them, they've made this blog post very easy to illustrate. (Cheers.)
Cascading walls of fairy lights. Candles lining the aisle. Meadow-style flowers spilling across the front of the barn in lemon, pink, cornflower blue, sage and peach.
Dain and his groomsmen took their places beneath the fairy light wall (cool as anything, obviously)...
... before Laura made her entrance, on the arm of her dear dad, carrying a bouquet that looked like a Yorkshire summer distilled into a single armful of flowers.
The flash of red at Laura's waist isn't just a styling choice - it's the kırmızı kuşak, the traditional Turkish red ribbon tied around the bride by her father as a blessing before she's given away. It symbolises good fortune, prosperity, and the bond with the family she grew up in - and honestly, against that white petal gown, it might be the most striking detail of the whole day.
Vows were exchanged, rings were swapped, and there was barely a dry eye beneath the high-vaulted barn beams.
Pimm's O'Clock
With the formalities complete, guests spilled out into the sunshine of The Courtyard, where trays of Pimm's stood to attention and resident caterers The Hog & Apple Food Co. worked their canapé magic - mini fish and chips, golden arancini, and not a soggy vol-au-vent in sight.
A live acoustic duo provided the soundtrack, the flower girl provided the entertainment (someone had to test the water feature's petal-carrying capacity), and the newlyweds provided the romance — sneaking a quiet moment together amid the mingling.
Our Favourite Islands, Our Favourite People
Remember that gorgeous stationery suite we mentioned? It reached its crescendo in The Grain Shed, where guests found their seats via a travel-themed table plan - each table named after one of Laura and Dain's favourite islands, from Skye to Borneo, Raja Ampat to Iceland.
(Between passport stamps in Guatemala, Belize and Indonesia, this pair have clearly been making up for those lockdown walks. We approve.)
And here's where the personal touches went into overdrive - because Laura and Dain got the parents involved.
“Laura's mum is a talented potter and handmade each guest a porcelain name place for their seat,” Laura tell us.
“These gave our guests a meaningful keepsake to take home. And Dain's dad is a brilliant artist - he hand-painted scenes of each travel location we named our tables after. We framed these on each table, with a short story of our time there written on the back.”
Handmade porcelain. Hand-painted artwork. Hand-illustrated stationery. We're starting to sense a theme - and we haven't even got to the tambourines yet.
Yes, tambourines… Hold that thought.
The room itself was a sight to behold: colourful tapered candles, citrus fruits and an abundance of bud vases lining the tables, all glowing beneath the fairy lights. The newlyweds were cheered in, in fine style...
... and the speeches delivered everything you’d want: laughter, happy tears, and toasts raised against a wall of twinkling lights. Laura even took the mic herself - and brought the house down.
Full Of Love, Full Of Fun, Full Of Great Food
“When planning our wedding, we had three main things we always came back to,” says Laura. “We wanted the day to feel full of love, full of fun, and full of great food.”
Reader: mission accomplished on all three counts. But let's talk about that third one - because our resident caterers Hog & Apple truly outdid themselves.
“Ever since we attended one of Hog & Apple's tasting events, we’d been so excited for the food at our wedding,” says Laura. “We love a sharing board at the best of times, so went for the antipasti sharing platter for starters, an incredible feasting board for the mains, and a ‘his’ and ‘hers’ dessert duo. So many dishes stand out, but the lamb with coconut and curry sauce continues to be talked about by many of our guests as the best food they've ever had at a wedding."
High praise indeed - and having smelled that Fire Feast being grilled, we can confirm it was thoroughly earned.
And then - then - came the tambourines.
“To bring the energy to our wedding breakfast, we hand-painted tambourines for each guest and added colourful ribbons,” says Laura. “They were completely worth the time they took, and became a great addition when the Undercover Waiters arrived! We've loved going to friends’ houses since and seeing our tambourines on display on a shelf.”
Golden Hour On The Farm
While the party warmed up, photographer Ben Barron whisked the wedding party out into the fields for what can only be described as a masterclass in golden hour photography.
The light. The dresses. The freshly mown hay meadows of a working Yorkshire farm. Chef’s kiss.
Speaking of those dresses: Laura's six bridesmaids each wore a different shade - lemon, pink, cornflower blue, sage and peach - in matching styles from Oh Hello Clothing and Pretty Lavish.
“I knew I wanted my six bridesmaids in different colours to be in keeping with our colourful theme,” says Laura. “Finding something that each of my girls felt good in was so important - little details like ruching, slits and adjustable straps were essential! Paired with gold heels and block-colour bouquets to match their dresses, the girls looked absolutely incredible and really brought our full colour scheme together.”
Incidentally, if you’re wondering where the whole colour palette came from: it started with those bridesmaid dresses, and Rebecca and Vicky ran the thread through every candle, bud vase and bloom on site. That's how you do a colour scheme.
And when Laura and Dain slipped away for a few portraits of their own... well… the pictures speak for themselves…
Traditions Old And New
Back inside, the evening celebrations opened with a joyful nod to Laura’s Turkish heritage (as foretold in the wedding newspaper): the couple donned ribbon sashes for the traditional money dance, and guests queued up to pin gold envelopes - stuffed with cards, cash and well-wishes - to the happy couple.
By the end of it, Dain was wearing more envelopes than tuxedo. A rich man in every sense.
Then came the cake - and what a cake. A retro, heart-shaped, kitsch-as-you-like creation piped in pink, red and white with “L + D” front and centre. Laura's face at the cutting tells you everything about how the evening was going.
Guests also left messages on the vintage telephone audio guestbook - a brilliant touch. Imagine hearing those voices again on your tenth anniversary...
Dance Until Dark
And then the band struck up, the personalised ‘L + D’ heart sunglasses came out, and The Normans did what The Normans does best after dark.
Bride and groom in the thick of it. Fairy lights streaking across every frame. And - as Laura and Dain shrewdly noted when they booked - the bar is on the dance floor, so the dancing does not stop.
From a Hinge match in lockdown to a barn full of tambourines in Bilbrough - Laura, Dain, it was an absolute privilege.
We doff our hats. And our heart-shaped sunglasses.
““We fell in love with The Normans from the moment we walked into that ceremony barn full of fairy lights. Absolutely every detail has been thought of by the amazing Normans team - the flow of movement for guests throughout the day, having the bar on the dancefloor so the dancing doesn’t stop, gorgeous details in every area. It’s a truly special venue and a real one-of-a-kind.””
SUPPLIERS
Photography Ben Barron
Flowers Vert and Vase
Styling Twinkle Events Company
Bride's dress Made with Love - the Louie Flowy from Nora Eve Bridal
Bridesmaids' dresses Oh Hello Clothing and Pretty Lavish
Groom and groomsmen's suits Moss Bros
Make-up The Costa Chic
Hair Samantha Ashley
Music Midnight Train
Singing Waiters The Undercover Waiters
Vintage bus York Pullman
