For readers too young to appreciate the title’s reference to Romancing the Stone, don’t worry - you’re not missing much. The 1984 movie starring Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas was, for all intents and purposes, a sub-par Indiana Jones. And it certainly wasn’t as emotionally uplifting, as visually rewarding, or didn’t have as good a soundtrack as the wedding of Matthew Holt and Juliet Stone (Stone, geddit?!)
Moving on from tenuous cinematic references… Juliet’s day began at her family home.
Samuel Bristow was responsible for hair stylings, while make-up was administered by Charlotte Tillbury acolyte Jamie Edwards Bulloch.
Juliet wore a Serrano gown, from renowned British designer Suzanne Neville’s 2021 collection, which featured a fitted bodice with a delicate sweetheart neckline, and a full A-line skirt made of layers of soft tulle.
“The dress was paired with a hand-sewn long sleeve silver sparkle jacket,” says Juliet, “which was hand-made by the amazing seamstress at Harrogate Wedding Lounge to add a hint (or a lot) of sparkle to the party!”
A white Rolls-Royce heralded the arrival of our bride, who was helped out of the sleek vehicle by her father, before hiding away in The Normans Cottage.
Meanwhile, groom Matt, wearing trews and a jacket from McCalls of Edinburgh Highlandwear, made merry with his groomsmen in the autumn sunshine.
“All our groomsmen were Scottish and the my father is from Scotland, so we wanted to include tartan in our big day since Scotland holds a special place in our hearts,” says Juliet.
Soon enough, Matt and his groomsmen were joined by wedding guests, who gathered in The Normans Courtyard and awaited the opening of The Ceremony Barn doors.
Twinkling as always, the Ceremony Barn had been decorated by Juliet and her family.
“It was important for us to have lots of handmade decorations for a personal touch,” explains Juliet. “The paper flowers on the two wooden barrels at the front of the Ceremony Barn were handmade by my mum [mother-of-the bride Pauline], as were the handmade pink white and grey hearts which she had sewn - we used these as bunting and decoration for the chairs either side of the aisle.”
Pauline's paper flowers riffed on the real flowers used in the beautiful bridal bouquet by Leafy Couture.
Juliet shone she walked down the aisle, arm in arm with her father…
… and she and Matt were duly married by the lovely ladies of Selby District Council registry office.
The stunning couple were duly attacked with confetti as they made it out of the Ceremony Barn and into the south-facing Courtyard.
Dave Pilla serenaded guests in the sunshine, while The Hog & Apple Food Co. was on hand to keep guests well watered and well fed, with a selection of delectable canapes.
“The Hog & Apple team were just fantastic,” attests Juliet. “Guests loved the mini pie and pints and the delicious mini fish and chips…”
The drinks reception gave Juliet and Matt, along with their bridesmaids and groomsmen, the chance to amble across the road for some photos on the farm…
… case in point…
Meanwhile, back in the Grain Shed, the scene was set for the wedding breakfast.
“We had a large flower hoop at the entrance [of the Grain Shed] for guests to take photos next to,” says Juliet. “The flowers were all shades of bright pinks, pale peach, with hints of blue and purple amongst a foliage background.”
Décor in the Grain Shed consisted of eucalyptus, with pops of colourful flowers hanging from the gantries. The table plan was presented on an antique, gold-framed mirror, while hampers were filled with sweet treats (for guests and cards (from guests).
One of our favourite touches was the charity donation in lieu of favours - money was donated to Acorns Children's Hospice, Yorkshire Air Ambulance and RNLI.
Bravo, Juliet and Matt!
The wedding breakfast featured included starter sharing boards of olives, antipasti, falafels and flatbreads. Mains were served on Hog & Apple’s sharing boards of grilled buttermilk chicken, lamb kebabs, haloumi and pepper skewers with sides including tabbouleh.
“Dessert was incredible and lived up to its name of ‘The Don’ Brownie,” says Juliet. “Gooey chocolate brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce. And, if guests still had room, there was wood-fired pizza served in the evening!”
Bravo (again), to mother-of-the-bride Pauline, who crafted this fabulous four-tier wedding cake.
Indeed, Pauline’s handiwork was quickly gobbled-up by guests - Juliet suspects that cake intake was needed to fuel the evening’s revelries…
The dance floor was packed throughout the evening, thanks in large, to the scamps from South West Band.
What a party it was. Everyone was on the dancefloor - including lead singer Henry and photographer Hamish Irvine who’s responsible for all these stunning photos! Note to couples: Hamish is great since sticks around taking photos well into the evening!
“Our experience at the Normans was incredible. From the moment we met with Oliver and his team we knew what a gem of a venue we had found. The team was so fantastic, enthusiastic and supportive through planning, two lockdowns, and on the big day itself!”
