Since summer’s in no rush to show its face (we’re writing this in early April and it’s still raining), let’s go back to the bright blue skies and golden hues of autumn.
Yes, autumn.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we love an autumn wedding.
And we’re not the only ones. Dynamic duo Maddie and Alastair also love an autumn wedding, which is why they picked one fine day in November to tie the knot at The Normans.
Happily for us - and anyone casting their eyes over this blog - Maddie and Alastair enlisted the skills of photographer Hamish Irvine to pap the day.
Hamish is a regular at The Normans and knows how to capture couples (and the venue!) in all their glory!
We can’t get over these gorgeous images of our Courtyard, quiet and still, awaiting the arrival of wedding guests.
But the autumn aesthetics paled in comparison to beautiful bride Maddie, whose smile says it all…
Marvellous Maddie is no stranger to The Normans wedding venue, having visited previously in a professional capacity, working for the most excellent Martin House Children’s Hospice (check out photos from last year’s charity ball, if you haven’t already!)
However, work was the last thing on Maddie’s mind. She had more pressing matters to attend to: smashing champagne in her pyjamas with her bridesmaids.
The girls were soon joined by Jamie Bailey of Meraki Hair Salon who was in charge of the bride’s hair, while the team from Capelli looked after the bridesmaids.
Make-up artist Sonia Schofield, meanwhile, blushed, bronzed and (further) beautified the bridal party.
Then, of course, there was the dress.
‘Beau’ by Made With Love Bridal, procured from The Aisle in Skipton, features hand-beaded lace and a striking square neckline.
“Gemma and the team were so lovely,” enthuses Maddie - I had the best experience!”
Finishing touches were perfected by seamstress Helen at The Bobbin Bridal, who also made Maddie a stunning headband out of excess material from here dress.
“I put the headband on later in the night… I love it!” exclaims Maddie. “It also means I can carry on wearing a little bit of my wedding day whenever I want!”
“I loved the beading and sparkles,” says Maddie. “Everyone seemed to be heading for lace this year - or at least in my friendship circle - I wanted something to catch the November light and look sparkly!”
Maddie looked picture-perfect and hearts duly melted when she revealed her dress to bridesmaids and her dear Dad.
Outside, guests basked in the cool light of autumn, mingling in the leafy environs of The Normans Courtyard.
“We always knew we wanted an autumn wedding, a rustic but classy feel, but we didn’t want to go with the standard rusts and oranges,” says Maddie.
“We had the idea to have white and gold with little additions of colour, with our wedding party in black, we also asked the guests to wear colour, we didn’t want them to feel like they needed to dull it down for an autumn wedding and they did a great job!“
Maddie made her way to the Ceremony Barn with the assistance of wedding planner Sian Chaplin…
… And with all this excitement, we nearly forgot to give a shout-out to the other half of our power couple, Alastair Massey - known to all and sundry as ‘Mass’. (No, not a reference to Density multiplied by Volume, or even Force divided by Acceleration, just an abbreviation of Massey. In case you were wondering. Which you probably weren’t…)
Mass was all smiles and looked dapper in his tailored tux from Slaters. The slick suit was embellished with a bespoke bowtie.
Maddie met Mass at in front of The Ceremony Barn’s iconic cascading fairy lights…
… and the couple sealed their newly married status with a heartfelt kiss.
Once they’d signed the register, Maddie and Mass made a dramatic exit from the Ceremony Barn…
… out into The Courtyard…
The fine weather enabled guests to enjoy much of the day outside: sipping bubbly, sampling H&A’s top-drawer canapes, and admiring the personal touches that Maddie and Mass had added to the venue.
“Working in events, we really appreciate what good lighting can achieve,” explains Maddie. “Whether it’s candles, fairy lights, festoon lights, anything…”
Indeed, Maddie brought in AV Matrix to install extra festoon lights across the width of The Courtyard, making the area look all the more stunning as the sun set.
And let’s hear it for Maddie’s bridesmaids - all beautiful in black.
“There’s this joke that I’m like Morticia Addams,” laughs Maddie. “All I wear is black! It’s my colour! So much so, my now mother-in-law was slightly worried my wedding dress would be black, so it was only fitting that my bridesmaids were in black. I let each of them pick their own style from Six Stories. I think they looked so classy!”
The drinks reception after the marriage ceremony is the perfect time time for newly married couples to escape their guests and spend some quiet time together.
Aforementioned photographer Hamish Irvine knows his way around The Normans, so was able to take Maddie and Mass to some choice spots, resulting in some truly lovely shots…
But there’s only so much time a couple can spend smoochy kissing in tree-lined avenues and golden sunsets - people have to eat! And so, the large wooden doors of the Grain Shed were flung open and guests were called in for the wedding breakfast.
“We had candles on the top table for our grandparents who are no longer with us,” says Maddie when asked about her decorative features in The Grain Shed. “We wanted to honour them but in a subtle way and having their names on the candles did that for us.”
“We’re also proud of our table numbers. We spent time going through our baby photos - I think our parents really appreciated it!”
While guests took their seats, Maddie, Mass, bridesmaids, and groomsmen, took themselves to The Cow Stalls for some pre-dinner Dutch Courage (read as: shots!)
And then the couple made quite the entrance!
Proceedings started with speeches…
There was laughter.
There were tears.
And then there was food.
Lots of food.
“We are foodies,” announces Maddie in no uncertain terms. “We’ve been to so many weddings and we were adamant we wanted the food at ours to be remembered. And it was: our guests have not stopped talking about how good it was! The chicken and waffle to start was just such an us choice! And the beef sharing board! YUM! But the chocolate-orange dessert… wow! We tried this dessert at one of the H&A taster nights at The Normans and it was incredible! The perfect end to the meal!”
While guests gorged themselves on H&A’s fantastic fare, artist Stephanie Struth sat in the corner, diligently finishing the hugely impressive live painting she started during the ceremony. (We love this painting!)
Credit also to Anna Burton who crafted this three-tier beauty of a cake!
A bit of downtime between the end of the wedding breakfast and the beginning of the band’s first set gave Maddie, Mass and their respective Squads an opportune moment to steal into the night and wave around fizzing sticks of fire.
Fair play. The photos look great.
Of course, sparklers are all well and good, but nothing says ‘wedding celebration’ like spraying a bottle of bubbly in a dark, isolated rural setting.
Once sparklers had burned out and champagne had been sprayed and duly quaffed, Maddie and Mass were back inside on the dance floor.
DJ Silver Jams oversaw deck duties, and wedding guests - wielding glowing batons like an army of crazed party goblins - proceeded to beast the dance floor until the night was out.
Bravo.
“The Normans was beyond incredible - we had the best day of our lives and we wouldn’t have wanted our wedding anywhere else!
It will always hold the most special place in our hearts.”
