North West Wedding

simple splendour. soft neutrals for an elegant winter wedding at eaves hall – kerry & wesley

Laura McDonagh

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

Clitheroe venue Eaves Hall was the perfect choice for today’s discerning couple, offering them exclusive use of its magnificent Georgian mansion and the stunning Ribble Valley as a backdrop to their big day.

Everything about this wedding speaks of elegance, from the all-cream blooms to the classy navy and gold colour palette. The bride wows in her backless lace Serenity dress and her vision of candelabras, greenery and lights is a lesson in chic venue-dressing.

However, there are also lots of light-hearted touches, from cake-pop penguins holding hockey sticks to pay homage to the groom’s hobby, to Little Mermaid shoe laces for Ariel fan Kerry.

With images by Gemma McAuley Photography

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

kerry says:

We got engaged on Christmas Eve 2013 at home; it was just perfect. Christmas is such a special time of year for us both and it was our daughter’s first, which made it even more wonderful. Wesley said he wanted to give me an early Christmas present and I was adamant I wanted to keep them all a surprise. However, he pulled out a ring box and asked me to marry him with our little girl there. It simply couldn’t have been more perfect. We celebrated with the family that night and toasted the future together.

Our wedding date was Saturday 13th February 2016. We didn’t plan to get married on Valentine’s weekend. We saw the venue, loved it, visited again on a wedding open day and they had the date available so we booked it.

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

We were married at Eaves Hall in Clitheroe. Both the ceremony and the reception were held there. Wesley and I first saw it online and we both loved it immediately. I knew it was where I wanted but also knew it was booked up well in advance. We went to view it in May 2015 and the amazing wedding coordinators mentioned that they had a date free and so we secured it with a deposit there and then. We also hired the lodge the night before so all the bridal party could stay together and we celebrated together as we prepared for our big day.

Our wedding colour scheme was navy, cream and gold. We wanted a simple colour scheme as it was a winter wedding and we didn’t want anything too fussy.

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

I chose a Sincerity fitted, backless lace dress from Lulu Browns Bridal Boutique in Whalley. It was the first dress I saw online and, even though I’d visited a few bridal boutiques and tried on lots of different styles, I hadn’t found one that came close. When I visited Lulu Browns I saw it hanging up and I knew that it was the one. Then I tried it and it was perfect!

My wedding shoes were decorated by one of my friends. Anyone who knows me knows my favourite thing in the world is The Little Mermaid and my friend put crystals all over my wedding converse and added Little Mermaid laces. It was such a lovely surprise and I hope she knows how much I loved the gesture!

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

Wesley had also given my bridesmaids a present for me on the morning of the wedding. It was a Pandora charm locket that said ‘to my beautiful wife, forever and always’.

My wedding make up was just stunning and the make-up artists were from Mystique Nails and Beauty in Oswaldtwistle. I would recommend them to any bride planning a wedding as they were experienced, professional and did exactly what I wanted.

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

Wesley wore a navy blue suit with a white shirt and matching waistcoat from Greenwoods in Blackburn. He looked gorgeous in it. I wanted Wes to stand out from the groomsmen so he wore a white tie with his suit rather than a blue one.

Our flower girl was our beautiful daughter who was only two-years -old. We wanted her to be comfortable but still look like a princess so she wore a gold dress from Monsoon with a little tiara which was just perfect. My adult bridesmaids wore gold, one shoulder full-length gowns. They were from Wedding Bells of Blackburn.

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

The groomsmen wore navy blue suits, white shirts, matching blue waistcoats and blue ties, also from Greenwoods in Blackburn.

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

Our photographer was Gemma McAuley and we couldn’t have picked a better woman! She captured the day exactly how we asked her to and was unbelievably professional. She was so calming and knew how to run alongside the day and remain completely unobtrusive. I’d recommend Gemma to anyone and everyone – the images really were amazing.

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

When it came to flowers, I had the most gorgeous posy-style bouquet that was very soft and delicate. It had cream freesias, gyp, astrantia, veronica and lisianthus and lots of foliage finished off with some hessian ribbon. The bridesmaids had similar bouquets but smaller in size and our daughter had a wand decorated with some matching flowers. The flowers were provided by Stems Floral Design in Blackburn.

The tables at the venue were decorated with candelabras and mirror bases and the florist draped ivy throughout the candles and at the bases. The top table had matching flowers to my bouquet. The ribbons on the chairs and glass candle holders were provided by Creative Cover Hire.

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

We gave out Penguin cake-pops as favours decorated as brides and grooms as we both love penguins. The groom penguins also had a little hockey stick as Wes is a hockey fan and plays regularly.

We chose a three-tier sponge wedding cake with vanilla cream and raspberry jam and the most beautiful icing that looked just like the cake was wrapped in lace. It shimmered in the candlelight and tasted absolutely delicious. It was made by Flecks Celebration Cakes in Darwen. We had a floral cake topper provided by Stems (which our daughter actually carried up the aisle because she wanted a bouquet and a wand!)

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

The food for the wedding breakfast was exquisite. We gave the guests a choice of two meat options and a vegetarian option too. We decided on ham hock salad or duck three ways to start, and then rump of lamb or roast beef for main. The vegetarian option was glazed Kidderton Ash goat’s cheese and panzanella salad to start and mushroom risotto for the main. We had elderflower and strawberry sorbet in between courses. For dessert, we went for sticky toffee pudding, mixed fruit crumble and custard and also lemon tart. For the evening supper, we chose a hog roast which everyone enjoyed in the moonlight outside of the gorgeous hall.

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

Eaves Hall provided a DJ for the reception and we felt that this was enough entertainment. We know our friends and family love to party and felt that this would be all we needed. For earlier in the day, we also hired a pianist to play as I walked down the aisle and as guests enjoyed the drinks reception.

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

In terms of other special, personal touches, our tables had a Harry Potter theme and the table plan was based around a letter from the Minister of Magic. Instead of a guest book, we asked guests to leave a suggestion for an adventure so we could create a ‘married couple’s bucket list’ – we got some really good suggestions!

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

After our wedding, we would definitely recommend Eaves Hall to other couples. The staff were amazing every step of the way and the food was perfect. We couldn’t have picked a better venue – I just wish we could do it all again!

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

My favourite part of the day was the moment Wesley turned around and saw me for the first time in ceremony room. It was just priceless and utterly unforgettable.

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

For our honeymoon, we went to New York for five days and then on to Hollywood, Las Vegas and Dallas – they were all amazing!

www.gemmamcauleyphotography.com / www.facebook.com/gemmamcauleyphoto

My top tip to other Brides Up North would be to make sure you do it exactly how you want it. You’ll remember this day forever; it really is the most special day of your life. Use a fantastic photographer (Gemma McAuley!) who will capture every moment. And remember to enjoy it on the day because it goes so quickly.

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