Today on Brides Up North, we’re reminiscing with newlyweds Kate and Danny, who tied the knot earlier this spring at the stunning Colshaw Hall in Cheshire – a private 300-acre estate.
With a penchant for all things Easter, the couple treated their guests to an egg-stra (sorry, had to be done!) spectacular day filled with chocolate eggs, cute bunnies and beautiful daffodils. Their dog Maddie even had a special role to play.
With not just two, three or even four but six bridesmaids and a flower girl – all coordinated in rainbow-bright pastel shades – and the bride herself dressed in an elegant vintage style gown, get ready for a cute springtime wedding.
With images by Ragdoll Photography
kate says:
We got engaged on 13th December 2015, at the top of the big hill on Barlaston Downs Banks when taking our little dog Maddie on a Sunday walk. It was also our seven-year anniversary!Our wedding took place on 12th April 2017 – we picked this date because we wanted a springtime, Easter wedding. We got married at Colshaw Hall in Knutsford, Cheshire – we fell in love with the venue from day one. It has amazing grounds and both the ceremony room and reception room were beautiful boasting natural colours. The accommodation was amazing too – 36 guests from our close family and the bridal party stayed there the night before as well as on the big day itself.
We picked our theme based on my love for Easter. As a little girl, it was always an exciting time in my house, with all the bunnies, chicks and beautiful colours. My family would always get together at this time too.
We chose a pastel palette for our colour scheme, consisting of mint, purple, lemon and lilac – all of my favourite colours! They worked perfectly with our Easter theme.
I brought my dress from Bridal Couture By Josephine in Cheadle. After trying on about 50 dresses, I decided A-line was my kind of dress and the most flattering style. I love lace, so really wanted this fabric, as well as sleeves to cover my arms. When I tried the dress on, it was just perfect!
Danny wore a navy blue slim-fit suit, with a grey and blue check waistcoat with brown shoes, purchased from Maria Modes in Macclesfield. The groomsmen wore matching navy suits with ties made from the same material as the bridesmaid dresses.
Speaking of which – I had seven bridesmaids and one flower girl – two wore lilac, with two in lemon, two in mint and another in pink. The dresses were bought from DIY Dress which is such an amazing website. A special mention should also go to dressmaker Victoria Anthony who altered my bridesmaids’ dresses and made all the ties.
We booked the amazing Rosie of Ragdoll Photography to capture our day. She made everyone feel at ease and took natural styled photos, which captured the love and laughter throughout the day. I would highly recommend her, especially to those who feel uncomfortable having photos taken.
We went to the venue the day before to set everything up. I had a fab team of ladies to help out, including mums, aunties, friends and bridesmaids. We did all the flowers ourselves in keeping with the pastel colour scheme, along with some daffodils because they are my mum’s and my favourite flowers. We placed the flowers in glass jars dotted around the venue, and my friends, Nicki and Katie came up with the idea of winding ivy around the beams in the ceremony room. We also had eggs and bunnies on the tables.
Danny loves his sport, so we took photos of our dog with everyone’s sport of his choice and used these for our tables names.
For our favours, we gave out eggcups with the guest’s name on one side and ‘D and K 12/04/17’ on the other side. A chocolate egg was placed in each, with a napkin tied round the egg to create an Easter bunny.
We decided on a naked cake, created by Dottie’s Pantry, consisting of two layers of Victoria sponge and a layer of lemon drizzle, decorated with pastel coloured flowers and topped with a flag adorned with ‘MR and MRS’. We also had a five-layer cheese cake from Godminster.
Barretts Event Caterers supplied our wedding breakfast. We opted for leek and potato soup to start, followed by a pork dinner and then a trio of puddings – chocolate brownie, cheesecake, crumble and custard. Then for the evening, we served fish finger and sausage sandwiches. This was accompanied by our own selection of wine and Prosecco, and we paid corkage.
During the day, magician Tom Pear entertained our guests. At night, we booked a band called Pelo and, in between, my friend Rob created playlists we could dance along to. The band were amazing and everyone danced the night away, which is exactly what we wanted!
The venue and its staff were fantastic. If there are newlyweds out there after beautiful grounds, private accommodation, a barn style ceremony room and a large space to party the night away, then Colshaw Hall would be the perfect choice!
For our honeymoon, we went to New York City for five nights – it was fabulous! We had a brilliant time doing all the main attractions like the Statue of Liberty, the Rockefeller Centre, Times Square and a bike ride in Central Park, as well as watching a baseball match and going to see Aladdin on Broadway. It was a holiday to remember.
My top tip for other Brides Up North would be, no matter how much you prepare, it may not always go to plan! But just remember you are marrying the man of your dreams with all your closest family and friends there and that’s what it’s really all about.