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natural beauty: pronovias for a pared back wedding at priory cottages – harriet & mike

Aislinn Thompson

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (71)

There’s something about a bride on her wedding day, as she brims with beauty, elegance and an inner radiance – and today’s bride, Harriet, is certainly no exception. Looking 100% gorgeous in a fitted lace gown with capped sleeves and a delicate full-length veil, she glides down the aisle with grace. And to complete the moving moment – a live church choir performing.

Harriet and Mike chose a beautiful, natural theme to complement the countryside setting and their personalities. The rustic look was echoed on the tables of the wedding breakfast, with candles, wooden log slices and trails of ivy. The two large foliage hoops hanging from the roof of the marquee provide a pretty focal point and draw guests’ attention to the fairy-lit ceiling, which really comes into its own as the light fades and the band strikes up for the first dance.

A further detail highlight has to be the cake stand made from a tree trunk, decorated with wispy foliage and topped with a naked cake in a beautiful; summery yellow hue. Confectionery perfection!

With images by Brides Up North Sponsor, Lloyd Clarke Photography.

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (26)

harriet says

: We got engaged on 17th July 2015, at the breakfast table on our balcony. Mike made a lovely cooked breakfast and shortly afterwards he brought me a red velvet cupcake that said ‘Marry Me’ on it. To my great surprise, I turned to him and he was already on one knee. Later that evening we travelled to India to explore the Himalayas. What a way to start our journey!

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (63)

We got married on 5th August 2017. It was one of the only dates available at the stunning Priory Cottages where we held our reception – a very popular place! Without question we would recommend the venue; it’s simply stunning if you enjoy being in the countryside. Serena and her team were very accommodating. We also reserved all the cottages for our families, which was convenient for us.

Our ceremony took place at All Saints Church in Kirk Deighton. We chose this venue because it is a beautiful church and close to my family home. I also have fond memories of the church because my eldest sister got married there in 2012. I must give a special mention to the wonderful choir that joined us at the ceremony – Collavoce from Harrogate.

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (59)

We chose a rustic theme for our wedding. I felt it complemented the venue and we also like a natural approach with nothing too extravagant. There was no set colour scheme, other than whites, greens and blush pink in the flowers to bring a hint of colour into it. We wanted it to be as natural as possible.

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (79)

My dress was from a shop in York called Bridal Rogue Gallery – a full-length, white lace dress from the designer Pronovias. I chose it because I liked the fit, the lace detail and the slightly lower back. It was a very statement wedding dress for me, which I wouldn’t have normally gone for. I went into the shop thinking I would choose a completely different kind of dress but instead I fell in love with that one.

My bridal makeup was done by Laura Wilkinson. She was very friendly, professional and reasonably priced. She wasn’t pushy in any way and gave advice as to what best suited my complexion. I would recommend her to anyone.

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (9)

Mike wore a tailor-made suit from Reiss. Anybody who knows Mike wouldn’t expect him to shop anywhere else. The groomsmen also wore Reiss suits.

My bridesmaids wore a blush-coloured, multi-way dress from the designer Kelsey Rose.

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (12)

For the wedding transport, I travelled in Vintage Rolls Royce Silver Wraith FXF, hired from Cupid Carriages. They were a great company to work with and made everything very easy. They were fantastic on the day.

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (17)

Our photographer was Bethany Clarke. I would recommend her as she was easy to work with and a generally lovely lady. Mike and I wanted the more natural approach with fewer formal photos on our wedding day. Bethany was discreet when taking many natural photos on the day, which is exactly what we wanted. Thank you Bethany! We’d also like to give a special mention to Matthew, who was also fabulous.

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (21)

Our florist was Wendy from Paperwhite Flowers. My bouquet comprised a mixture of flowers including gypsophila, small garden roses, peach and white stocks, white veronica, romantic pepita and foliage to create a hand-picked look. The bridesmaids’ bouquets were the same but smaller.

The flowers for our reception were also provided by Wendy. We had two different kinds of arrangements on the tables of gypsophila along with candles, a wooden log and trails of ivy in keeping with the rustic theme. We also had two large foliage hoops hanging from the roof of the marquee. On the top table, we had one large natural arrangement. We also had a large stone urn filled with gorgeous summer flowers and foliage, which included all the roses and spray roses, peonies, delphiniums, larkspur, white and peach stocks, cream and peach lisianthus, eucalyptus, thlaspi and white nigella. Finally, a large pedestal arrangement that also incorporated the same flowers.

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (41)

For favours, we donated to Cancer Research and put a small bundle of sweeties on each name place.

For the cake, we chose a naked creation made by Mary at Quite Contrary Cakes based in Tadcaster. We had four tiers of different-flavoured sponges: vanilla with raspberry conserve, zesty lemon with lemon curd, rich coffee and an orange sponge with marmalade.

When it came to the food and drink at the wedding reception, we chose Cono Sur Merlot for the red drinkers and the white wine was Villa Maria, Sauvignon Blanc. For starter, we had a choice of warm salad of smoked duck breast or caramelised red onion and Harrogate blue tartlet. The choices for the main course were roast Sirloin of beef or pavé of organic salmon. Dessert was an assiette of British classics: brulee’d citrus tart, mini chocolate fondant with vanilla pod crème, and Eton mess. We chose this menu because it’s food we enjoy eating but we felt our guests would like it too. You also can’t go to a Yorkshire wedding without some roast beef and Yorkshire puddings!

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (48)

For the entertainment, we arranged a funk and soul band for the evening reception called Funk Soul Lovers. They were fantastic and had everyone up and dancing all night. You really can’t beat old-school music in my eyes.

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (49)

My favourite part of the day would have to be the ceremony. The church looked beautiful, the choir was amazing, the reading from my sister touched everyone’s hearts and I just loved everything about it.

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (68)

For our honeymoon, we travelled to Canada. The trip was organised by our good friend at Ian Hughes – Travel Counsellors. We travelled to Vancouver, hired a car and drove to Kamloops. We had one night in Kamloops and then travelled onto Jasper National Park. After doing various hikes and visiting the Ice Explorer and Glacier Skywalk, we then travelled onto Lake Louise and stayed in The Fairmont. We had two nights there and then drove to Banff National Park, where we spent two nights and visited Sunshine Meadows and had a helicopter ride over the Canadian Rockies – just amazing! Then, to finish our journey, we flew to Toronto to spend time with friends and, of course, visit Niagara Falls.

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (84)

My top tip to other Brides Up North would be to take the time to visit all your guests at their tables. It’s an easy way to see everyone. Many people tell you the day goes so fast and now I can say it really does. Enjoy every minute!

A Simple Wedding at Priory Cottages (c) Lloyd Clarke Photograpghy (82)

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