We’re stepping back into warmer climes today as we recount Holly and Ashley’s fabulous July wedding at the beautiful Crathorne Hall in Yarm.
Set in 15 acres of private grounds on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors, this is a wedding venue that’s brimming in pure elegance and romantic wedding day feels. It’s no surprise that the couple fell in love with the space, complementing the dreamy setting with their very own Yorkshire-inspired wedding. Think tractors, horses and outdoor games and you’ll start to picture the scene!
The couple, who welcomed family and friends from around the globe, kept things classic and elegant – from the pastel hued blooms to the turquoise bridesmaids’ dresses and handmade centrepieces. All understated and flawlessly perfect.
Other special touches to look out for include their horseshoe favours and messages in a bottle, which the bride and groom plan on opening in the years to come.
With images by Brides Up North Sponsor, Lloyd Clarke Photography.
holly says
: We got engaged on 4th August 2017. It was Ashley’s birthday and we went out for dinner at the Jet Miners in Broughton. After dinner, Ash insisted on going for a walk so we headed for Cod Beck Reservoir in Osmotherley. We walked half way around the reservoir and he challenged me to skim stones. As I was searching for a stone to skim, Ash called my name, I turned around and he was there on one knee! An absolutely perfect and unexpected proposal.
We got married on 20th July 2018. We chose this date because it was one of the very few available during the summer for the year following our engagement. We couldn’t wait to get a date booked.
We got married at Crathorne Hall. We viewed several venues and Crathorne Hall was the one that ticked all of the boxes. Gorgeous, accessible and it had rooms on-site. It was perfect.
When we started wedding planning, we were keen to have a Yorkshire theme. We both originate from down south but have always lived together in North Yorkshire. However, as things developed, so did the theme. Our wedding just became a party that represented us – tractors, horses, travel and food.
We didn’t really choose a colour scheme. We just went for natural and neutral colours that we both liked.
When I went dress shopping, I tried on a lot of dresses in many different shops. With our wedding date booked for less than a year away, there was a lot of pressure to get a dress ordered as quickly as possible so it would be ready in time. I eventually chose a dress from Victoria Robson in Northallerton. Victoria made it easy and stress-free and I knew that the dress was the one!
Ash chose his suit from Peter Posh – it was a combination of styles which suited his taste perfectly. We got the grooms’ suits from the same supplier and it was very straightforward to organise.
Other suppliers on the day included Janette’s Hairdressers and a good friend of mine, Nat Labarre who kindly agreed to do the girls’ makeup. Both were incredibly easy going and did gorgeous natural styles. We couldn’t have asked for more. Our photographer was Bethany Clarke of Lloyd Clarke Photography. Bethany was absolutely brilliant – she blended in and captured beautiful, natural photos.
Our flowers were designed by Fleur Maison. We discussed our preferences and when the designs were sent through we were blown away. It turns out that she understood our taste better than we did!
Our centrepieces were designed and handmade by us (thanks to mum and dad!)
We decided on steel horseshoes for favours for the guests, representing luck and to say thanks for our family making the effort to join us to celebrate.
We decided on a cheesecake instead of a traditional wedding cake, which was from West Country Cheese. In the end there was around 15kg of cheese for us all to demolish. We ordered a taster box before the wedding to try all of the cheese and would highly recommend this!
All of the food and wine was supplied by Crathorne Hall. We had a really good night of wine tasting and food sampling before the big day, so we could choose the best courses.
For our entertainment, we chose a band called Folklore. There was much debate over which band would be best, but Folklore was the one band that blew us both away.
The most important thing for us was to have our family and friends together. We had family from Canada, Dubai and Scotland with us so it was important that everyone had fun. We had outdoor games for people to play with, tractors for everyone to climb on and a ‘message in a bottle’ for everyone to post memories inside. We can’t wait to read them in years to come.
Following our wedding, we would highly recommend Crathorne Hall as a big day venue to other couples. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. All of our guests commented on the staff – they all went above and beyond, and we didn’t worry about a thing all day. Everyone working at Crathorne was exceptional. We both loved every minute of the day from start to finish.
My top tip for other Brides Up North would be to not worry. You are going to marry your best friend so be the last two standing and enjoy every second.
