Featured Supplier

country class. justin alexander for a traditional wedding at the devonshire arms – gwen & rob

Rachel Hirst

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (48)

Push those Monday blues aside and lose yourself in this classic country wedding.

After a traditional church ceremony, today’s bride and groom Gwen and Rob enjoyed a relaxed yet fun reception at The Devonshire Arms Hotel, complete with fabulous musical entertainment.

Highlights for us include Gwen’s gorgeous gown, the perfectly iced cake and that fine wedding transport!

With images by Brides Up North Sponsor Mark Newton Photography.

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (26)

gwen says:

We got engaged in September 2014. Rob took me on an evening walk where we went on our first date – Barden Bridge near Bolton Abbey in the Yorkshire Dales.

We set the date for 23rd May 2015. The venue we wanted was free on a Bank Holiday weekend at a few months’ notice and we wanted a late spring/summer date – it seemed too good to be true!

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (22)

We had the wedding ceremony at The Priory Church of St. Mary and St. Cuthbert at Bolton Abbey. The reception was held at the Devonshire Arms Hotel and Spa, in North Yorkshire. We had stayed there previously. We loved the country hotel vibe and always had brilliant service. The close proximity of the hotel to the abbey meant that if the weather was good then guests could walk along the River Wharfe to the hotel.

We didn’t have a theme as such but I’d describe it as a traditional country Yorkshire wedding with a champagne, pink and aubergine colour scheme.

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (1)

I chose a traditional Justin Alexander champagne colour wedding dress from Angelica Bridal in Islington, London (where I grew up). This was accessorised with a long veil.

Rob wore a charcoal grey morning suit, which we hired from Moss Bros in Leeds. The ushers also wore charcoal grey suits but with aubergine cravats to match the bridesmaids’ dresses, which were from House of Fraser.

Our flower girl wore a cute dress from Monsoon and the page boys wore hired Scottish formal wear, in the Collin family tartan.

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (8)

For our wedding transport a family friend kindly drove up from Dorset in his vintage 50s Rolls Royce cabriolet. He drove me and my bridesmaids to the ceremony, and then drove me and Rob back to the hotel. The ushers arrived at the church in Rob’s dad’s 1960 Devon Caravette Volkswagen Camper.

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (12)

Mark Newton captured our day for us. We met him at our close friend’s wedding at Harewood House. We were impressed with his hard work and great photographs after the event. On our wedding day Mark couldn’t have been more helpful. He is very personable, discrete and was keen to deliver exactly what we wanted in terms of group photos and cataloguing our special day. In addition to taking some brilliant photos of the day, he also helped solve a few last minute emergencies! We recommend him unreservedly and have passed his details to several of our friends.

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (18)

When it came to the wedding flowers, those at the priory were provided by the church flower committee and looked stunning. Vanessa Wellock of Wildflowers, provided the bouquets. She was the hotel florist at the Devonshire Arms and did an excellent job. Vanessa also provided the flowers and candles for the reception. We had flowers decorating the pillars in the room, white muslin dressings on the windows and simple tea lights outside on the tables.

We named the tables after our favourite Pembrokeshire beaches with photos we have taken when on holiday there. On the table we provided Ilford black and white disposable cameras for our guests to take some shots of their own.

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (21)

For our favours we made homemade rhubarb jam using rhubarb from our garden. We also gave our guests some chocolate bars from Valrhona, where one of the bridesmaids works, and the children had activity bags, including crayons and an activity book, some toys and snacks.

Love Rouge in Headingley, Leeds provided our wedding cake cake. We had four different fruit sponges covered with butter icing and decorated with fresh flowers.

The wedding breakfast was provided by Devonshire Arms, which we picked from their wedding menu. We had smoked salmon and crab pressing, followed by rump of lamb and Devonshire lemon tart for dessert. We also had Welsh and Yorkshire cheese from George & Joseph Cheesemongers in Chapel Allerton, Leeds.

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (24)

To provide entertainment during the drinks reception a friend of ours David Pepper, played piano. Another friend and classical accordionist Marytynas Levickis, then played on the lawn in the evening sun. For the main reception entertainment we hired The White Keys. We had seen them previously at another wedding and they were by far the best music we have seen at a wedding, so we knew we had to book them.

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (30)

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (28)

Following our wedding we would absolutely recommend our chosen venue to others – it’s a beautiful hotel in an idyllic location. The wedding team and all the staff at the Devonshire Arms could not have been more helpful. The service throughout the day was excellent.

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (42)

I’d say my favourite part of the wedding was when we came out of the church to meet all our guests. The sun came out and there was an ice-cream van by the river so we enjoyed our first ice-cream of married life!

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (46)

For the day after the wedding we organised a relaxed walk and lunch at our favourite pub (the Craven Arms in Appletreewick). This allowed us more time to talk to our guests and show off the beautiful Yorkshire Dales some more, which we really enjoyed.

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (31)

Rob organised our honeymoon as a surprise. After a night in the St Pancras Hotel in London (where we have always wanted to stay) we spent ten days in Italy, visiting Florence, Umbria and the Amalfi Coast.

A Classic Wedding at The Devonshire Arms (c) Mark Newton Photography (50)

My top tip to other Brides Up North would be – pick the traditions you like and leave out the bits that do not work for you.

the big picture

join the northern revolution

Would you like to see your real wedding, love story, styled shoot, forthcoming event or wedding business featured on Loved Up North? Contact Loved Up North for real wedding and features submissions or details of our sponsorship packages.

Contact us to be featured on Loved Up North