Though we didn’t need anymore reason to get the mulled wine heating on the hob and the Baileys chilling in the fridge, Friday has arrived signaling the ok for a little indulgence. As such we’re treating your eyes to this true beauty of a real wedding, which took place in the beautiful city of York.
Lisa and Steve chose the stunning Grays Court, for their big day celebrations – a stunning, historic building which dates back to the 11th century. As luck would have it, the sun shone brightly on their wedding day and they unexpectedly ended up saying their vows in the venue’s garden, surrounded by candelabras, plinths, candles and flowers – a dreamy outdoors ceremony if ever we saw one! What we love most about the venue though, is that it looks like a secret hideaway – you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in the midst of a serene countryside setting as opposed to the heart of a city.
From the inspired grey colour scheme and Lindt chocolate favours, to the string quartet and elegant red velvet cake – there are lots of wonderful details to pore over. Our highlight though has to be the photos captured after dark, with fairy lights and dark shadows at play for some truly romantic shots!
With images by Brides Up North Sponsor, Richard Perry Photography.
lisa says:
We got engaged on my birthday, 10th April 2016. I love history and one of my favourite places is Hever Castle in Kent; Anne Boleyn’s childhood home. Steve surprised me with a trip to Hever. We stayed at the castle and while in the gardens, he proposed on one knee with a ring! He arranged for champagne on ice in our room for our return. It was perfect.
Our wedding date was 14th October, and we chose Grays Court in York as our venue. We love York and go whenever we can. I love Grays Court because it dates back to the 11th century, it’s beautiful with the gardens backing onto York wall and boasts views of the Minster. We’ve stayed there a few times and I knew that’s where I wanted to get married.
Our colour scheme was grey which matched the venue, as well as being my favourite colour. I didn’t have a theme in mind but realised along the way I’d chosen grey for quite a lot of things!
I chose an Ian Stuart gown. I loved his style straight away and found a bridal shop which stocked his gowns. The dress is called Angelica. It originally had a high neck and was sleeveless with a low back, but Ian Stuart made the dress strapless at my request.
Steve wore a light grey suit from Spencer’s in Liverpool. Meanwhile, our bridesmaids wore Dessy and the colour choice was stormy.
I didn’t need transport on the wedding day as I stayed at the venue the night before. Steve stayed at The Grand and walked through York with his friends to Grays.
I chose Richard Perry as our photographer. I’d searched through so many photographers online and knew what type of style I was looking for. I found him and wanted to meet him first; since he was going to be with us all day on our wedding – I needed to like him! Thankfully, I did straight away. He was perfect from start to finish – all of our guests asked us where we had found him. He sent me a sneak peek at the photographs before I woke up the following day and wow – I was blown away. I hate having my photo taken but I felt so at ease with Richard and he produced beautiful images. I can’t wait to show everybody!
The flowers were supplied by Leafy Couture, and Sarah and her team are amazing! I loved choosing the style and flowers with her. We went for David Austin roses and hydrangeas – a combination of blush, cream, purple and green.
We were blessed with sunshine, so at the last minute we decided to say our vows in the garden. Sarah dressed the area with tall candelabras and plinths with candles and flowers. I could see the area being set up from my bedroom window which only added to the excitement!
Our favours were easy: I love Lindt Lindor chocolate, so I spent quite a few hours making boxes with chocolates inside, tied with a grey ribbon and stamped labels. I did eat a few while making them…
The cake was supplied by The Flamingo Bakery. I like simple and elegant so knew I didn’t want too much fuss. The cake was better than I could have imagined! It tasted good too – three tiers of red velvet with flowers and ripples cascading down one side. It looked amazing.
The wedding breakfast was delicious. We had liver parfait to start, followed by loin of beef, oxtail pie and vegetables. Then sticky toffee pudding to follow. My mum is sadly no longer with us and I chose a menu that she would have likely created when she cooked on her Aga. I think she would have approved.
For our entertainment, we had a string quartet during the service. They played beautifully and then during our meal we surprised our guests with singing waiters! We were entertained with the elephant medley and Les Mis amongst others. In the evening, we had a band called Black & Gold, they were excellent too.
We would absolutely recommend Grays Court to other couples. Sarah was fantastic and helped us create the perfect day.
My favourite part of the day was saying our vows. Cliché, I know! Also, the speeches, as there were tears and laughter – exactly how it should be.
For our honeymoon we went to Venice, our other favourite place. We stayed at The Gritti Palace. We ate, drank and walked a lot. We went to the opera and art galleries too. We’ve been a few times now and love it more every time. The history, beauty and atmosphere is always mesmerising.
My top tip for other Brides Up North is, be prepared for a lot to go wrong. It did right up to the day before ours, but on the day, the only thing that matters is the bride and groom saying I do.
