The couple had viewed a few wedding venues before deciding on De Vere Wokefield Estate. "The hotel was perfect with its grand but homely feel," Emily explains. "Nothing was too much trouble for the experienced team and they were so flexible when it came to date changes – we had to postpone twice due to the pandemic."
The couple added some personal touches to their big day including adding photographs of Emily's grandparents to her bridal bouquet and choosing lyrics from musical theatre songs as their ceremony readings. "We walked out of the ceremony to a recording of my grandad playing the organ," Emily tells us.
The couple decorated their day with autumnal colours. "Our centrepieces were tall clear glass vases filled with white hydrangeas, peach and red roses, ferns and trailing ivy," Emily describes. "They were placed on large round log slices with the table names written on them in pyrography and our place names were also written in pyrography on smaller log slices. Our table names related to a location in one of our favourite musicals – the table that was hosting guests from further afield was called Gander from the musical Come From Away. Little did our guests know that the top table called Our House was a subtle clue as to our first dance, but more about that later!"
The couple's choice of flowers also included burnt-orange roses, white gypsophila and eucalyptus leaves. "We had a birch flower arch as a ceremony backdrop which was transferred to the room hosting the wedding breakfast and evening reception where it had fairylights weaved into it," Emily says. "We also had two sprays of flowers displayed on plinths either side of the entrance doors, burgundy hydrangeas tied on to seats with hessian and ribbon and candles placed in lantern holders decorating the fireplace."
The couple opted for circular tables, even for the top table to ensure everybody was able to talk easily. "We gave each guest a teacup and saucer that had been made into a candle by my parents as favours," Emily says.
The couple's cake was made by a friend of theirs, Patricia Ellis who runs Titch's Treats. "It followed a woodland theme and was displayed on three round log slices at varying heights," Emily explains. "The delicious flavours were chocolate, carrot cake and coffee cake."
For starters, guests were served butternut squash soup with mascarpone cream. "The main course was a rump of lamb with warm potato salad, pea puree, dolcelatte blue cheese cream and port jus," Emily says. "The dessert was Bailey's cheesecake with espresso syrup and roasted coffee beans and we also provided canapés for our champagne reception following the ceremony."
Emily wore an ivory wedding gown by Diane Le Grand purchased from Sophie Grace Bridal along with a tiara gifted to her by the boutique. "My dress had a classic scoop neckline, a detailed waist and ballgown-style skirt with tiny buttons cascading down the back," she says. "I wore a pair of my grandma's pearls and some court shoes with a low heel and diamante T-bar straps. My hair was styled in a low loose bun with make-up inspired by a natural vintage style, finished with a Bobbi Brown lipstick in orange."
Tom and his groomsmen wore dark-grey tailcoat suits teamed with white shirts, cream waistcoats, burnt orange-coloured cravats and oxblood Oxford shoes. "Our beautiful bridesmaids wore floor-length dresses in the same colour as the cravats featuring long sleeves and an embroidered flower pattern across the bodice," Emily says. "They were exactly what I was looking for! They each wore their hair in a half-up, half-down style with curls and hair slides that I made myself with gold leaves, cream flowers, pearls and diamanté."
A highlight of the day was the best man's speech which was accompanied by artwork from Daryl Harvey Illustration and Design showing key stages of Tom's life and their relationship. "We also had an air hockey table at the evening reception which is a favourite pastime of ours – it certainly kept the younger guests entertained!"
The couple hosted a mid-evening musical theatre cabaret which they put together themselves featuring their talented friends from local theatre societies. "One of the performers even personalised the lyrics to their song to make it relevant to us," Emily says. "We also hired Space Bar Productions to entertain our guests during the reception who were fantastic and worked from a playlist that we had put together for them. It included classic wedding party songs and some modern hits to suit all age groups. They worked with our guests to fulfil requests, creating a fantastic atmosphere. A highlight was that, after two long years of keeping it a secret, we were able to perform our choreographed first dance to the music of the Madness musical, Our House which was a wonderful surprise for everyone."
"Ask for a little help from your friends and stay on top of the organisation. While we didn't have a wedding planner, we were so lucky to have the support of the amazing staff at De Vere Wokefield Estate." - Emily and Tom
