Some weddings are beautiful, some are achingly stylish, and some feel like they’ve been lifted straight from the pages of a fairy tale. Well, Rachael and Chris’s October wedding at Thicket Priory was all three. With an enchanting chapel ceremony, multiple stunning bridal looks, and a groom who took charge of the decor—leaning into Thicket’s natural beauty with chic Art Deco-inspired touches, no less—this was a day where every detail was considered, yet nothing felt overdone. Add the exclusivity and sheer elegance of Thicket Priory and photography captured on both digital and analogue film by the brilliant Tobiah Tayo, and you’ve got yourself an October wedding worth swooning over.
We fell in love with Thicket Priory immediately. We wanted the wedding to feel like a fairy tale, and Thicket feels like something out of a dream; it’s so beautiful. We also wanted somewhere to host as many people as possible on-site for the whole weekend, which was exclusive use. We wanted it to feel like an extended sleepover for our closest friends and family. Thicket Priory has 35 bedrooms – all of which are so beautiful! I was genuinely so excited for all our guests to see and stay in their rooms. I can’t count the number of times I did the virtual tour on their website! The team at Thicket Priory are also just amazing; it was clear from our first visit that their attention to detail was impeccable – they’re something special. Lily did the most amazing job on the day, and everything ran perfectly, so our trust in them was well-placed!
I went all in on the fairy tale, fairy-princess feel. You only get one chance to wear a wedding dress, so I went all out and used it as an excuse to wear the most princess-like ball gown I could get my hands on. My main dress was Macy by Casablanca Bridal, with the longest train I’ve ever seen. I adored how I looked in it on the day, and our pictures are stunning. If they do one, most people tone it down for their second dress/evening look. I honestly just bought two proper wedding gowns. My second dress was Sandi by Alan Hannah, which was smaller – I had the train taken off so I could dance the night away- and had more of a Cinderella look with the puffed sleeves I put on later in the night. This dress was so much fun to wear!
For my makeup, Chrys Chapman gave me a very natural look because I don’t wear much makeup, and Becca Hunton did a beautiful updo to complete the look—it made me feel so elegant!
I also had a third, much simpler dress for my legal ceremony the day before. This was more of a flower fairy feel; I had my hair down and a flower crown. The ceremony was intimate, with just our family, and we did a private vow reading under the bandstand on the grounds. I ended up changing back into this dress unplanned on the day, for the wedding breakfast, because I realised I couldn’t sit down and eat three courses in my beautiful ballgown! So, actually, I had three looks on the day itself!
Chris: I tried to keep the style minimal and traditional. The space is so beautiful that it needed very little dressing. There were small art deco touches throughout, which is a very personal delight of mine. The colour scheme was kept minimal and strict. The colours were green, off-white and gold accents. I wanted to create visual harmony throughout the space and focus on the textures and quality of the individual elements to create visual interest rather than patterns or strong colour combinations. I focused on a timeless style and let the venue and the guests carry the day.
Our florist was The Flower Folk, a local florist to us in Jesmond, Newcastle. They also did the flowers for Chris’s sister’s wedding, and we loved those, so we got the recommendation. Pip was so lovely and knew just what we wanted. I wanted soft yellows and whites with just a little peach and orange to nod to autumn. I don’t think Thicket needs much dressing up – it’s so stunning as is – so we went for an arrangement at the bottom of the grand staircase, an arrangement for the chapel stairs, and some pew ends and vases at the front for the ceremony and simple bud vases for the table. The bouquets, in particular, were stunning.
I also had a flower crown made for the day before – we did our legal ceremony in the Jefferson room on Friday with just our family – and Pip was able to model this off a picture of a flower crown I’d worn when I was a bridesmaid for my aunty at the age of 4. This was so special to link back to another family wedding, and it was perfect.
We didn’t do a wedding cake because it wasn’t our priority. However, we did cut up some Colin the Caterpillar cake, a family favourite! Our caterers were Nomad Catering by James Brown, and wow, were they amazing! They made our menu bespoke, were accommodating with tastings, and everything was delicious. I can’t count the number of compliments I got about the food, and the quantities were crazy! Everyone was stuffed!
Tobiah Tayo was our photographer, and he was everything we could have dreamed of. We adored his photos of other weddings – he makes everything look so light and so classic – but we couldn’t quite see how he would make us look as good as his other couples. We were blown away. He worked his magic, and all the photos are amazing – nobody has ever made us look that good! He’s also just the loveliest person, so enthusiastic, and made us both feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera. He just has such a vision; I couldn’t believe how well everything turned out. We’re going to treasure those photos for the rest of our lives. We also wanted candid photos of our guests and documentary-style pictures of the day; he delivered on those, too! He’s so talented!
Rach: I loved the moment I entered the chapel at the top of the stairs and saw everyone gathered together and Chris at the front. I’d imagined that moment for over a year, and it met all my expectations. A close second was our sparkler photos. It was a last-minute addition, and I didn’t expect it to feel so magical. It was a beautiful moment that I got to absorb and enjoy with everyone.
Chris: My favourite moment was our private vow reading. Although we spent so much of the day with many people, that moment was just for us. We could be as heartfelt as we wanted and revel in what marriage meant to us. It was a perfect moment.
Rach: Try to enjoy it! It’s overwhelming and will go incredibly fast, so if you can find some moments to step back and take it all in, do it.
Chris: Don’t stress the small stuff. If the guests, music, and food are there, the rest doesn’t matter.
Venue Thicket Priory
Photographer Tobiah Tayo
Second Shooter John Hope Photography
Celebrant Penelope Jayne
Flowers The Flower Folk
Hair Becca Hunton
Makeup Chrys Chapman
Caterer Nomad Catering
Dress Casablanca Bridal
2nd dress Alan Hannah from TDR Bridal
Alterations Diva Designs For You
Shoes Harriet Wilde
Photo Booth Bliss Booth
Sweets Elite Events East Yorkshire
String Quartet Aurora Strings
DJ AMV Live Music
Video Cameras Wedlock Films
Based on a weekday wedding in January. Includes accommodation.