Over to the bride for all the gorgeous details…
Dan and I chose Compton Verney as it really did stand out a mile above the rest of the venues we viewed. We felt so excited just driving up to the art gallery through the beautiful parklands, which span out for miles around the venue in the countryside. The Adam Hall was so light and spacious and the ornate ceiling and marble floor made it seem like a really special place to get married. We were also looking for a venue where we could do everything in one place, as we didn’t fancy having to move all of our guests around. Not only did we get to book such an amazing venue, but also had the brilliant Compton Verney wedding team included, to help guide us through the planning and delivery of the day.
I wore an Enzoani wedding dress from their “Beautiful” range. I loved the flattering lace bodice which flowed down into a floaty tulle skirt. I bought my gown from the lovely girls at The White Boutique in Leamington Spa, who made the whole experience so fun and special. For my shoes and accessories, I went cheap and cheerful and had some ‘barely there’ nude sandals from New Look which matched the lining of my dress, and a sweet ivory beaded clutch and pearl drop earrings from Accessorize.
I booked my hairdresser, Laura Hills through the Makeup by Jodie team. I was sooo impressed with the style she created for me, which was a relaxed, half-up-half-down wavy style with gypsophila and soft ivory roses. For makeup, I had heard great things about a local artist, Bryony Dalton, who I had booked early on. She created the lovely natural, fresh look which I was after and managed to reduce one of my bridesmaids to happy tears!
My bridesmaids wore floor length soft green chiffon gowns by Dessy. The colour and fit of the dress was so flattering on all three of my beautiful girls and looked gorgeous next to their bouquets.
Dan wore a navy three-piece slim fit suit and soft pink tie rented from Reece Ford in Dronfield. He also wore a peach vuvuzela rose buttonhole and tan leather shoes by Howick. Unfortunately, Dan left the buttonholes for each of our Dads at the hotel, so the best man ended up scrapping his too!
We chose a spring theme with lots of flowers in natural designs, in a pretty soft colour palette of peach, coral, ivory, cream and soft grey-green foliage. We really embraced the beauty of the Adam Hall so decided to go for minimal decoration. During the ceremony we had four tall glass martini vases with flower domes mounted onto plinths, and shallow glass bowls of flowers on the window sills which we later used as centrepieces. We matched all our stationery with the flowers and kept everything else quite simple so as not to detract from the hall. However, I did have to make room for some bottles of Henderson’s Relish, (a Sheffield delicacy), but luckily the bright orange label seemed to match some of the flowers (ish!).
For flowers we went with the wonderful Gill from Flower Thyme in Kineton, Warwickshire, whose passion for flowers was contagious! The centrepieces and bouquets were made up from beautiful peach and coral roses, ivory peonies, hydrangeas, freesias and lisianthus with slight touch of grey-green foliages.
I ordered our cake through Gemma at The Cakery, Leamington Spa. We went for a three-tiered cake, with Victoria sponge, chocolate and carrot cake tiers covered in rustic royal icing and topped with fresh flowers. The cake was mouth wateringly delicious; we were overjoyed when the Compton Verney wedding team saved us half of each tier to enjoy after the wedding!
For me, the photographer was one of the most important decisions I made in the run up to the wedding. We booked the fantastic Emma from Heart Full of Tea, who is the most down-to-earth, fun and kind-hearted photographer you could ask for! We were looking for someone with a relaxed, natural documentary style who could help us relive those adrenaline-filled and heartfelt moments from the big day. We got exactly this with a whole heap of quirkiness and humour on top, coupled with Emma’s amazing organisation skills and ability to keep the day right on schedule. Her photographs were absolutely amazing!
Best part of the day
Despite feeling nervous and expecting it to be the most nerve-wracking part of the day, the ceremony was the best bit for me. Even though I had pictured myself face-planting down the aisle, once I got there my nerves dissolved and it ended up being the most special moment, shared with all the important people in my life.
From one bride to another…
Plan, plan and plan in advance. I think booking things well ahead really helped me to feel calmer on the lead up to the wedding and I would really recommend that brides try and book things as early as possible. Having a few days to chill before the wedding really does pay off. I would also recommend booking a photographer or wedding organiser who can help with the scheduling of your day – as it’s something that you don’t really think about but is so important!
Venue Compton Verney
Photography Heart Full of Tea
Bridal Designer Enzoani
Bridal Boutique The White Boutique
Makeup Bryony Dalton
Hair Makeup by Jodie
Bridesmaids Dessy
Groom Reece Ford
Flowers Flower Thyme
Cake The Cakery