Hello everyone! I hope your week is working out to be a productive one. It’s Friday and time for a break before the weekend, so fix yourself a beverage and relax, as I have the most delightful wedding to share that is positively brimming with beautiful shots by Andrew Keher Photography of the stunning North Yorkshire countryside. This is just the kind of wedding we love to blog on Love My Dress.
Meet Nova, a Midwife and Matt, a Senior Business Development Manager, who married on 26 May this year. The couple were inspired by the style of the barn reception venue and were keen to hold their nuptials in the area where Matt grew up – they chose The Priests House at Barden Tower to hold their ceremony and The Craven Arms in Appletreewick, North Yorkshire to celebrate afterwards with a reception.
Photography by Andrew Keher Photography
“The area and the barn venue really led the rest of the planning. I wanted something that would look great on the day and be suitable to the country theme. I then did a lot of looking on Pinterest to gather ideas.”
“We met on an online dating website four years ago. During our first date I had a little too much to drink and gave him a long list of my likes and dislikes, which must have done the trick, as three years later we got engaged on a holiday to Lanzarote. He popped the question during a bike ride as we stopped by an old building over looking the sea and I obviously said yes straight away.”
“It took ten months to plan the wedding, which was a bit rushed but I wanted a spring wedding and wasn’t prepared to wait for the following year.”
The bride’s dress, by an Italian designer, was found via The Bridal Factory Outlet in Northallerton, Yorkshire and, upon trying on the design, Nova totally fell in love with the gorgeous A-line skirt.
“I went with my sister and sister in law to look (and was determined not to buy anything) and my sister came across this dress. I originally wanted something lacy but quite simple and not too big, but once I tried this dress on I loved the A-line skirt. As I am quite small and not very tall I wanted something simple that wouldn’t swamp me. I love the low back and the thin straps, and think it was a good choice for me as I’m not very large on top.”
To compliment her pretty dress, Nova wore Jenny Packham heels, found via Debenhams, a spritz of one of her favourite romantic scents, ‘Flower Bomb’ by Victor and Rolf, a handmade hair accessory from Etsy, and special, heartfelt jewellery.
“I had a necklace which belonged to my grandmother, which I chose as it was simple and not overly bridal. I received the earrings from my husband on the morning of the wedding as a gift – they were purchased from Ernest Jones.”
The couple’s florist, Natasha from Natasha Coustol Floral Designs, created the beautiful florals for their day. Aren’t the sweet little daisies a lovely addition? The resulting bridal bouquet made for a delighted bride.
“Words cannot explain how happy I was with the flowers. I tried to stay away from anything too structured and too bridal (as I felt the dress was bridal enough) and she understood exactly what I meant. We were on a budget and expected the flowers to show this but I couldn’t have been happier on the day.”
“The flower jars looked amazing and the bouquets looked equally gorgeous. I wanted spring country flowers to go with the overall theme. If I could carry them with me every day I would.”
The four maids wore Monsoon dresses that matched the colour of Nova’s silky sash ribbon tied around her waist, shoes from Debenhams, the same Etsy hair accessory as the bride, and their own earrings. Nova, her mum and her maids all had their hair and makeup done by Natalie Necole from Style Me Lovely Bridal Hairdressing. I just love their stylish and pretty waterfall braids.
“The ceremony was at The Priests House, Barden Tower in North Yorkshire. We didn’t want to get married in a church but wanted something that would be equally beautiful. We also wanted somewhere that would have a great outdoor space and that would look nice in the photos. We knew from the start that we wanted a small wedding and it was important to find a venue that didn’t look empty on the day, as so many are suitable for much larger weddings.
Matt is from Yorkshire and even though we live in Manchester I was very keen for a countryside wedding so Yorkshire was the obvious choice.”
What a fabulous place to tie the knot! The tower is steeped in history, as is the beautiful barn in the pub, where the couple held their reception.
The handsome groom sported a stylish Slaters suit, a bow tie found via Etsy Hudson shoes, and special cufflinks, a present from his bride.
“I brought Matt some cuff links from a Swedish jewellery designer (as I am Swedish) called ‘Efva Atling.”
Nova’s dad added a lovely touch, composing music and pre-recording it for the aisle walk at the ceremony. The couple tailored their vows to suit them, included two poems during the service and found their rings via Goldsmiths.
“I wanted a simple gold band as my engagement ring is sparkly enough and I can’t wear stones for work. Matt chose his because I liked it.”
“My sister read a Swedish poem to include a Swedish influence and my two best friends then read a English poem as well. The English poem was ‘On Your Wedding Day’, which I found on confetti. I also wanted poems that were written from a third person so it would be easier for our friends to read.”
The couple chose Andrew Keher Photography as their photographer and it was a decision they were very happy with. I can see why – these shots of the glorious North Yorkshire countryside are simply stunning and Andy’s approach during their engagement shoot and on the big day really helped the couple to relax.
“This was one of the best decisions we made (along with the very beautiful flowers). He did an absolute amazing job both on the day and during our engagement shoot. He made us both at ease, which was important to me as I hate having photos taken. All our family and friends have commented on how nice he was on the day and how beautiful the photos were.
I was determine to avoid very stiff and organised photos as I don’t like the look of them and don’t believe many people look very good in them so when a friend used Andy for her wedding she recommended I looked on his website. The price was a little bit over our original budget but was definitely worth every penny.”
“The reception was at The Craven Arms in Appletreewick. I was set on a barn venue from the beginning, as I like the simple country setting and didn’t want something typically wedding-like. I was determined to find something that didn’t have white covers on the chairs. The moment we walked into the pub I knew it was the perfect venue. It was beautiful before it was even decorated and the village is lovely.
The people that work there are so helpful that I was happy from the very beginning and knew that it would make a fabulous venue.”
The couple had help from the family when it came to wedding cake time.
“My mother in law made one and my dad made the other. I contacted a few bakers but they were way over our budget and I am very happy with how the cakes turned out on the day.”
“I spent numerous days making tomato and apple chutney in little cars with we then covered with vintage fabric and tied the name cards around. This way they added to the table setting, as well as being favours. My mother-in-law also made a little matching fabric heart for each chair that some people took home.”
“To decorate the tables, we used jam jars for flowers and I used some old lace doilies that belonged to my grandmother to place the flowers on instead of a table-cloth or runner. We got some bunting from Ebay and lots and lots of candles from Ikea.”
“The drinks reception after the ceremony was lovely. It was amazing to see all our friends and family in one place and the sun even came out which I was sooo happy about. I really enjoyed the getting ready part as well.”
“Our wedding band comprised my Dad and friends. They were absolutely amazing on the day and was lovely having my dad involved in the day. He also wrote the music for the ceremony so that we had something completely original.
For the first dance, we danced to ‘Baby You’re My Light’ by Richard Hawley. This was my husband’s choice as he knew he wanted this way before the wedding. I was happy as I hadn’t heard it before and was easy to dance to.”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Enjoy the day and take in every moment. The day goes past so quickly and all that time planning and all the worrying about the little things seem to no longer matter. The day will be amazing as long as you don’t get stressed and accept that there will always be some little hiccups.”
A big thank you to Andy for sharing these lovely images from Nova and Matt’s very special day. If you’ve not been to Yorkshire, it’s time you paid a visit for a weekend away, it’s such pretty countryside! Congratulations to the happy couple and I hope you’re still in the magical wedding bubble phase.
If you’re keen on a countryside location for your wedding, click here for more wonderful Yorkshire locations we’ve featured on the blog.
Have a brilliant rest of week lovely readers.
Love Jo -xxx-
Photographer – Andrew Keher Photography
Ceremony – The Priests House, Barden Tower, North Yorkshire
Venue + Catering – The Craven Arms, Appletreewick
Dress – Italian designer found via The Bridal Factory Outlet in Northallerton, Yorkshire
Shoes – Jenny Packham heels via Debenhams
Hair accessory – Etsy
Jewellery – Own necklace and earrings from Ernest Jones, a present from the groom
Scent/Perfume – ‘Flower Bomb’ by Victor and Rolf
Bridesmaid Dresses – Monsoon
Bridesmaid Shoes – Debenhams
Bridesmaid’s Accessories – Etsy hair accessories and own earrings
Groom – Slaters suit, bow tie via Etsy, shoes from Hudson, cufflinks via Efva Atling
Flower girl dress – Monsoon
Pageboy – Unknown supplier
Florist – Natasha Coustol Floral Designs
Rings – Goldsmiths
Cake – Handmade by family
Stationery – Invitations and save the dates via Confetti and the table plan, place card and menu by the bride
Hair & Makeup Artist – Natalie Necole from Style Me Lovely Bridal Hairdressing
Entertainment – The bride’s dad and friends as the band
Really love the hairstyles and decor throughout, nice attention to detail.
Easy work with such a stunning couple and venue! Thanks so much for featuring me! 🙂
Love this wedding! That setting is perfect!
Your wedding day looks just perfect! We get married at The Priests House in two weeks time, you have made me so excited! Huge congratulations xx
Beautiful wedding. Do you happen to know which seller on Etsy the hair accessories are from? Thanks.
It was from daughter of lace. I absolutely loved it and she made the matching bridesmaids pieces for me as well ?
So so pretty- very beautiful bride, stunning flowers and the food looks incredible! Appletreewick isn’t too far from me- the Craven Arms is now on my ‘to visit’ list! X
Nice wedding! Congratulations to the couple!
How amazing is the Yorkshire location! Really stunning! x
Fantastic Wedding Location, Love this blog post!