The timelessly elegant winter country house wedding we’re sharing today features a showstopping gown with some ingenious tricks up its elegant, lace sleeve.
Not only does the lace sleeve form part of a detachable jacket, but the cathedral train is also detachable, revealing a sexy, fishtail silhouette for an evening of dancing. Jenny, a solicitor, and Steve, who is a corporate banking manager, were married on the 17 November 2018, in a ceremony at St. Joseph and St. Francis Xavier RC Church in Newbiggin, Richmond, North Yorkshire. This was followed by a reception held at the eighteenth century country estate of Middleton Lodge – an elegant addition to our directory of the most excellent and trusted suppliers, Little Book.
Images by Hayley Baxter Photography
Jenny’s spectacular dress was chosen at Caroline Castigliano’s Knightsbridge boutique, and was such a beautiful choice for a winter wedding. I especially love the long sleeved, high-neck botanical lace jacket, as well as the dramatic, detachable train.
“I tried on a number of dresses prior to the one I chose, but through the process I wasn’t sure I’d find exactly what I was looking for – none of the dresses wowed me. However, I then went to Caroline Castigliano in Knightsbridge.”
“Bal, the sales assistant who helped me find my dress, asked me to describe how I saw myself when I walk down the aisle. It was from that description that she put together my dream dress: A fishtail gown, with a detachable cathedral train and lace bolero. I couldn’t have been happier – it was the perfect dress for me.”
On her feet, Jenny wore Manolo Blahnik’s gorgeous ‘Hangisi’ shoes, in ivory satin, and for jewellery, wore a family heirloom bracelet and earrings, along with a necklace by 77 Diamonds, which was a wedding day gift from Steve.
Flossy & Leigh were on hand to groom and style Jenny to perfection, with timeless and radiant make-up, and a sleek, pin-curled chignon with lots of lovely volume, to which she added a sparkling crystal comb from Ivory & Co.
The finishing touches were a cathedral length veil by Caroline Castigliano, and Jenny’s signature scent – Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone.
The bridesmaids looked lovely in pale ice blue embellished dresses and wraps, from Monsoon, which they wore with shoes from New Look, hair accessories from Jon Richard at Debenhams, and a Monica Vinader necklace each (a gift from Jenny).
Joanna from The Rarified created beautiful, seasonally inspired bouquets for Jenny and her bridesmaids, with fragrant eucalyptus alongside romantic white roses and lisianthus, and delicate sprigs of gypsophila and waxflower.
“Middleton Lodge has everything we wanted in a venue, and as soon as we saw it we knew it was the one. We held our drinks reception in the main house, which is an eighteenth century country house with a fantastic curving staircase, and has a cellar bar, which the guests loved. Middleton Lodge also has a boutique hotel, which allows us to return in the future to celebrate other special occasions. We were very much inspired by our home, and us as people. We wanted the wedding to reflect us and our style.”
Steve and his groomsmen looked classically cool in black dinner jackets, waistcoats and trousers, with white shirts and a black bow tie, from Whitfield & Ward. Steve paired his suit with shoes by Hugo Boss, chosen at Whitfield & Ward.
The Yorkshire Wedding Car Company chauffeured Jenny, her dad and the bridal party over to the church in a beautiful, classic Jaguar Mark 2, as well as a vintage VW Campervan.
Jenny and her dad walked down the aisle together, whilst the church organist played Canon in D, by Pachelbel. The ceremony was conducted by Father Dan O’Neill.
“We met in Manchester in early 2014 and got engaged in August 2017 in the south of France on a surprise trip disguised as a 30th birthday celebration for me. Steve proposed in Castillion-du-Gard, which is a picturesque medieval village perched on a rocky hill. We were engaged for just less than 15 months before we got married in November 2018.”
Jenny and Steve opted to say traditional, Catholic vows to one another, and exchanged rings chosen at 77 Diamonds.
The couple chose three readings for their ceremony, each with poignant significance: Ruth 1 16:17, an extract from The Bridge Across Forever, by Richard Bach, and finally, Robert Fulghum’s beautiful poem, Union.
Guests were transported to Middleton Lodge in a vintage red Routemaster bus from Wensleydale Omnibus, whilst Jenny and Steve went for a crisp, winter walk with their photographer, Hayley Baxter. We showcased Hayley’s wonderful work earlier this year, alongside some other fantastic Yorkshire Wedding suppliers.
“Photos are very important to us, so we spent a lot of time researching so that we found the right photographer. We wanted photographs that were natural, not posed or staged and captured the love and happiness of our day.”
“Hayley’s natural style of photography really appealed to us, as did her warm personality, professionalism and interest in what we wanted from our photographs. Hayley is a very talented photographer and captured the day so wonderfully.”
“She guided us through the pre-shoot so we knew what to expect on the day, and wasn’t afraid to use her vision on our wedding day to capture some wonderful shots we will treasure forever. We cannot recommend Hayley enough.”
“Green Biscuit was our videographer. We had previously seen Wayne’s videos online, and always knew he would be the videographer we chose for our wedding day. Wayne captures the day so perfectly it draws you back into it all over again. A superb talent and highly recommended.”
Loved ones enjoyed drinks in the main house at Middleton Lodge before making their way over to a marquee for the wedding breakfast – and what a sight greeted them there!
Simple, stylish stationery came courtesy of The Golden Letter, and tables were filled with floating candles surrounding the spectacular centrepieces – miniature white blossom trees suspended with candles inside glass baubles, and exquisite floral pedestal arrangements.
Place settings were laid with white linens, and a favour for each guest, a pin with a donation made to Cancer Research UK.
The wedding breakfast was prepared by the team at Middleton Lodge, and enjoyed along with heartfelt speeches and joyful toasts.
“Adele at Sweet Charlotte Cakes was also recommended by Middleton Lodge. We attended Adele’s house for the cake tasting (which is still Steve’s favourite part of our wedding planning journey) and tried some of the best cake we’d ever tasted. The decision to choose Sweet Charlotte Cakes was an easy one! Adele created the exact cake we wanted, and everyone commented on how good the cake tasted.”
“Twisted Willow (now renamed The Rarified) were recommended by Middleton Lodge. We loved Joanna’s professionalism and extensive knowledge of floristry and wedding venue decoration . Given we were getting married in November, we visualised soft, flickering candlelight for the marquee. We gave Joanna some photos of florals and styling we liked, and the rest came about through her vision.”
“We didn’t see the marquee until we walked in for the wedding breakfast, but we were amazed by how beautiful it looked. Joanna had perfectly understood what look we wanted and brought our ideas and vision into reality. We cannot recommend Joanna enough – she is a real talent.”
Later in the evening, Jenny transformed her dress by taking off the lace bolero and cathedral train, revealing a sleek, fishtail gown, to which she added a sparkly belt – just perfect to dancing to live music from band, the Hot Shots.
“Our first dance was to Paul McCartney, Maybe I’m Amazed (Steve plays this to me on the guitar and Steve is a huge Beatles and Paul McCartney fan).”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Everyone will say to enjoy the day and take it in, however, given there is so much going on, as much as you try the day is over before you know it. My advice would be to just relax and soak in the love and happiness of the day.”
“I am so glad we had an amazing photographer and videographer so we can relive the special moments of the day. A good photographer / videographer are definitely worth the investment!”
Jenny and Steve, thank you so very much for sharing your magical winter celebration with us, and that dress – wow! Many thanks also go to Hayley Baxter for capturing everything so effortlessly and beautifully, too.
If Jenny’s incredible Caroline Castigliano dress has left you wanting to see more, do take a look at our other real wedding features and articles, here.
Until next time!
Love, Laura
Credits & Thanks
- Photography - Hayley Baxter Photography
- Videography - Green Biscuit
- Ceremony - St. Joseph and St. Francis Xavier RC Church
- Reception + Catering - Middleton Lodge
- Hair + Make-up Artist - Flossy & Leigh
- Jenny's Dress + Veil - Caroline Castigliano + Shoes - Manolo Blahnik + Hair Comb - Ivory & Co. + Necklace - 77 Diamonds
- Bridesmaid's Dresses - Monsoon + Shoes - New Look + Hair Accessories - Jon Richard at Debenhams + Necklaces - Monica Vinader
- Flowergirl's Dresses - Monsoon
- Page Boy's Outfits - Roco Clothing
- Steve + Groomsmen's Suits - Whitfield & Ward
- Floristry + Styling - The Rarified (formerly Twisted Willow)
- Transport - The Yorkshire Wedding Car Company + Wensleydale Omnibus
- Rings - 77 Diamonds
- Stationery - The Golden Letter
- Favours - Cancer Research UK
- Cake - Sweet Charlotte Cakes
- Entertainment - The Hot Shots
Laura Callan View all Laura's articles
Laura is a freelance writer and content creator who loves telling stories. She has keen eye for photography and art, and lives with her husband, cats, and huge amounts of books.
