An Atelier Pronovias Dress for a Relaxed + Romantic Pastel Barn Wedding at a Cheshire Country Estate

We’re off to the glorious Cheshire countryside today, for a effortlessly stylish and romantic celebration at an historic country estate.

There, our couple made wonderful use of the venue, with its seventeenth century wood-framed manor house, beautiful gardens and grounds, and a sympathetically restored brick barn. Meet Kate, who is Chartered Accountant for a women’s fashion retailer, and Oliver, an Electrical Wholesaler. They celebrated their marriage on the 17 November 2018 at The Holford Estate, Knutsford, Cheshire.

Images by Kate McCarthy Photography

“The entire venue and surrounding grounds are just stunning; we immediately fell in love with T.H.E. as soon as we visited. Attention to detail at the venue is absolutely top class, and Frances (the owner) and her team have considered every minute element, right down to the scent throughout the venue, and the décor in the loos! The instant feeling walking into T.H.E. is such a special one from the off. It can’t be rivalled.”

From boutique Knutsford Wedding Gallery, Kate chose a sublime Atelier Pronovias gown; slinky and sexy, with intricate lace, long sleeves and a dramatic train.

“I wanted something with sleeves that conveyed elegance but also sex appeal. I hadn’t originally envisaged a dress that was quite so fitted, or a dress with lace, but as soon as I put it on, I was sold. I’m incredibly lucky as Ol’s mum is a seamstress, so she helped me customise the dress further. We added beading around the waist and trimmed the train by about 12 inches.”

Kate wore two pairs of earrings; as her ‘Something blue’, a pair of sapphire hoops inherited from her grandmother, and a pair of statement earrings from Etsy (sadly, no seller details provided for these).

“Louise Maddison did make-up for the myself, my mother and the bridesmaids. I chose Lou as she had previously done my make-up when I was a bridesmaid for a friend. She was the perfect addition to the bridal suite; so calm and friendly, and she knows exactly how much time she has to complete everybody’s make-up so that there’s no part of you that’s worrying about being pressured for time.

“She has mastered a beautiful but natural look, which remains flawless throughout the day. Lou also did my hair. I showed her one picture for inspiration, and she pulled it off instantly. It was exactly as I hoped for.”

Nestled in Kate’s pretty braided updo was a family heirloom antique brooch, which had been passed down through the family from her grandmother – what a beautiful use for it!

Kate’s shoes were an amazing pair of sparkly rose gold and pink disco-inspired platform sandals from L.K. Bennett, and as a final, finishing touch, she added her perfume – Labdanum by Le Labo, which had been a 30th birthday gift from her twin sister.

Kate carried a beautiful, wild and natural bouquet in soft, elegant tones of blush, cream and white, with accents of autumnal brown in the lovely dried grasses and scabiosa flowers. It was created for her by florist Chloe Robinson, whilst the bridesmaids carried bouquets made by Kate’s sister.

“Chloe has a stall in Altrincham in the market place, and I’ve always been a huge fan as she puts together such gorgeous ensembles. She didn’t disappoint – her creations were stunning.”

I love the mixture of prints in Oliver’s outfit. His custom-made suit was from Whitfield & Ward, with a navy blue jacket and trousers with a subtle check, and a contrasting houndstooth waistcoat.

“We designed the suit together. The staff at W&W are excellent and there to help and advise you at every step along the way. We decided to go down the custom-made route fairly late on, and W&W were hugely flexible in accommodating us.”

“The design process was a lot of fun – every decision was given to us with regards to material, print, lining – even the colour of the stitching, which makes the end result even more special. The choices available were endless. Ol was thrilled with the finished product.”

The inside of Oliver’s suit jacket was lined with a colourful Liberty style floral print, and he also wore a fantastic Paisley print tie and pocket square, and monk strap shoes from Kurt Geiger.

“The Best Man wore his own suit, but matched his tie and pocket square to Oliver’s in a different colour Paisley. Our fathers also had matching ties and pocket squares to the Best Man.”

One of the things which sealed the deal for Kate and Oliver when it came to booking The Holford Estate, was the spectacular entrance to the venue’s converted barn, via a split staircase, which Kate and her dad descended to the wonderful song, Kissing You, by Des’ree.

“It’s such a beautiful and dramatic song, packed full of emotion. It was perfectly fitting for the venue and the long walk down the split staircase into the congregation; there wasn’t a dry eye in the building.”

“Oliver and I went to school together and were friends for many years before becoming a couple about 5 years after leaving school. We got engaged in Barbados in January 2018 after 9 years together. In November of the same year, we got married.”

The couple had been legally married in a simple registry office ceremony the previous day, which meant their second celebration could be relaxed and completely personal. To that end, their ceremony was conducted by two of the bridesmaids – both school friends.

“They wrote the service themselves, telling a story of our relationship, starting all the way back at school when we were just friends. In keeping with the informal vibe of the day, we wrote our own vows, making them fun and lighthearted. They referenced my shopping addiction, Oliver’s ability to lock himself out of the house, and a shared love of tea and biscuits.”

Kate’s wedding ring came from the same place as her engagement ring, which was Boodles in Manchester, whilst Oliver went for something altogether sweeter (not to mention fleeting).

“Ol doesn’t wear any form of jewellery or a watch, so we used a Haribo ring for the purposes of exchanging vows. The ring was later eaten by one of the horses in the barn’s stables!”

When searching for just the right ceremony reading, Kate couldn’t find what she was looking for, so took the decision to write a poem herself, entitled Things That Go Together.

“The ceremony was our favourite part of the day because it was so much fun and so authentic, unlike anything else we’ve experienced at a wedding. The girls did such a brilliant job of conducting it. They made jokes and had the congregation roaring with laughter throughout. It set the tone for the day, exactly as we’d hoped.”

After the ceremony, Kate, Oliver and their loved ones gathered outside for group shots, as well as canapes, beers and glasses of hot spiced rum served by M.H Catering (who are sadly no longer in business).

The bridesmaids looked fantastic in an assortment of pale pink maxi dresses of their own choosing, which, by happy accident, all ended up being from TFNC London.

“I wanted to apply the same relaxed and authentic vibe to the bridesmaids as we did to the day. They chose their own dresses so that they felt really comfortable and happy in what they were wearing. We kept the brief as simple as pale pink, maxi in length, and sleeveless or short sleeved. I didn’t mind beading or embellishment, and was happy that so long as they all complemented one another, they would look fab.”

Photographer Kate McCarthy made spectacular use of the magical light of late autumn in her images from Kate and Oliver’s day. What a completely enchanting collection of pictures we have here, and I’m also delighted to say that Kate is one of our highly valued Little Book suppliers.

“Kate was recommended to us by my sister. She was fabulous, from the point at which we first chatted on the phone, all the way through to the wedding day. Kate spent time getting to know us before the wedding to make sure that we were comfortable working together, and made sure that she understood the vibe that we were hoping to achieve.”

“Kate worked really quickly when taking the more formal, staged shots so that she didn’t tear us away from the party for too long, but we were really pleased that she encouraged us to have these kind of pictures taken.”

“She coordinated with Hannah the Planner seamlessly to capture all the key moments of the day, and we were thrilled with the final photos. So many people have complimented the photos since, and still are.”

“One of the major added benefits of The Holford Estate was the provision and support of Hannah the Planner (!) from the very beginning. She was at our disposal to organise and liaise with vendors, advise and answer queries (no matter how big or small) and generally provide support throughout. Hannah picked up on our style instantly.”

The couple held their wedding breakfast inside a marquee attached to the venue’s barn, which had a clear roof to make the most of the light.

“Our key wish was to create a relaxed and informal party over and above anything, in which everyone had a memorable and fun day. We wanted to achieve an effortlessly cool and stylish vibe.”

Stylish calligraphy stationery for the place settings and menus came courtesy of Vistaprint, and in keeping with Kate and Oliver’s pastel theme, there were pale blue napkins and blue glassware.

“Because the venue is so beautiful, there was no need to go OTT with added decoration, so we decided on a simple flower and colour scheme, using candles to add twinkle. We dined on trestle tables and decorated them simply with foliage runners.”

MH Catering served sharing platters of meats and colourful salads to start, followed by Bajan jerk chicken.

“We tied in hints from our favourite places. All of the guests commented on how delicious the meal was. In the evening, we continued in a similar vein with a grazing table, which MH presented exquisitely. The food and drink throughout the day matched our style perfectly; we love nothing more than having a house full of people, feeding them good food and having a merry time.”

Kate’s sister Laura runs her own business, Yolk, making beautiful celebration cakes. She was the only choice when it came to who would bake Kate and Oliver’s wedding cake, and made them an exquisite four-tiered semi-naked creation.

“Having witnessed so many of her beautiful creations over the years, and having sampled so many concoctions, it was really difficult to decide what to go for. Everything that Laura makes is exquisite.”

“We decided on a semi-naked cake. With both of us being chocoholics, we went with three chocolate-based fillings: vanilla, white chocolate and raspberry, chocolate and salted caramel and chocolate orange and hazelnut. We couldn’t pick a favourite, they were all divine! The cake was served for dessert to make sure that everyone got a chance to taste the work of art. Every plate was licked clean.”

The sun was setting as everyone sat down to dine amidst the soft glow of candles in hurricane jars and a canopy of fairylights overhead.

Kate and Oliver decided a first dance wasn’t for them, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any dancing at all. Their evening entertainment were The Wednesday Club – a band from Oliver’s hometown of Glossop.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Really consider what is important to you about the day, and don’t waste money where you don’t need to. If you have an eye for detail, trust it.”

“Enjoy yourselves. People are on hand to help make the day run smoothly, so make sure you have fun. It goes so quickly!”

“If something doesn’t quite go to plan, don’t worry about it. No one will even realise – only you know exactly how you had envisaged the day to run, so none of your guests will have any idea if something goes differently.”

Kate and Oliver, thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to share your day with our readers. There are so many beautiful details to take in, all captured elegantly by Kate McCarthy – thank you.

With love,

Laura