Kate and Ben’s charming delightful Summer wedding was held at Burtonfields Hall, in Stamford Bridge, York.
This delightful celebration was largely inspired by this beautiful venue – the couple adored how traditional and quintessentially English it felt with its exquisite décor and antiques. Following the venue’s natural lead, the Kate and Ben sought to create a classic and elegant wedding, with a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Kate wore a Jenny Packkham gown, a discovery at the Jenny Packham flagship store in Mayfair, London and talented Love My Dress recommended supplier, Gabriela’s Photography and Film, captured the video and images below. Enjoy!
Bridal Beauty & Accessories
Kirsten B was my makeup artist. I chose golden, peach tones for my makeu – natural & glowy. I wore my hair in a low, organic bun, styled by Emily Newby. When choosing your hair and make-up suppliers – don’t forget they will be a huge part of your wedding morning socially.
I was so lucky to have Kirsten & Emily they are the nicest, most relaxed girls – a pleasure to have a round and a calming presence as you get ready with your bridesmaids.
My veil was also from Jenny Packham, a raw edged one. I wanted it to be simple as the dress had beaded detail.
My perfume was Miss Dior – I wear it all the time and wanted to smell like me.
Finding the Right Underwear
My underwear: Wow this was a process! I don’t have the figure to go ‘braless’ so I needed to find one with a low back so that it wouldn’t be seen, after A LOT of failed purchased and returns, I found the ‘b.tempt’d Women’s Future Foundation Backless Strapless Bra’. It was exactly what I needed!
I also tried sooo0000 many thongs to get no ‘VPL’, and this was by far the best choice.; the Commando Control Thong in True Nude, which I purchased from the Revolve website.
I wore the Cinderella Block heel from Emmy London – full block heel comfort.
The Dress
My wedding dress was from Jenny Packham’s flagship store in Mayfair, London. It is the Carrie dress in Ivory.
From choosing the gown, to each alteration appointment, it was everything I could have hoped and expected from such a prestigious store. I would highly recommend this store for such a special, once in a lifetime purchase.
I knew I wanted a dress that I would feel like ‘me’ in. The capped sleeves and beaded ivory top allowed me to feel so comfortable and confident, whilst looking elegant. Having a light, silk material on the bottom half allowed me to move freely especially when it came to the ceilidh dancing!
I had a wrist loop for my train and honestly that was my favorite bit! I danced the whole night.
The Groom
Ben wore a tailored suit from Gieves & Hawkes on Savile Row. He chose a rich dark green suit as he felt like having something unique for him and it complimented the
Bridesmaids & Flowers
My bridesmaids dresses were by Rewritten. I knew I wanted a wrap style dress with flowing sleeves for my three bridemaids – two of them had not long had babies and wrap dresses are always a comfortable, flattering option.
I loved our florists, Rose and Spade, as they are local to the York area and use English flowers and foliage whenever possible. I chose soft blush pinks and light peach tones with an English country feel, highlighted with some blossoming roses and peonies. They did stunning table pieces and marquee décor using hydrangeas, olive trees, and abundance of local foliage and candles too. It all complimented and worked perfectly alongside the venue
The Ceremony
My three bridesmaids walked in before me and then my dad walked me down the aisle. We chose our pianist to play ‘I Giorni’ by Ludovico Einaudi. A beautiful piano piece which we listen to a lot.
Walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing Ben at the end was so emotional. After all of the planning, build-up and the excitement I hadn’t thought about that moment until it was actually happening – and it felt so magical, almost overwhelming. Seeing so many familiar faces all beaming back at us during the ceremony was lovely. It’s not often we get all of our extended family together, so it is very special when it happens.
We were lucky enough to have Rachael Bowers as our wedding celebrant. I grew up in Scotland so I am familiar with Humanist ceremonies and how much more personal and special they feel – and this is exactly what Rachael created for us and our guests. We had numerous Zoom calls with her over the months leading up to the wedding so she could really get to know us and know what would be important to include on our big day.
Her demeanor is so calming and kind, you can tell she truly cares about her role. Many of our guests had never witnessed a Humanist ceremony before and were instantly complimentary about how unique and heart-warming it was and that they want one now too!
We bought our wedding rings from a small independent jeweller in Wroxham, Norfolk called Bradley Hatch.
We spend time in Norfolk when we can and it felt fitting to get our rings from somewhere that has a sentimental meaning to us. They are both a simple, gold band. We wanted them to match and they reminded us of the wedding rings worn by our parents.
I grew up in Scotland so I was keen to have this represented in some way, my friend Andrew read some poems by Robert Burns including ‘On Wedding Rings’, by Robert Burns. This was read just before we exchanged rings (of gold, of course!). Ben’s sister read A lovely Love Story, by Edward Monkton and my sister read The Art of Marriage, by Wilferd Alan Peterson.
Photography
I did a lot of research on photographers and it’s nerve-wracking wondering if you’ve made the right choice. From the moment we booked her to the big day itself, I can honestly say Gabriela was absolutely wonderful and I cannot recommend her highly enough – as a photographer and as a fantastic human being!
She was so brilliant in finding out what we wanted and making us feel completely at ease. The quality of the photos speak for themselves and we adored the attention to detail Gabriela gave them. She went above and beyond to make us feel relaxed and special on the day and so many of our guests commented on how charming she was.
gabrielasphotographyandfilm.com
How They Met
Both living in London, we matched on Bumble in 2018! We went for a coffee on the South Bank and became a couple almost immediately.
We moved in together in 2019 and Ben proposed in July 2021 whilst we were on the Isle of Skye on the West Coast of Scotland, he got down on one knee beside a secluded fairy pool and I was over the moon. It was then one year until our wedding.
Reception
Burtonfields Hall can accommodate 76 guests inside for dining with no need for a marquee – we were having 100 so we had a marquee put in the garden for dining. Wills Marquees set up our marquee – they are a very experienced supplier.
Our caterers were Taste Cuisine – quite a number of guests commented that it was the best food they had every had at a wedding!
When it came to the cake, I let my mum take the reins! She found Fiona, the owner of Cakes By No More Tiers and she was just a 10 minute drive from the venue. It was a stunning, four tiered white cake of dreams, with hand made sugar ivory and sugar roses on top. It could not have been more perfect. We cut it with Ben’s Grandpa’s which made for some excellent photos! It was absolutely delicious too – every layer a different flavour.
We hired pianist Jamie Wright, via Alive Network, to play during the ceremony and terrace drinks. Jamie could not have been more helpful! He learnt 2 new songs for us at no extra charge! Incredibly talented. The Tartan Trio Ceilidh Band did the ceilidh and our disco after. They are amazing! So so helpful teaching people who had never ceilidh-ed before! It was chaotic but so much fun Also we had magician Martin Duffy – him mingling with our guests doing close up magic which went down a storm.
And we also had a tombola during dessert! I had written a number on the back of everyone’s place names and we pulled numbers from a bowl – my gosh, did everyone get excited! Proper prizes of booze and gift vouchers made everyone giddy with the prospect of winning. I highly recommend doing this!
I used the Burtonfields logo provided by the venue and created our save the dates, invites menus and boards on Canva.com
My mum made handmade soaps and handmade mini drawstring bags to put them in along with some wildflower seeds for our guest to take home and plant. My mum loved doing this and so many guests complimented on how lovely they were – thank you mum!
Evening & Dancing
This is probably the most unique part of our day. On my request, Ben agreed that the first dance song would be a complete surprise to him. He literally had no idea until he heard it on the day.
We had struggled to decide, so I edited together a megamix of our favorite songs; You Send Me, by Sam Cooke, All you Need is Love, by The Beatles, Only You, by Yahoo, Everywhere, by Fleetwood Mac and Always, by Bon Jovi – ending comically on the Home & Away theme tune (because he made me promise it absolutely would not be this hehe!) He was definitely surprised! And absolutely loved it as did the guests.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
If your set up allows for it – stand for your whole ceremony, to the side and facing your guests. Originally our celebrant said that the norm was for the couple to sit on chairs at the front. My reasoning for us remaining on our feet was to stop my dress creasing! However it brought with it many other positives.
As well as us being able to look out at all of our friends and families beaming faces, they were able to see ours. Many commented how lovely it was to witness our reactions to the readings and to our celebrant’s words., rather than the back of our heads.
Do a wedding Tombola! Put a number on the back of every guests place name and draw for prizes during dessert. It was so much fun everyone loved it.
I’m sure other brides will tell you don’t sweat the small stuff – I know I got told this. It didn’t stop me planning everything to a T and to be honest I loved the planning process and was v pleased at the attention to detail I put in! It allowed me to fully relax on the day and feel confident everything was covered.
The day goes so quickly you only get a moment to snatch a hello with every guest! Don’t worry about trying to spend time with everyone! They will all feel like they have spent time with you during the ceremony, speeches and first dance. In life you don’t get many opportunities to celebrate something as special as a wedding – so go for it and make it everything you dreamed!
Visit gabrielasphotographyandfilm.com
Love My Dress Recommended Vendors & Venues
The below suppliers and venues featured in this article are part of the Love My Dress Wedding Directory.
Additional Credits
The below suppliers and venues are featured in this article, but are not part of the Love My Dress Wedding Directory.
Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
