The Bride
I wore a couture bridal gown designed and made by
Mirror Mirror owner Maria Yiannikaris. I fell in love with the simplicity of the dress. The low back was what captured my attention and it was made and fit precisely to my body. My veil really set the dress as it was so dramatic and grand. I wore shoes by
Valentino - the perfect kitten heel allowed me to dance all night and feel totally comfortable. Diamond stud earrings - I didn't choose loads of jewellery as I wanted to feel like me, keeping things chic and simple.
The Wedding Party
Bridesmaid dresses were from
The Harrogate Wedding Lounge. My sister and cousin were my Bridesmaids and I wanted them to feel special in their ivory dresses. Creating an effect of cleaness and simplicity, their flower wreaths added softness and colour. My flower girl wore a beautiful floral dress from
Wild & Gorgeous.
The Groom
The suit was tailor made by our good friend
Joe Woolfe at Scabel. They dress all the celebs with their tailored suits on Saville Row. Shoes by
Church's. Classic and tailored.
The Venue
Babington House was was our dream location and a special place we hold dear to our hearts. The style and service at Babington is impeccable offering a cool, relaxed atmosphere with a real sense of style and fun. It's a private members club which is part of the Soho House group. Babington took care of all aspects of the day. Becky Kingston-Wood who is wedding organiser offered constant help and was with us the whole journey. Our wedding was on a Thursday and we had the whole house and rooms reserved solely for the wedding party. 96 guests attended for the day and evening. There was a pool, gym, tennis courts, spa and sports ground and even heli pad! Everyone got involved with football and cricket on the morning of the wedding. I ordered room service in the bridal suite, had breakfast and champagne with my closest and had a bath which was in the centre of the room. Other guests used the outside pool and spa. The chapel we had our blessing in was on the grounds and a stones throw from the bridal suite playroom.
We wanted to create a day that represented us as a couple and bringing family together from the North and South of England made Babington the perfect spot for people to let their hair down. Guests stayed for two nights and the night prior to the wedding was having drinks and bbq around a log fire with people scattered around the house and playing croquet and bowels on the lawn. All relaxed and atmospheric. We wanted our guests to leave and feel like they had had an experience/some down time as well as being at a wedding.
The Decor
Our colour scheme was neutral and I wanted all the flowers to have a rustic feel. My mother also wore ivory with a big black hat and the other guests went for summer florals and summer chic.
Flowers by Passion took full control of the flowers and decorated the chapel and house with beautiful whites,soft pinks and lilac. My favourite colours. The chapel was surrounded by and archway of beautiful loose rustic flowers and shepherd hooks with lanterns paved the way into the service, candles, old vintage bottles and candelabras were used throughout the whole grounds. The wedding breakfast took our breath away. So beautiful. The room was mesmerising. Wedding stationary all designed by
Plewsy.com and was totally in the theme of the whole day - chic, stylish but relaxed.
The Ceremony
The ceremony took place in the beautiful St Margaret's chapel, located on the grounds of Babington house. It was beautifully decorated with flowers, candles and candelabras. The blessing was a mixed service of religions both Jewish and Christian led by Rabbi Hall. He had wonderful energy and a powerful voice. There were two beautiful readings - read by Emily- Kahil Gibran ‘on marriage' and another written by Abbie which held such personal resonance to the couple. One of the main things I would advise as a bride is to really take in the moments. I kept looking back as we stood at the front of the chapel and made eye contact with as many people as I could. It really made the moment feel powerful to see all those smiling faces and so much love on such a special day and not to miss anything. As well as obviously gazing at my husband to be :)
The guests were brought to their feet when our MC/Usher and musicians serenaded down the aisle whist singing..."crazy little thing called love” by Queen, everyone joined in and it brought a tremendous atmosphere to the chapel.
The Reception
A champagne reception followed outside on the lawn. The weather and lighting was so beautiful. Barely any wind and the sun was setting. Waiters offered glasses of champagne in vintage style coupe glasses and canapés whist the amazing musicians played their tunes. They were truly amazing and a definite highlight and crowd pleaser. This instantly got people dancing and in the mood to party. We were so lucky with the weather to have our reception and music outside on the lawn.
The wedding breakfast was sensational - 'Bring ME Food’ sharing platters of crab and avocado, pate and brioche and mozzarella and tomatoes were laid for people to help themselves. This really worked well. Mains were - beef and Yorkshire puddings, seabass with broccoli and pasta tortellini. A real mixture. Dessert was sticky toffee pudding, selection of cheeses. Red and white wine flowed continuously.
Speeches caused an uproar as I spoke a few words and the groom Sam sang to me in his best french accent - Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin- J’taime moi non plus! (A rude song at that!) The best man gave the groom plenty of banter and there was a real jovial atmosphere between North and South parties.
The Food
Food and cake was all prepared by Babington house. The cake vanilla sponge was decorated with beautiful lavender sprigs. Also baked on the premises by the chefs at Babington. The service and waiters were faultless the whole wedding. Absolutely amazing.
The Party
The party then went into full swing in the bar area, the house
DJ Nigel at Babington played his tunes and everyone gathered around for the first dance to ‘Ain't no mountain high enough.’ Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terell. Bride and groom were put on chairs and lifted into the air for the Jewish celebration, followed by Sam the groom being thrown up and down into the air by all his fellow men. Very fun. Everyone ended up dancing on the bar and furniture whilst drinking cocktails and an array of shots! The last few guests retired to bed around 6.30am!!! The bar staff patiently waited and got involved until the last man was standing!
The Morning After
The morning after guests all gathered for a delicious breakfast of pastries, coffee, fruits and granola along side full English breakfasts and Babington's signature avocado and poached eggs on toast. Guests then lazily hung by the outdoor pool taking a dip and drinking bloody mary’s to soothe sore heads in the sunshine before heading back north and south or overseas. Rebecca and Sam ventured a short distance down the road to the
Pig Hotel for massages and rest and recuperation for the night!
The Photography
Photography was by
Benjamin Wheeler, a good friend of Rebecca's, it really added to the personal touch to have someone as professional and relaxed as Ben capturing the day.