The Wedding of Sarah & Harry

A traditional wedding with a rustic twist for this local couple from Chirk, who longed to be cocooned in their own secluded countryside bubble on their big day.

Sarah & Harry married in an emotional, outdoor ceremony beneath our historic sandstone railway arch in Autumn 2022, bathed in glorious October sunshine.

How It All Began

Harry and Sarah met while working together in Next. Little did Sarah know when she bagged her first  Saturday job, that as well as financial independence and first dibs on sales bargains, she’d find her person amongst the suits & ties. Several years later, Harry sealed the deal, proposing in the couple’s dining room one winter’s evening – “it wasn’t fussy, it was just us – perfect!”.

Wedding Planning

We began our wedding planning, like many couples with the most important element – finding the perfect venue! At the top of our Wishlist was a venue that offered seclusion & privacy. It had to feel like we were in our own little bubble, shared only with our nearest & dearest on our big day. A friend recommended Tower Hill Barns and we dutifully booked to see what all the fuss was about!

“As soon as we saw THB our decision was made – but, if there ever was any uncertainty the amazing staff put paid to it – Jo is simply a ray of sunshine, in human form and we absolutely love her!” 

We quickly secured our date & the rest is history! Luckily Harry & I both HATE being too hot, so were in agreement that a summer wedding was off the cards. We settled on October 1st because I thought that it would be easier for Harry to remember our anniversary on the 1st of the month – no excuses!

Despite being engaged for two years prior to the ceremony, we completed most of our wedding planning in just two months! Overall, our wedding planning experience was utterly perfect & there’s not a thing we’d do differently. The wonderful staff at THB, including Jo & our wedding coordinator Georgie, made sure everything went smoothly and there was never a doubt in my mind that everything was in hand.

“Our guests have all shared really positive feedback following our wedding. Amongst the praise, we’ve heard repeatedly that we had the perfect venue and atmosphere and that it was the most relaxed and enjoyable wedding they’d ever been to.”

Pre-Ceremony Rituals

My bridal party and I were excited to take over the fabulous makeup room at Tower Hill Barns to get ready ahead of the ceremony! Believe it or not, I felt utterly calm, as I just knew everything was in hand and we were going to have the perfect wedding day that we’d both been dreaming of in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. 

Of course, I’d be lying if I said that there wasn’t a hint of nervous energy under the surface at the thought of standing in front of all those people, reciting our vows at the ceremony – we were both keen to get it over with! But overall the experience was perfect and relaxed, with music playing and the Prosecco on ice – it was the perfect start to the day!

“In the end, the timeline of the day ran perfectly and everything went smoothly. Anyone who knows me (Sarah) would admit that in my personal life, I am a *complete* control freak, so it’s a massive credit to Georgie & the team that I was able to let go and trust them implicitly.”

The Ceremony

Sarah & Harry tied the knot in an intimate outdoor ceremony beneath the romantic sandstone arch of our historic old railway bridge in front of 70 of their closest friends & family. 

Walking down the aisle to the incredibly romantic ‘I Get To Love You’ by Ruelle, Sarah stunned in a traditional white, lace embellished, A-line gown & matching veil from Along Came Eve Bridal Boutique. Sarah’s bridesmaids followed, in floor-length, emerald green satin gowns to match the couple’s colour scheme. 

Throughout the ceremony, Harry was overcome with the emotion of the day – sobbing from beginning to end – result! But once the signings & legal requirements were out of the way, the nerves melted away. The couple walked back down the aisle to ‘This will be an everlasting love’, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief and happiness wash over them; and a strong urge to celebrate!

The Styling/Theme

When we began thinking about the styling & theme for our wedding I thought I wanted a traditional, classic look – but as the planning went on it became clear that I couldn’t stick to just one colour – where’s the fun?! 

In the end, we went for a mixture of classic & rustic themes, incorporating white, dark emerald greens, light pinks & hints of gold. Our florist, Flowers In The Window created elegant floral displays using a combination of eucalyptus and white roses, including a gorgeous floral arch which made the most beautiful backdrop for our outdoor ceremony. 

Our cake – made by Cut The Cake Kitchen, in a pink & deep green hue to match the colour scheme was also a pretty traditional affair, although we HAD to break with tradition for the flavours – move aside fruit cake – we opted for three tiers of red velvet, chocolate & vanilla – it was delicious!

Evening Food

In true Tower Hill Barns style, Sarah & Harry’s wedding food was next-level fun.

To sustain their evening guests through the hours of hardcore celebrating Sarah & Harry opted for a *very cool* dirty fries station, as well as an incredibly moreish dessert table c/o Emz Cakes with *all* the couple’s favourite bakes – Kinder Blondies, Nutella Brownies, Salted Caramel Cupcakes – you name it they had it! (Don’t believe us? Check out the photos at your cake binge peril!).

“I (Sarah) can honestly say that dirty fries station had more positive feedback than everything else put together – it was a hit with EVERYONE! No mean feat considering we had a lot of dietary requirements to cater for! We LOVED it, and would definitely recommend it to other couples!

Wedding Photography

We discovered our photographer Richard Miller at the Tower Hill Barns open day, the wedding albums on display were his work. We wanted a mixture of classic, candid wedding photography & reportage style – and we knew immediately that Richard Miller was the man for the job. He made us feel so at ease and even contributed to a few funny moments from the day! 

A particularly memorable moment was my sister (and bridesmaid) joining us to help capture some couple portraits in the outdoor ceremony area and grounds. Each time we had to kiss, she would – very kindly – wince and make a gagging noise. Rich joined in on the action and it was a running joke for the rest of the shoot!

Honeymoon

To beat that post-wedding come down, we jetted off to Santorini for some alone time, it was amazing! We would both highly recommend it as a honeymoon destination.

Advice For Future Couples

Just relax. What will be, will be. It’s about you marrying your person, let everything else work around that. Also, find a venue that makes you feel at home, and gives you all the feels from that first visit. We are *beyond* grateful to all the staff at Tower Hill Barns for providing us and our loved ones with beautiful memories that will last forever.

Heading for more real #THBWeddings