The Wedding of Laura & Sam

A rustic, copper-toned intimate autumnal wedding for Laura & Sam; who tied the knot after 10 years together.

You know you’ve found the absolute perfect space for your wedding when you’re happy to take whatever date the venue has available–which is exactly what Laura & Sam, from Hyde, chose to do. 

The engagement:

We got engaged in September 2019 after 10 and a half years together! (Yes he took his time). We had gone for a short break to York in a lodge with a hot tub (which is a running joke with our friends that we always have a hot tub). I was not expecting Sam to propose AT ALL.

We had been together for so long and it wasn’t out of the ordinary for us to go away for a weekend so I didn’t think anything of it. I’d spent AGES getting ready for a meal and was having a nightmare trying to find an iron. I was running around the lodge trying to find an iron and then an ironing board. All the while, Sam was walking around in a really weird way and I asked him why he was being odd but he just shrugged it off. It turns out, he didn’t want to turn around because he had the ring in his pocket!! Although I didn’t know that, of course!

We planned to have a drink on the decking before going out so I finally got outside and there was a wine on the table, which was very organised for Sam. He had also gotten me a bottle of wine and some chocolates, which he’d placed on the decking. He pointed them out to me and I went over to pick them up and when I turned around to say thank you he got down on one knee saying ‘I have one more thing to ask you… will you marry me?’ At which point, I broke down crying and said something like ‘of course, I will!’

The ceremony:

The couple had a 12pm ceremony in the indoor ceremony room. Although Laura was hesitant about an early kick-off time, she says it was the best decision for a November wedding–enough time in the morning to get ready and have photos taken *pre-ceremony*, and plenty of time afterwards to make the most of the day.

I walked down the aisle to an orchestral version of Iris by the Googoo Dolls. It’s one of Sam’s favourite songs and was so beautiful. As soon as I heard it just before walking down the aisle I started to cry! Everything went to plan, although my dad and I walked down the aisle too fast and I realised this halfway down the aisle, at which point I pulled him back really hard because I was panicking! I think my dad thought I was trying to do a runner, as he panicked as well until I told him ‘we’re going too fast!!’

When I got to the end of the aisle and met with Sam, it was clear that he was on the verge of tears ( Sam NEVER crys). However, the registrar then accidentally kicked over some of the (thankfully) fake candles and created a loud clatter, which really broke the ice and had everyone laughing. Sam said this saved him from breaking down crying and meant he was able to say his vows!

Creative cocktails were in order:

We decided to have a Bride and Groom drink, which was a personal favourite touch for me! Sam chose to have Jamesons Whiskey with Ginger Ale and a twist of lime. He’s not a big drinker but he does love this one and everyone that had it, loved it too!

I went for a twist on a martini and had a ‘Laurstar Martini’. My friends all call me Laurs and my fav drink is a Pornstar Martini so I thought this was perfect. The guests loved them both.

The theme:

Sometimes a theme magically evolves throughout the planning, as it did for Laura and Sam.

We went for a very neutral theme and kept everything white or with foliage (eucalyptus/rosemary etc). We felt this would work best with the venue, as it doesn’t need lots of colours or decoration. We went for navy blue bridesmaids dresses and navy blue elements in the suit. They were the only colours, so we kept it quite classic.

I wouldn’t say that we consciously chose a theme but it just sort of evolved as the planning progressed. I think, subconsciously, I just wanted to have a classic wedding that was quite elegant and unfussy. Sam is very easy-going so I had free reign on this!

The food:

We’d been to the food and wine tasting earlier in the year which was so nice to see the venue again after not being able to visit for a year due to covid. We had some amazing food that night and chose our wines. It was a really exciting moment and really helped us plan our wedding menu. We had two menus: the carnivore menu and the vegan menu. The carnivores had roasted vine tomato and red pepper soup, the THB roast beef and a chocolate brownie. Whilst the vegans had tempura tender stem broccoli and asparagus, the THB nut roast and a vegan brownie. It was absolutely delicious and everyone loved it.

In the evening, Sam and Laura wanted people to keep on having fun so chose to serve food ‘on the go’. Guests enjoyed delicious chicken goujons and chips, or a vegan burger for the veggies and vegans.

The music & ceremony:

The couple had a 12pm ceremony in the indoor ceremony room.

I walked down the aisle with my dad to an orchestral version of Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls which was so moving. It’s also one of Sam’s favourite songs. As soon as I heard it just before walking down the aisle I started to cry! Everything went to plan, although my dad and I walked down the aisle too fast, which I realised halfway down the aisle. At which point I pulled him back really hard because I was panicking. I think my dad thought I was trying to do a runner, as he panicked as well until I told him ‘we’re going too fast!!’

When I got to the end of the aisle and met with Sam, it was clear that he was on the verge of tears. Yet, Sam NEVER cries. However, the registrar then accidentally kicked over some of the (thankfully) fake candles and created a loud clatter, which really broke the ice and had everyone laughing. Sam said it saved him from breaking down crying and meant he was able to say his vows.

Our first dance was to ‘Baby I’m Yours’ by the Arctic Monkeys. It’s a song I’ve wanted as my first dance since I was 16, so Sam didn’t get a say!! Joking. But luckily he loves the song! We had a rough plan of what we wanted to do and agreed we would do a twirl (which everyone loved) but we never got a chance to practice before. It was absolutely amazing to finally have our first dance, as it’s something I’d dreamt of for so long. We got the guests involved a minute or so into the song.

Heirloom moments:

We didn’t know we had got each other the same thing, but as it turns out, we both gave each other watches as wedding gifts! I wore an Olivia Burton watch with a beautiful engraving on the inside with my new name and the date. The bracelet I wore was a wedding present from my dad. And my pearl necklace was the same necklace my mother wore when she got married.

The entertainment:

Besides the incredible music, we decided to hire a photobooth from Picture It! Photobooths. This was a hit and it even created a newfound love of photobooths for many of our guests.

Laura’s advice to new brides and grooms:

Just enjoy the entire process as much as you can. The wedding day is over in the blink of an eye but the whole planning and run-up is part of the experience and should be enjoyed too. Sure, it’s stressful to plan a wedding, but it should also be fun and enjoyable!

More wedding inspo: a magical white winter wonderland wedding for this Australian bride and a rustic Christmas themed wedding with all the festive sparkle

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