Autumns Wedding at The Stanwick Hotel, Wellinborough
Well, the weather held for most of the day. The Sun shone bright. The autumn colours were everywhere. The setting was perfect and so were the couple. Hazel kindly answered a few questions for me so that I could include them in this blog post so read and enjoy!
What drew you to Stanwick Hotel, and how did you know it was the perfect place for your big day?
- We knew we wanted a small, local wedding that still felt special. When we visited Stanwick Hotel, it felt like we could be a million miles away despite only being on our doorstep. When first visiting the hotel, we knew as soon as we saw the room in which smaller weddings are held, that this was where we wanted to get married. It was perfectly intimate and cosy which is exactly what we were looking for.
Were there specific features of the venue (e.g., gardens, architecture, or location) that stood out to you?
- When we saw the house in which we got married, it felt very private and away from the busy side of the hotel and restaurant. The gardens are beautiful with lots of places to take a quiet moment on our special day. Having planned our wedding so quickly, we were lucky enough to see the gardens in the same season as we were booking. The autumn colours were absolutely gorgeous! the water feature was an extra bonus for our 3 year old! We planned our wedding in just two months and the hotel were so accommodating in fitting us in and talking us through every step.
Where did the proposal take place, and what made it so memorable?
- The proposal happened in our living room and was less than romantic. Wade literally decided that morning that he was going to propose and text his mate to go with him to get a ring. He quickly dropped my mum and dad a text to tell them and told me he was going to see his family dog who was unwell. When he came home, I was sat on the sofa, Wade came and sat on the L side of the sofa. He looked at me and said "you know you're always banging on about getting married?" he then slid off of the sofa onto one knee and said "well shall we?". While I would have loved a little more romance, it was perfect because it was just so Wade. I had a panic because I didn't know what the date was (I didn't want to forget such a special day) when I asked Wade what the date was, all that could come out of his mouth was "nurrf". I think the nerves had got the better of him. So now we forever remember the 29/08/2020, the day we got engaged as "nurrf".
Tell me about your dress shopping experience—how did you know you found “the one”?
- While I have always loved the idea of boutique dress shopping and the excitement going with my mum and best friend, I actually got my dress from vinted. I decided I didn't want to spend a fortune on a dress for one day, and loved the idea of wearing a dress that already had a story to tell. The dress I actually ended up with was my 3rd vinted dress purchase and I knew as soon as I saw it that it was "the one", despite needing a few alterations. I love the lace bodice, the shoulder straps and ruffle of the train. I could sit and stare at it all day! I bought the dress quite a while before we actually set a date and so it sat in a box in our bedroom undetected for a good year or so. I did my own dress alterations which was stressful but I am SO proud of! I am not an experienced seamstress by any means, but I wanted to save some money and so with a few youtube videos and a little bit of self belief, I learnt some new skills! Having not spent too much on the dress, my thought process was "well I don't have a dress that fits so if I fluff it then I'm still no worse off". I only finished altering the dress less than a week before our wedding which was pretty intense.
Where did the groom and groomsmen get their suits, and how did you decide on the style?
- Wade bought his suit from Moss Bros at Rushden Lakes. We had hoped to hire suits form there too but htey were having a refurb the week of our wedding - not ideal! We ended up hiring suits for the best man and our dads from Miller's suit hire in Northampton. Mr Miller was excellent! Professional, reassuring, quick and very informative. Having already bought Wade's suit, he advised we got ties to match rather than hiring his which is advice we really appreciated.
Did you DIY any of the decor or include personal touches in the styling?
- We DIY'd almost everything, our memory tree, our favours were poppy pin badges, representing a donation to The Royal British Legion, which I put on a card with a hand written poem and added some watercolour paint. The glass bottles we got form a cafe when we were on holiday in Wales - they were more than happy for us to take their recycling. The flowers for the tables I got from the supermarket and cut to size the night before the wedding. Our tealight jars were little pudding ramakin dishes; to give them a bit of height, I wrapped a few cans of fruit in brown parcel paper for the dishes to balance on top. A last-minute decision because I hadn't considered their visibility and the fire risk with them sat among the faux eucalyptus garland on the table. I DIY'd our dress alterations too!
What made your wedding day feel truly personal to you as a couple?
- We just wanted to get married to be completely honest, so having a small intimate wedding was really important to us. We had (almost) all of our nearest and dearest family and friends there with us and that is all we wanted.
What was your favourite part of the ceremony, and why?
Walking out together and everyone was so happy.
- H - When I got to the end of the aisle and was holding Wades hand, I felt such a huge relief. Our vows and promises to each other mean so much to me, a true declaration of our love and commitment to each other which will see us though our life together.
Tell me about your first dance—what song did you choose, and why?
- Our first dance song was A Little Bit of Everything by The Dawes. We both love this song and it reminds us of each other. I feel the song depicts each of our life experiences, and "I'm getting a little bit of everything" is the true reflection of our wedding day.
- We were both very nervous about our first dance, Wade would rather not have had a first dance but it was important to me and felt so special.
What advice would you give to other couples planning their wedding?
- Only do what makes you truly happy. This is your day, don't put pressure on yourself to meet everyone else's expectations and believe in yourself, you can make anything you want happen! Delegate roles and ask for help when you need it. Also, book Andy for photography, he's bloomin' brilliant!
Do you have a favorite wedding photograph, and why does it stand out to you?
- Choosing a favourite is impossible. I absolutely love the pictures where we are laughing, there a perfect representation of our relationship and our genuine happiness. I do also love the champagne and the rain shots - seeing how they came to be was wizardry! Andy showed us a couple of pictures throughout the day which blew me away each time. I just kept thinking "I can't believe I'm looking at a picture of us on our actual wedding day!!". There's a particular picture of our daughter looking up at our hands during our ceremony which we both just love so much. The ones that have captured the autumn colours around us so beautifully. Then there are the group shots with family both before and after - the most precious moments together.
