Chelsey & Tom’s July Wedding

I have dreamt of getting married my whole life and I knew I always wanted to get married in a country side setting with a manor house with nice grounds – and a summer wedding! My husband and I viewed a few venues in Suffolk, one which I really thought would be our venue as I had been looking at it months before we even got engaged! However, when we viewed it, I did not get that warm feeling inside, so I knew it was not the one. My husband’s dad unfortunately passed away years ago, and when I told his mum I was having troubles finding the perfect venue, she suggested Seckford Hall. She and Tom’s dad used to go there for dinner, and she said how much they loved the grounds and the lake. So I reached out to the team, received a quote and went to view Seckford Hall and wow… from the moment I pulled up to the gates and looked down the drive and saw the House, I had butterflies in my stomach. The whole venue took my breath away and I even cried when I walked into the Great Hall! It was magical and I just knew we had to get married there and even though Tom’s dad could not be with us on our day, the fact he knew the venue and had fond memories there, we could feel his presence.

Being in my ‘bridal era’ was the most amazing experience. I genuinely loved every second of planning our wedding. Being an events manager for a living, it was so euphoric to finally arrange an event for myself! I would often sit at my desk working, daydreaming, thinking about the wedding. What drinks did we want to, what songs did we want, what colours were the bridesmaids to wear? It was so much fun to really put our personality into our wedding and make it so personalised and special for us.

Seckford Hall were amazing – my events manager was Donna and she really catered to my every need. I had so many questions and so many thoughts of little things to add on to the day and no question was too much. Donna was so responsive on emails and I would frequently call her and I genuinely felt she was invested in my wedding. I know Seckford Hall do so many weddings, but they truly care for the couple and they treat it like it is their first time too – all the excitement, love and emotions of a wedding. I wish I could do it all again, in fact about a week after our wedding, my husband said, “Shall we get a divorce and then we can get re-married and do it all again!”. We just had the most amazing run up and day – ever!

We decided to get married outside at the Bandstand as we really wanted a summer wedding and to do it outside. I think the bandstand is a beautiful, romantic and refreshing spot at Seckford Hall. However, the UK weather is unpredictable, and although we had a July wedding, we woke up to heavy rain meaning we had to do indoor wedding. I was disappointed at first as I had my heart set on outside, but on retrospect, the Great Hall was perfect. The intimacy of the space, the gorgeous flowers and the lights really created this perfect bubble I never wanted to pop! Some of my favourite photos from the day are during the ceremony with the beautiful views of the Great Hall.

Honestly – the whole day. But if I had to pinpoint a moment, it was our ceremony and doing our vows. Although we had 110 people staring up at us, I felt as though it was only us in the room. I was on cloud 9 and it was truly spectacular. No one can prepare you for the moment you say “I do” and the connection and love you feel for your husband at the time.

We went for a traditional sit-down wedding breakfast. We started with canapes which were a triumph – lots of great options to suit all pallets. The meal was lovely and the fact we were able to give our guests 3 starters, 3 mains, 3 desserts to choose from was a huge bonus. The guests really appreciated this and we had lots of good comments!

I love the photos we got by the band stand and the ones from the top of the drive looking back at Seckford Hall. The venue and the grounds speak for themselves and the views are beautiful. Golden Hour around the bandstand was my favourite.

I love the Pavilion. I think it is a gorgeous space to host your wedding breakfast. It has the best views of the lawn and lake and the natural daylight just floods in. It was the exact space I pictured our wedding breakfast to take place.

Our evening reception was in the Great Hall – I just love the beams, the fairy flights and the flowers hanging down from the balcony. We had a great DJ set up which complimented the space very well and we positioned this in front of the window and the lighting was perfect – especially as it got darker.

During our ceremony, we had a violinist up on the balcony and that worked gorgeously. We also decided to do a surprise firework display during our reception at the Walled Gardens which was a really memorable part of our day and something that our guests still talk about.

Yes, I stayed in the bridal suite the night before with my 4 bridesmaids. It was so special and it got us so excited for the day to follow. My husband and his groomsmen stayed at the Lodge the night before and again, all being on site together the day before was so exciting. Our parents also stayed and we had group drinks out on the terrace and then we all used the spa. It was such a happy day and so much excitement was created by all staying the night before.

We decided to stay the night after our wedding so we could decompress and reminisce on our wedding day once our guests had gone home. We made the most of the spa and then spent the evening opening our wedding cards and presents in the bridal suite – it was a magical end to a dream weekend.

We were so impressed with all our suppliers, but I would strongly recommend the florist and the videographer.

Florist: Emma – The Suffolk Florist

Videographer: Tony Davies