The Story
How did you meet?
W met the old fashioned way, at work. At an after-event party. Although Robbie says that we actually met 2 years earlier when I came to his office to deliver some training but we didn’t talk, I just remember some guy using his loyalty card to get the points for a team dinner!
Who proposed and how did it happen? Bonus Q: Was it a surprise?
Robbie proposed in a secluded hideaway hut in the foothills of the Vosges mountains after a day of touring vineyards in Alsace. He had carried the ring around all day, waiting for the right time, but he waited for us to be in our little hut, just the two of us and asked me if I’d like to make more memories together. He asked and I just couldn’t stop laughing. I was so shocked but of course I said yes.
What made Seckford Hall stand out for you?
I had visited with my best friend for a spa weekend, and we had both said what an amazing venue it would be to get married at. It’s the heritage of the house and the whimsical nature of it all. We even asked to look at the event space and it was so light and beautiful. Later that year Robbie proposed and the first place we booked the view was Seckford. I knew it was the one straight away.
Tell us about your wedding journey in the lead up to your wedding and how did you feel?
We had quite a chaotic lead up in the end! After we got engaged there was a restructure at work and I got made redundant in the March of the following year. I had a summer off and got the bulk of wedding suppliers sorted, then found a new job but as soon as I started that we got told our landlady was selling the house we rented so immediately I was in the process of buying our new home. When that was happening I knew I hated the new job so applied and secured a new role and as the house completed I quit my old job, finished planning the wedding (which was 6 months away at this point) and started the new role 2 weeks before we got married and 4 weeks after moving into the new house. It’s been a rollercoaster and I honestly couldn’t have managed it without the amazing Seckford planning team. They made me feel like it was all in hand and I was doing all the things I needed to be doing, even with the chaos. Happy to say that everything is sorted now and we can start our married life secure in our new home and in a job I love.
What was your theme? Any favourite unique touches?
It was music festival themed because Robbie loves music. Our “save the date / invites” were designed like gig tickets and we designed a festival poster. The flowers were all English garden, whimsical themed with antique roses and peonies. We have cassette tape place names and an amazing “headline” band who got everyone dancing.
With several ceremony spaces available, where did you choose and why?
We got married in The Great Hall because it was just beautiful and intimate. I loved the beams and the big window. We had canapés and onion ring tasting (another quirk as Robbie has an onion ring tasting spreadsheet) by the lake which was gorgeous and the wedding breakfast in the conservatory. The band got set up in The Great Hall for the evening which was an amazing dancefloor, great acoustics!
What food did you choose? Is there a reason for your choices?
The duck confit was genuinely the dish that blew us away at the tasting and I think is the only part of the meal Robbie and I actually sat down together for and ate in silence. So so good!!
What was the 3 most important ‘must-haves’ at your wedding?
The band, we booked them before anything else! My photographer and videographer were just amazing, they captured it all and the vibes perfectly. Then friends and family really. They made it. Feeling all the love and happiness in the room.
What was the soundtrack to your day? Aisle music, first dance?
Music was super important to us at the wedding and was the bit we were probably most picky about. Our table names were actually songs that we were meaningful for us and we wrote a note as to why on each name sign. I walked down the aisle to a piano version of a song called Euclid by Sleeptoken. Our registrar signing song was Sweetness by Langan Band. We entered the wedding breakfast to Elevator Operator by Electric Callboy and our first dance was So hot your hurting my feelings by squirrel flower mixed into The Downfall of us All by A Day to Remember. At the end of the night twin flame by MGK came on from our Spotify list and it was just Robbie and I left in the room with all the guests gone. Dancing to that in the empty chapel was just the most perfect ending.
Favourite moment of the day?
Seeing Robbie stood at the end of the aisle, seeing each other for the first time that day. My face hurt from smiling and I was just so relieved to see him.
With unlimited photo opportunities, where was your favourite spot?
Under the trees by the lake. It fit the whimsical theme so well, it was like our own secret garden.
What was your favourite space/area at Seckford Hall? Why was this your favourite space and how did you use it?
The Great Hall. It’s just such a beautiful space and the way the team switched it from ceremony to dancefloor was beyond amazing.
Any funny stories or unusual anecdotes from the day?
We love how involved people got with the onion ring tasting. I also got stung by a wasp while we were having photos taken, I think it thought the flowers on my dress were real. So I had to dig the sting out with a safety pin from the photographer. I said that do CrossFit so I’m just to my hands bleeding, that made it all just abit comical.
Tell us about your evening reception, did you party the night away?
The band were epic. A few people said they had sore legs afterwards. Shoes came off. The Bridesmaids killed a dance to Proud Mary and my dad and I had a Motown dance throw down to Johnny be good. Both were highlights and captured amazingly by our photographer and videographer team.
Did either of you stay the night before? Did you enjoy being closer the night before?
Both of us did. Robbie was in the lodge and I was in Room 36. Both were perfect and it really made the wedding weekend feel longer. I had a lovely “last supper” with my family, bridesmaids and their partners in the restaurant and that was really special.
Any suppliers that you would recommend to others?
Just Anne – Flowers Nicki Shea – Photography Lauren Marchant – Photography Luxe – Videography Breakthrough Band – Music Pastry Mama – Cake
If you had 3 pieces of advice you could offer to future couples getting married, what would they be?
Make your wedding personal, don’t follow Pinterest trends. It’s beautiful when it’s meaningful to you. Order the onion rings! Have pockets of time during the day when it’s just you and your partner. We had 10 mins after the ceremony and it just allows you to take a breath. To do lists. Colour coded. Written down. Saved my sanity! Just chipped away at it every day.
