Inspiration

This gorgeous wedding at Saltmarshe Hall in East Yorkshire features blooms from one our favourite florists Swallows and Damsons. All in gorgeous blush and white tones, and all looking utterly spectacular. I made sure I included lots of pictures for you to swoon over and pin to your hearts content. Because believe me you are going to want to make a note of them. I have a feeling you will also be pinning Claire's Caroline Castigliano 'Charm School' gown within an inch of its life. Such a gorgeous silhouette, and such a stunning bride. Jon from S6 Photography has captured all the dreaminess perfectly. Those portraits in Saltmarshe Hall's gardens will literally take your breath away they are so romantic. Plus who doesn't love a pic of a groom overcome with emotion when he sees his bride.

Dress

Claire the Bride: I purchased my dress from the Bridal Collection, Harrogate. Having no idea what style of dress I wanted I was open to trying on pretty much anything with my only priorities being for something comfortable and fun. In the end the beautiful Caroline Castigliano Charm School dress won me over with its fabulous swishy skirt! The lovely ladies at the Bridal Collection created a bespoke lace jacket for me to wear over my dress and I accessorised with a single tier chapel length veil (also from the Bridal Collection) and a beautiful, delicate hair comb from the incredibly talented Debbie Carlisle.  My shoes were Ivory satin court shoes from Harriet Wilde.  I wanted simple shoes that I could comfortably wear all day and these are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned.

Beauty

The truly wonderful team from Jenn Edwards artistry joined us on the morning of our wedding and provided hair and make up for the whole bridal party. Jenn, Natalie and Lauren are some of the loveliest people I have ever been fortunate enough to meet. Not only did they make us all look and feel fab with hair and make up that lasted well into the early hours, they kept us all relaxed, calm and most importantly on time! I can't thank them enough for making the morning of our wedding such a relaxed and enjoyable time.

Grooms Attire

Adam chose to wear a charcoal grey two piece suit (bought in the sale) with blue tie, pocket square and cuff links all found in one efficient shopping trip to Hugo Boss. He wore these with a classic white shirt and Kurt Geiger shoes.

Wedding Party Fashion

Our bridesmaids wore long midnight blue maxi dresses from Debenhams, chosen (like the bridal gown) for their swish factor.  The groomsmen wore their own suits with individual ties and pocket squares bought by Adam as gifts to wear on the day.

Venue

Saltmarshe Hall had everything we wanted from a venue. Gorgeous location, beautiful rooms for our party to stay in and freedom to choose any suppliers we liked. After falling in love with the stunning riverside location, walled gardens, tree lined avenues and beautiful brick buildings we settled on a Spring date to enjoy the grounds in full bloom. We were fortunate enough to enjoy a wonderfully warm spring day (despite forecasts of thunderstorms!) allowing our guests to roam and explore the grounds. Special mention must go to the amazing Kate and James at the venue who went out of their way to ensure everything ran smoothly and our guests were well looked after on the day.

Colour scheme/Décor

We decided early on to keep the decor simple and didn't really have a theme or colour scheme. We chose to decorate the hall with beautiful flowers and a couple of bespoke calligraphy pieces from Claire Gould at Calligraphy for Weddings who was wonderful to work with and has the most beautiful relaxed calligraphy writing style.

Stationery

Emma Jo Stationery provided all of our invitations and on the day stationery. We chose an elegant calligraphy style design from Emma's collection which suited the venue and style of the day perfectly.

Flowers

I love all things floral and spring flowers were one of the reasons for choosing our wedding date.  It was an absolute pleasure to work with Anna and the team at Swallows and Damsons. We asked for seasonal flowers in muted tones, nothing too structured (but not too wild) and left it up to Anna's creative genius. We could not have been happier with the results. I had a stunning bouquet of vintage quicksand roses, peonies, lilac, jasmine, sweet pea, ranunculus and blossom which smelt like heaven, I did not want to put it down. We had various arrangements around the hall to compliment my bouquet which all looked stunning. I could not recommend Swallows and Damsons enough and their beautiful little flower shop in Sheffield is well worth a visit.

Entertainment

The wonderful Leeds String Ensemble provided music for our ceremony and drinks reception. We chose our favourite classical pieces for our ceremony and then requested a few contemporary choices for the drinks reception. In the evening we had a local DJ take over until the early hours.

Food

Food was a big priority for us and we were so happy to discover Feast Yorkshire. We were instantly sold after visiting Siobhán for a tasting and the food did not disappoint on the day. Everything was completely delicious, our guests are still raving about it now. As well as creating incredible food all of the waiting staff were so friendly and accommodating which helped to create a lovely relaxed atmosphere.  

Cake

Rachel from Oh Sugar, Sheffield created our cake. In line with keeping things simple we asked for an elegant 3 tiered white iced cake with clean lines. Our florist provided some flowers and ribbon to decorate. We had a tier of fruit cake (our favourite) and two tiers of lemon and orange sponge which was absolutely delicious.

Planner

We enlisted the help of Gemma from Rosy Apple Events to help finalise plans and co-ordinate everything on the day. Gemma worked tirelessly arranging last minute suppliers, drawing up timelines and making sure everyone knew where they needed to be and when. Knowing she was there to set up and take care of everything meant we were able to relax and spend time with our friends and family without having to worry about a thing. Absolutely worth her weight in gold.

Photographer

One of the best decisions we made throughout the whole planning process was our photographer Jon. As well as being ridiculously talented he is also an all round lovely guy who completely put us at ease, despite us both usually being very awkward in front of a camera. We could not be happier with the photographs from our wedding and will be forever grateful to him for capturing our day so beautifully.
Lorna Shaw

Written by Lorna Shaw

Dress Designer: Caroline Castigliano - Charm School | Bridal Boutique: The Bridal Collection Harrogate | Accessories: Debbie Carlisle | Bridal Shoes: Harriet Wilde | Hair & Makeup: Jenn Edwards | Grooms Suit: Hugo Boss | Grooms Shoes: Kurt Geiger | Bridesmaid Dresses: Debenhams | Venue: Saltmarshe Hall | Decor: Calligraphy for Weddings | Stationery: Emma Jo Stationery | Florist: Swallows and Damsons | Entertainment: Leeds String Ensemble | Catering: Feast Yorkshire | Cake: Oh Sugar | Planner: Rosy Apple Events

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