Pippa and Daniel were married at Barton Hall in Kettering. The inspiration for their wedding came from the bride’s engagement ring, which the groom had designed himself. It features a large amethyst stone in the centre (the bride’s birthstone) and that, alongside a bright blue which Daniel loves, became the colour scheme. Daniel knew he wanted an untraditional suit in blue and the colour amethyst was a perfect choice for the bridesmaid’s dresses.
“Daniel and I knew from the beginning that we wanted a wedding that was individual, but that our friends and family would also enjoy”, Pippa began. “We were sure that we didn’t want to get married in Kettering, where we live, due to the lack of unique venues until we visited Barton Hall. Although unfinished, we fell in love with the 16th century architectural elegance of the Grade 1 listed Orangery within the grounds.”
“Our venue and food were where we spent the majority of our money”, she continued, “I guess this is to be expected. Second to that was my wedding dress. We saved a lot of money on our cakes though. I attended the Birmingham wedding show and was overwhelmed by the variety of cakes available but was shocked by the cost. We didn’t really care about having a traditional cake, we just wanted one that was scrummy. In the end we found Gayle’s Catering. She visited us at home and we loved her portfolio and the fact it was more substance over style and had a real home made feel. We ordered a mixture of cupcakes in toffee and red velvet with crème cheese frosting, and three round cakes in carrot cake, cookies and cream cake and a vanilla rainbow cake!”
“Our favourite moments were the heartfelt speeches and the ceremony. My brother Scott plays the piano beautifully and although he hasn’t played to an audience other than family before, we persuaded him to play my entrance music. He played in total for approximately 45 minutes. He played as the guests came in, and continued as I walked in behind my bridesmaids with my Pops. I couldn’t tell you what he played, as it is all a bit of a blur and almost like a dream, but I remember being completely overwhelmed by pride as I saw him and heard him playing.”
“There is no greater feeling than standing in front of your friends and family, staring into the eyes of the person you would give your life for”, Pippa concluded. “Try not to get too hung up on small details and enjoy the experience, though be warned, arguments will happen. Its an experience neither of you will have met with before and will have alternate ways of addressing that you may not agree on. Remember that you are both working towards the same goal and enjoy the whole experience as much as you can. We spent a year planning our wedding, and the day went by in a flash. Take some time during the day to step back and spend some time after the ceremony alone together as man and wife.”
