This week, I’m sharing all the details about Emma & Pete’s wedding at Wentworth Woodhouse.
When I first met Emma last October, I knew instantly that we were a great match. You see, just like me, Emma is a bit of a control freak – I’m sure she won’t mind me telling you that 🙂
Emma and Pete got engaged in August and by October Emma had booked just about everything for their wedding.
So why did she need me? Well Emma and Pete had booked Wentworth Woodhouse for their wedding which is a semi dry hire venue. This meant they had more suppliers than many weddings have who would need managing.
But also Emma needed to know that I was there on the day overseeing every little detail on her behalf. That was the only way that she was going to be able to relax and enjoy the day. So she booked my wedding day management service.
Of course I was more than happy to help and to have the chance to work at Wentworth Woodhouse was amazing.
All their stunning photos were taken by Aden Priest.
The Venue
Wentworth Woodhouse is a stunning Elizabethan house in South Yorkshire. It’s often referred to as the Chatsworth of Yorkshire. And I’m lucky enough to live less than 20 minutes away from it.
You can read my review of this amazing venue here and you’ll see from the photos how stunning it is.
Pete and Emma went here on their first date and when Pete proposed to Emma it was also at Wentworth Woodhouse so it was destined to be their choice for their wedding.
The Set Up
We were lucky enough to be able to access the venue the day before the wedding. This gave us plenty of time to get the tables set up for the wedding breakfast and allowed Emma to be involved in this which meant she knew everything was how she’d wanted it to be.
The chairs for the ceremony room, the signs & table plan and the drinks reception were all set up on the Friday too.
The Outfits
Emma looked stunning in a fitted Essence of Australia dress from Emily Bridal Wear in Sheffield. Her hair and make up were by Lauren Rippen and her fab shoes were from Ted Baker.
Lauren also did hair and make up for the bridesmaids. They wore dresses from Asos and carried smaller versions of Emma’s bouquet. All the flowers were by Swallows and Damsons.
The men looked very dapper in suits hired from Reece Ford in Dronfield.
The Ceremony
Emma and Pete had a civil ceremony in the Long Gallery. Elfair Grug Dyer played the harp while guests were arriving as well as providing the ceremony music. Such fitting music for this style of venue.
Emma had 4 bridesmaids who walked down the aisle first (sadly her maid of honour was unwell and was unable to attend but I know she was there in spirit)
Emma’s grandad then walked her down the aisle. The harpist played the Wagner bridal chorus for the entrance of the bridal party and Queen of Sheba was their exit music.
The Weather & The Drinks Reception
On the Friday when we were setting up, it was throwing it down all day. Emma and Pete had hoped to have their drinks reception outside but the forecast for Saturday wasn’t good.
So on Friday afternoon, they had to make the decision to plan for the drinks reception to be held inside in the Whistlejacket room. They had also booked Steve’s Ice Creams to supply an ice cream van and lawn games from Garden Game Hire which obviously couldn’t be moved inside.
We had a small shower on the Saturday morning during the ceremony and then it was glorious for the rest of the day. This meant that after they had had their drinks served inside, guests could wander outside for an ice cream and to play the lawn games.
Pete had been longing to be able to use the Whistlejacket room and Emma wanted drinks outdoors so this meant they were both very happy.
Guests were served with prosecco and canapes by The Yorkshire Catering Company. They were also entertained by David Bignall who’s a caricaturist and captured all the guests in their own drawing.
Leeroy The Pug
I met Leeroy when I went to Emma & Pete’s house a few months before the wedding to go through all the details with Emma. He’s adorable – although he loves to lick your feet for hours!
Emma arranged for him to be brought to the wedding. He wasn’t allowed into the house but he attended the drinks reception outside. He looked fab in his cute outfit which matched Pete’s suit.
Wedding Breakfast
Emma and Pete were lucky enough to be able to have their wedding breakfast in the marble saloon which is incredible. The current building work at Wentworth Woodhouse had put this at risk but thankfully they were still able to use it.
Emma chose classy navy tablecloths which were lifted with gold charger plates and gold candelabras which were decorated with flowers & cascading greenery to match the bouquets.
The Cake
One of Emma’s bridesmaids, Samantha, made the wedding cake! Now Samantha doesn’t make cakes for a living so there was a lot of pressure on her!
But there was no need for her to be worried. She brought the cake on Friday, set it up and spent hours in situ finishing the decoration.
It was beautiful, everything that Emma had asked for and it tasted amazing too! Definite perk of my job is getting to test the wedding cake before it’s served to guests!
The Evening
The evening reception was held in the Long Gallery. Emma and Pete had their first dance followed by a father & daughter dance and then a mother & son dance. Music for the evening was supplied by Trax Disco Roadshow.
Not long after this, the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate all the guests! This was a first for me but everyone was outside in no time and the venue staff had it resolved within a few minutes. (Thankfully it was a false alarm!)
Evening food was hot carvery sandwiches with roast potatoes. And the wedding cake was served as the evening dessert.
It was an absolute pleasure to manage Emma & Pete’s wedding day. Emma had booked a great team of suppliers who are all now in my little black book, if they weren’t already. Emma was so easy to work with and I loved working in such a grand & historical venue too.
If you think getting some help like Emma and Pete did will work for you, then why not get in touch to see how I can help you. My wedding planning services are all bespoke so you will only ever pay for the amount of help that you actually need. I’d love to hear from you.
Louise
