Are you ready for dreamy summer flowers in abundance today? I do hope so, because this wedding celebration at the stunning medieval priory and manor house that is Brinkburn Northumberland, is full of them.
Brinkburn are a member of our Little Book Wedding Directory, and we couldn’t be prouder. It’s also an extra delight to be able to share the work of our Little Book member, Bels Flowers, who did a truly outstanding job in filling this beautiful day with her lovely, feminine floral designs.
Let’s meet our couple, Emily and Jonny. Emily is an Advertising Account Director, and Jonny is an Accountant for an online retailer. This lovely pair married on the 8 June 2019 in a church ceremony in the spectacular medieval Brinkburn Priory, followed by a beautiful marquee reception. Let’s set the scene with a film by Bennett Media, shall we?
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“Alice and Michael were nothing but professional and delightful. When looking for a videographer, their work was head and shoulders above the rest. Our decision to have them was vindicated when we received our incredible video back a few months after the wedding. They are so talented, and we will cherish the footage forever. ”
“We loved the priory itself. It gave us a church wedding in a stunning building. The surroundings are amazing, and we had space for the weekend, not just one night. We met at Newcastle University, so the North East was a special place for us to get married. ”
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“Brinkburn provided us with a coordinator – Leanne MacPherson. She was amazing, really patient, helpful, and totally understood our vision. Pretty safe to say the day wouldn’t have gone as smoothly without her involvement.”
“I wore English Pear & Freesia body wash and body cream, then Dark Amber & Ginger Lily perfume, all by Jo Malone. I’d been for a bridal consultation with one of my bridesmaids, so I got to try out different body washes, body creams, and perfume combinations to create the perfect scent the morning of our wedding!”
Emily’s hair was styled by Vicky Medhurst, who thankfully stepped in at the last minute after Emily’s original stylist unfortunately broke her ankle. Lovely make-up came courtesy of Emily’s talented cousin Lucie Hornshaw.
On her feet, Emily wore Gucci sandals, and she accessorised with jewellery by Swarovski – a pair of crystal earrings she had bought herself, and a matching bracelet gifted to her by her mum.
I love the fresh, modern style of Emily’s Sarah Seven dress, with its racer style neckline, and gorgeous floral lace back and train, which she chose at LOVE Bridal Boutique in Altrincham, Cheshire.
“I had an absolutely amazing experience at LOVE. It was the last (of many) bridal shops I’d visited, and I was starting to panic that I’d never find my dream dress. From the moment I entered the shop with my mum, I felt so at ease! Charlotte was so friendly and informative, and before I had even looked at any dresses, she congratulated me and asked to see my ring. Something so small, but really appreciated as no other shops had done that.”
“Charlotte asked all about the type of wedding we were planning, and what styles I’d already tried on/liked/disliked. She then let me loose in the shop telling me to pick as many dresses as I liked, and she also picked a few she thought I might like.”
“The boutique itself is beautiful, and my experience was fantastic from start to finish. I tried on the dresses whilst my mum ate freshly baked cakes and sipped on a glass of fizz. The day was made perfect when I tried on THE dress, which brought a tear to my mum’s eye! I would 100% recommend to any brides!”
“I found it quite difficult to find a dress that I was comfortable in, that reflected my style and the style of our wedding. I wanted to ensure my dress was respectful (for the church) and elegant yet relaxed and comfortable. My usual style is quite simple with no fuss, so I knew I didn’t want too much detail on the front of my dress.”
“I loved everything about my chosen dress, from the racer neckline and simple front to the floral back and matching train. The seamstress did an incredible job in ensuring it fit perfectly so I felt really comfortable without compromising the look of the A-line skirt. I loved how it made me feel like me, but a more beautiful version of me!”
“I did wear a veil – from LOVE Bridal Boutique. It was the one thing I’d been sure of from day one. I’d always wanted a long, plain veil as I just think they look so beautiful when walking down the aisle.”
The bridesmaids looked beautiful in long, deep blue wrap style dresses by Mix Bridal, which they wore with their own shoes and accessories.
The whole bridal party carried breathtaking pastel-hued bouquets made for them by Helen at Bels Flowers, who knew just what would work perfectly in the priory setting.
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“We gave Helen compete free rein over flower choices, and just a little nudge on what colours we were after. The one thing I knew I wanted was a flower arch, and Helen certainly didn’t disappoint with that! She dressed our whole venue better than we could’ve ever imagined, and spent hours in the rain making sure everything went to plan.”
“We wanted the colour palette for our wedding to reflect Brinkburn itself with simple but beautiful tones. Our flowers were very natural and rustic with lots of foliage throughout, creating an effortlessly elegant vibe.”
Didsbury String Quartet played Craig Armstrong’s Glasgow Love Theme (from the film Love Actually) as Emily and her dad walked down the priory aisle together.
“We met in our final year of Newcastle University. We were set up by a mutual friend. Jonny made the first step by adding me on Facebook, and we first came face to face in the uni library.”
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“Eight years later, we were away on a short break to Barcelona. Jonny had planned the proposal, and had chosen a ring but unfortunately there was a mix up, which meant that it didn’t get delivered in time for the trip away. Eventually he stumped for a Peppa Pig ring to propose with.”
“On our second evening in Barcelona, he proposed in the hotel room before we went out for dinner to celebrate. The ring arrived the day after we got home! We got engaged on 7th May 2018, viewed Brinkburn on 8th June 2018, and then got married exactly one year later. ”
Surrounded by their loved ones, the couple exchanged traditional Church of England vows, as well as rings, which they chose at Vashi (Emily) and Mappin & Webb (Jonny).
“I was searching for a ring to match my bespoke engagement ring, which took a little while. I happened to stumble upon Vashi when shopping in Selfridges, and spotted an almost identical band to my engagement ring. I walked away with it that day.”
“The only jewellery I wear currently is a watch, and so I didn’t want a ring that drew too much attention. I knew I wanted it to be silver in colour, and Mappin & Webb had my ring at half price. They were the first shop we went to, and I guess I just timed it right with the price! They gave us champagne, and couldn’t do enough for us, so it felt like I didn’t need to look elsewhere.”
One of Jonny’s friends read 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 (‘Love is patient, love is kind’), whilst a friend of Emily’s read a poem she had specially written about the couple – how lovely!
“I loved the ceremony. It was such a special moment being pronounced husband and wife!”
After the ceremony, drinks were enjoyed outside, along with more live music from Didsbury String Quartet.
“We actually live in Didsbury, Manchester, and knew of DSQ from the local area. I liked that they were willing to take requests from guests and perform them on the spot during our reception. A string quartet worked really well in the Priory too – a classical music choice for a classic venue.”
These romantic, light-filled images of Emily and Jonny’s day come to us courtesy of Katy Melling Photography, whose work has graced our pages on many occasions.
“We loved Katy’s style of photography as soon as we saw her website. It fit perfectly with our venue, which we knew she’d photographed at previously. When we first met her we knew we’d made the right decision. Not only lovely and funny, but professional and thorough in her work.”
“Katy has a real knack for spotting soft and natural lighting. She did just as we wanted, capturing our day beautifully. It truly felt like one of our friends was there with us, we couldn’t have asked for more.”
Jonny looked smart in a blue checked suit by Reiss, which he paired with a bespoke grey waistcoat from Richard Smith, and classic monk strap shoes from Russell & Bromley.
“Emily bought me a new watch from Baume for the big day, which was engraved with our initials and wedding date.”
“The wedding breakfast took place in Brinkburn’s tipis, so we felt that the more natural the better with lots of candles, small stem vases, lanterns, and flowers. Our florist described her vision as ‘romantic and simple’, and that’s pretty much what we wanted for the whole day.”
A beautiful garland hung above the top table, and the space was filled with lots of softly glowing candles and lanterns, too. Exquisite letterpress stationery was by Strawberry Sorbet.
“Stationery was something we took quite seriously. It’s the first thing people see, both with invitations in advance, and the order of service on the day so we really wanted it to be in-keeping with our wedding style. I found Strawberry Sorbet on Instagram and instantly loved their elegant designs. Their service was fantastic, and every order we placed came with a handwritten letter of thanks. A really nice touch.”
A family friend of Jonny’s made a sweet trolley for everyone to enjoy, and homemade favours of Limoncello were a nod to Jonny’s Italian heritage.
“Jonny’s parents kindly offered to make the Limoncello. The corked bottles were bought from Wares of Knutsford via Amazon. We designed labels for them online, which incorporated the Manchester Bee – ‘J&E – Meant to Bee’.”
Brinkburn’s excellent in-house caterers, Wilkins Fine Dining served up a delicious wedding breakfast for everyone, and Emily and Jonny are full of praise for their approach.
“In all honesty we wouldn’t have changed them if given the chance to. The food was some of the best we’ve ever tasted, and countless glowing reviews from our guests backed that up. Neil put us at ease throughout the whole process, and we had complete faith in him and his team that they would deliver on the day.”
There was delicious cake from Dawn at The Master Cakesmith, with one tier of Victoria sponge, and one tier of millionaire’s shortbread cake (wow!).
“Finding a band was actually pretty tricky. As we don’t live in the area, we couldn’t see any live bands, so spent a bit of time trawling promo videos of various ones. In the end we were sold on the whole package that The Hot Jazz Biscuits provided.”
“They have great singers backed up by a proper band. We knew we wanted a jazz style band to play, and they gave us exactly what we wanted. Our first dance was to Al Green – Let’s Stay Together. We both love the song and the fact that the first line is ‘I’m so in love with you’. ”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Go with your gut! Don’t spend hours trawling through options if you don’t need to. Stick to your vision.”
“One major piece of advice would be don’t sweat the small stuff. You won’t even notice small details on your day, you’ll just notice all your loved ones being there to celebrate you.”
What an absolutely gorgeous day! Thanks so much Emily and Jonny for sharing it with us, to Bennett Media for their lovely film, and to Katy Melling for her beautifully bright photography.
Until next time. Lots of love,
Laura
Laura Callan
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Laura is a freelance writer and content creator who loves telling stories. She has keen eye for photography and art, and lives with her husband, cats, and huge amounts of books.