It is a sheer delight to share this beautiful County Durham wedding with you all. Featuring two beautiful brides, two exquisite gowns and a whole lot of love, this wedding has a romantic, sultry vibe that I think you’re going to love.
On 1 October 2021 Hannah and Natalie wed at Bowburn Hall Hotel, Durham, County Durham. Falling in love with the venue’s historic setting and contemporary decor, they complimented it with tones of dark green, white and black for a bewitchingly sophisticated style.
Film We Were Here
Although there were some moments when Hannah and Natalie were uncertain if they would be able to go ahead with their day, they were able to keep their original wedding date with few Covid restrictions. It’s great to hear that Hannah found Love My Dress a source of support through the pandemic.
“During the pandemic, Love My Dress and the What About Weddings campaign were my go-to for guidance and reassurance. Love My Dress was incredible to follow. Even now, after the wedding, it’s amazing to see the articles and posts about other weddings.”
Photography Lauren Braithwaite Photography
“Bowburn Hall Hotel was the second venue we looked at and it stole our hearts with its stunning setting and beautiful grounds.”
“The hotel offered exclusivity which gave an intimate atmosphere. The Bowburn Hall team were fantastic to deal with from word ‘go’ and they have created a beautiful venue with a relaxed feel, that is yours for the day.”
Both brides visited Elizabeth George Bridal to choose their gowns. Hannah wore a long-sleeved, exquisitely-cut Essense of Australia gown which hugs her figure perfectly and has a dramatic, pooling train.
“We both had the most amazing experience with Elizabeth George Bridal.”
“Katie and Laura went above and beyond for both of us and gave us reassurance that our dresses complemented each other’s – we kept our dresses a secret until we met at the aisle.”
“It is a beautiful bridal shop with beautiful dresses and a very warm welcome. I recommend these girls to every bride. Thank you both for your wonderful bridal experience!”
“My mum suggested I try this dress. I always had in my mind that I would love a long-sleeved dress but never thought I could pull it off. When I tried the dress on I instantly knew it was the one; I completely fell in love. I wanted a simple yet elegant dress which complemented my shape.”
Hannah added a long, plain veil from Elizabeth George Bridal and ‘Bluebell’ embellished court shoes in ivory from Dune London.
“I loved the pointed toe with a sleek edge.”
Her dark hair, styled by Bridal Hair by Cheryl, was in soft, glam waves, held back with a freshwater pearl hair slide from Accessorize. Her make-up, which defined her eyes so well, was by Meg Murray Make-Up.
“On the morning of the wedding, Natalie gave me gold, cultured freshwater pearl and diamond drop earrings from Ernest Jones which perfectly matched my dress, a sentimental touch which I will always cherish. My ‘something borrowed’ was my bracelet, which was my mum’s on her own wedding day.”
“I wore Jo Malone English Oak & Hazelnut, a woody, earthy scent that I felt matched our wedding day.”
Natalie wore the ‘Bonita’ halter neck, lace gown from Morilee, showing off her shoulders and back. Her veil, also from Elizabeth George Bridal, had a border and crystals and she selected ‘Maridel’ embellished strappy sandals from Dune London.
Natalie’s hair was swept up into a super-sleek bun by Katie at Keep It Pinned Hairstyling and her make-up was flawless, applied by Beatrice Holli Make-up.
She wore a pair of elegant crystal earrings from Swarovski which matched her hairslide.
“Natalie’s sister wore the Swarovski hair slide on her own wedding day so this was special for Natalie to wear.”
“We wanted a classic format to the wedding starting with our ceremony then a drinks reception, followed by a traditional wedding breakfast and evening party.”
The couple met in 2016 after Hannah saw Natalie at a Beyoncé concert.
“I saw Natalie’s face on the Jumbotron and then Instagram messaged her. We began dating for around twenty months before we moved in together.”
“In 2019, we agreed to propose to each other so we booked a holiday to Rhodes in September, bought the same rings as each other, told our parents and off we went!”
“The night of our proposal, we went into Rhodes Old Town to a castle called Castle Of The Old Town where we found a romantic spot.”
“Just as the sunset was coming down, we shared speeches with each other and it was at that point we became engaged.”
“We were engaged for a little over two years before we tried the knot in 2021.”
Natalie travelled to Bowburn Hall in a Bentley from Ramside Hall, along with her father.
“Our dads wore classic black, three-piece tuxedos from Next and bow ties from Marks & Spencer.”
“Both of our dads walked us down the aisle which was a very special moment for us. We had ‘A Thousand Years’ by Christina Perri performed on a harp by the amazing Lucinda Taylor Harpist.”
“If I had to pick my highlights of the day, it was when my dad saw me for the first time, and when Natalie joined me at the top of the aisle.”
The wedding ceremony was held in a cosy, intimate space, made to look magical with hanging flowers and foliage and exquisite lighting.
Celebrant Jackie Warburton of I Do Your Ceremony officiated the ceremony which included traditional and more personal vows.
“We discussed and planned a personalised ceremony with traditional vows, I think it added to the magic of the day.”
The couple exchanged matching rings from ROX and the ceremony included a Unity Candle Ceremony.
“We chose a Unity Candle Ceremony to symbolise our union and the linking of our friends and families. It was a charming ritual. Our mums lit the outer candle and Natalie and I lit the middle candle.”
The October day was beautifully clear and sunny, so the newly-weds and their guests went outside to celebrate together.
“During our ceremony and reception drinks we had a harpist. Lucinda played a variety of classic and contemporary music.”
The wedding flowers were styled by Blooms Boutique.
“Vikki at Blooms Boutique was sensational from start to finish. She worked with us to create the prefect bridal bouquet and responded quickly to any questions.”
“We chose eucalyptus with a mixture of foliage roses and hydrangeas and thistle. Vikki and her team did a lovely job and everyone commented on how beautiful the flowers were.”
Between them, the two brides had seven bridesmaids who all wore dark green, floor-length, chiffon dresses with sequinned cap sleeves.
These were from JJ’s House. They added Dorothy Perkins shoes and had fresh gypsophila in their hair.
Lauren Braithwaite Photography recorded the day on camera, creating this beautiful set of photographs for Hannah and Natalie.
“We couldn’t recommend Lauren Braithwaite Photography any more highly.”
“We’d seen her photos on Instagram and loved her natural style so we knew we wanted her to photograph our wedding.”
“We had a pre-shoot with Lauren and were instantly at put at ease by her comfortable approach.”
“On our wedding day, Lauren made us and all our guests feel relaxed. I admired the way that she was everywhere but also invisible at the same time.”
“She captured our day perfectly, capturing those intimate moments that tell the story of the day so beautifully.”
“The pictures are beyond what we could have imagined or hoped for and take us right back to each and every moment of the day.”
The couple also had a wedding videographer, Dan at We Were Here.
“Super-talented Dan captured our day perfectly.”
The venue and its décor inspired their choice of colour palette for the wedding.
“Some of the flowers and foliage at the venue and those chosen with our florist were dictated by the season, incorporating various shades of green with white flowers.
The wedding breakfast was provided by Bowburn Hall Hotel and the couple gifted their guests favours of The Lakes Distillery Salted Caramel Vodka Liqueur.
The tall, tiered cake was exquisitely simple, made by Gabriella Grace Cakes.
“We could not recommend Gabriella enough for our amazing wedding cake. Our cake was literally a dream, even better than we had imagined.”
“We opted for a four-tier cake with white sugar flowers and deep green foliage which looked stunning.””We chose cookies and cream, red velvet, salted caramel and spiced clementine which all tasted amazing. We could not thank or recommend Gabriella enough – super-talented.”
“After the wedding breakfast, we had an acoustic guitar singer, Finn Forster. He played a range of Indie pop and folk music and was superb.”
The evening party had live music from Redwings who also played the first dance, ‘The One’ by Kodaline.
“We chose Redwings for our wedding band; they played a mix of Indie and pop music. The band were incredible and all the guests still comment on how great they were.”
“We felt the lyrics of ‘The One’ were fitting to reflect the occasion.”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“On the day, some things are out of your control so don’t overthink things too much; nobody notices the little things that go wrong.”
“It truly is the most magical day so enjoy every single moment because, as everyone kept telling us, it really does go so quickly.”
“Natalie and I took a few moments away from our guests throughout the day to look around and admire and soak in the love, and how everyone was there to celebrate our day with us.”
Congratulations Hannah and Natalie, and thank you for sharing this insight into your day. It’s been a real joy, and thank you Lauren Braithwaite Photography.
If you’d like to see more brides styling their day with tones of deep, rich green, then please take a look at these weddings.
And to see more couples from the LGBTQIA+ community and their weddings, click here.
Ele xx
Eleanor Crossland
View all Eleanor’s articles
Ele lives in the Lincolnshire countryside, close to the beautiful coast. A qualified Pilates teacher, she loves fitness, yoga, Pilates and has a healthy addiction to baking, writing and travel.