When people think of receiving a wedding invitation, for most, images of sunshine filled days flood their minds. August weddings and flowers in bloom but would you be surprised to hear that winter weddings are starting to become more and more popular? That’s right, frost sprinkled days, cold crisp air and soft dew on the grass are all that’s in order for on trend weddings. Still in need of a little convincing? Well how about this…
As Billy Idol so famously sang, “It’s a nice day for a white wedding”. If you’re lucky enough to receive a dusting of the white stuff on your big day, then you can proudly state you have the most beautiful wedding photos in history. The snow will make your wedding look like the most picturesque winter wonderland however, as we all know, summer or winter, British weather doesn’t like to play along, in which case, beautiful open log fires right here at That Amazing Place are the perfect setting for any winter wedding.
While summer romances are common-place, true romance takes place in the rain and more importantly, cold, crisp and dark nights. The darker evenings also mean you get to start the evening party that bit sooner, giving you much longer to enjoy your day. You get to dress your venue and create the perfect venue ready for when dusk sets in. You also get to play with things like fairy lights, which although only a very small addition, have a huge impact when it comes to creating a romantic and magical setting. Decorations like this aren’t contained to the interior either, as lanterns and candles can also be used to dress the exterior too from trees to walkways. With additions like this, the lighting at a winter wedding can be exquisite, once again creating the perfect setting for your wedding photos.
While no one likes to talk money, when it comes to your wedding, it’s always going to be an important topic. With a winter wedding however, money will always run that bit further. As we all know, summer months are the most expensive leaving those romantic evenings in winter at a much lower rate. Let’s not forget that more often than not it’s also far less busy, giving you your pick of dates at much shorter notice too. Add to this the fact that your guests will find it easier to find nearby accommodation when all accommodation here at That Amazing Place is full and you may find yourself wondering why people get married in the summer at all?
Last but most certainly not least, who can forget the most magical holiday of all, Christmas and New Year. Not only would you find yourself in the middle of a very special time of year as it is, but you’ll find that a lot of friends have likely taken time off work already too which means, if you’d like that midweek wedding, then go for it. One particular aspect we really love is watching happy couples seeing in the New Year as husband and wife, start as you mean to go on after all!
There are so many extra benefits when it comes to a winter wedding but we’d be here all day long if we were to list them all. These are just some of our favourites. If you can picture yourself saying “I do” by that open fire and raising a glass against a backdrop of romantic fairy lights as the sun settles early evening, then contact us today at That Amazing Place and book the best day of your life at the best venue in the UK.
High school sweethearts Victoria and Joel had been together 12 years before they took the leap and said their “I do’s” here at That Amazing Place and what a day it was. From the blush vintage roses and peonies giving the day a totally elegant feel to the soul band ensuring the dance floor was packed from beginning to end, every detail of this wedding screamed perfection and we were only too pleased to be a part of it.
That Amazing Place
For Victoria and Joel, one of the most important aspects of their chosen venue was location. They didn’t want guests having to travel too far. A short journey meant they could ensure attending their wedding was easy and fun for everyone involved. After viewing a number of properties in the South East, they finally fell upon ourselves here at That Amazing Place and in Victoria’s own words, “we knew straight away that it was the venue for us. The beautifully refurbished 15th-century monastery was the perfect blank canvas for us to transform and it offered 12 stunning bedrooms so all our family could stay with us the night of the wedding – it really felt like a home away from home.” One aspect the happy couple loved the most about the venue was that they felt like they could really make the wedding unique to them. They were able to do anything they wanted, within reason of course, and weren’t on a conveyor belt of weddings. They could quite literally feel the dedication of Angie, Paul and Jayne.
Colours and Themes
When it came to the theme and colour scheme of the wedding, Victoria admits that they never actually chose a colour scheme however they did find their wedding took on a key feature of blush pink, entirely unintentional. Their theme was minimalist and elegant which they commented was rather easy, simply letting the venue and flowers speak for themselves. One thing that Victoria did ensure was a big part of the day was calligraphy. Thanks to her love of this writing, she ensured it featured heavily within the stationary, all thanks to the designer Alex Gill.
The Flowers
Victoria and Joel chose the incredible Joanne Truby to bring to life their floral vision for the day. They were conscious they didn’t want any room looking bare and decided to fill the ceremony room and marquee with foliage and lots of it. The foliage ran alongside white and blush vintage roses, peonies, astilbe and sweet pea, creating the perfect atmosphere and setting for their day.
The Dress
Victoria admits that unlike a lot of brides, she was actually quite open-minded when it came to the style of the dress she was going to wear. Victoria eventually decided on the incredible “Bella” dress by designer Flora. It was simple, sophisticated and fun which she feels suited the style of her wedding perfectly. To accompany her dress, she wore beautiful open-toed Aquazzura shoes and minimalist jewellery, some of which became her ‘something borrowed’ as she wore her mother’s simple diamond studded earrings along with a delicate Tiffany bracelet that was bought as a gift from her bridesmaids. She ensured every accessory remained simple to leave the dress as the main focus.
With their one main goal, apart from saying “I do”, to make it the best party ever, Victoria and Joel couldn’t have made it a better day if they’d tried. As they say, it’s important not to sweat the small stuff because as long as you have your friends and family with you, and of course enough to drink, you’ll have the best day ever!
Come along to our Venue Open Day and see our beautiful venue dressed for a wedding. Our team will be on hand to show you around and answer any question you may have. There will also be delicious canapes by Premier Crew Hospitality.
For more information contact Angie on enquiries@thatamazingplace.co.uk or 07955 940532.
Jamie and Martin are another one of our exquisite couples whose wedding blew us away. To not talk about it would, quite frankly, be a sin. The effort from both ourselves here at That Amazing Place, along with the happy couple themselves resulted in one of the most beautiful days, and an emotional one too. So much so that the registrar on the day claimed it was one of the most emotional weddings she’d ever attended and she certainly wouldn’t be forgetting it in a hurry.
That Amazing Place
When it came to picking out the venue, Jamie admits that he didn’t actually know the stunning 15th century manor house just moments from his home. It was actually brought to his attention by a friend who herself was attending a wedding fair the following week. Instead of waiting to attend the wedding fair, they decided instead to sneak a peek on the Friday before. Here they met the owners Jane and Paul and were in their own words, “bowled over by the venue!” Luckily for them, they also managed to grab a cancellation, booking their wedding almost a year to the date. Jamie and Martin found the traditional features, mixed perfectly with the contemporary décor was a winning combination and the whole reason they chose That Amazing Place as the destination of their nuptials.
Colours and Themes
The theme throughout was contemporary and minimal. Everything was to be kept simplistic and they achieved this by sticking to a navy and white theme. Everything from their wedding flowers to the cake (byFifi’s Cakery) and the invites were kept within the desired colours. Wedding invites were wrapped lovingly with navy ribbon while the centre pieces on the tables were incorporated too by creating visually stunning, yet simple, white gip balls with cream roses and blue thistles. The button holes for each gent were matching (of course) however Martin had an extra special one. Martin had, for many years, been a full time carer for his mother yet sadly, in 2013 she passed away. Not wanting her to miss out on his big day, the wonderful florist, who they’ve since struck up a friendship with, incorporated a beautiful picture of Martin and his mother within his button hole. A real lovely touch.
The Suits
When it came to their wedding attire, it was once again a case of matching the theme that ran throughout the entire wedding. Keeping things contemporary, much like the venue, Jamie and Martin both wore the same cut suit; the only difference being the colour. While Jamie wore bright blue, Martin wore a silver grey, both a stunning contrast with the navy and white theme. The wedding party which included Jamie’s best man and Martin’s best friend and Father all wore the same matching pink paisley ties and button holes. As you can imagine, within the surrounds of That Amazing Place, the pink and blue colouring within the wedding party’s outfits looked stunning.
The Catering
Last but most certainly not least, we have the catering. Here Jamie and Martin picked one of our recommended suppliers, Magpie Catering. When it came to the catering, Jamie said they were both “blown away during the tasting. On the day itself however, it was just unreal. It was even better than the tasting. The canapés, everything. It was just amazing.” They also had Magpie Catering provide something called the Bagel Show. This was a fabulous buffet style evening meal where people could have their very own bagel created from smoked salmon to hot salt beef and even cream cheese. This went down a treat, with guests saying how much they enjoyed it.
With all this in mind, Jamie’s favourite bit about the day was simply having everyone they loved, all in one place together for the day and here at That Amazing Place, we couldn’t agree more.
Just a glimpse of our website will show you just what a fabulous venue That Amazing Place is for your wedding but we know only too well, in an age of social media and online reviews, that people want to hear from loving couples just like themselves. With this in mind, we decided to talk to some of our recently married couples to give you an idea of not only our fantastic venue, but a little insight in to their wonderful stories too. Sit back, relax and enjoy over a nice hot cuppa (or cocktail if the sun’s still shining) and simply imagine yourself here saying those rather important two words, “I do”. In the first installment of “That Amazing Place Real Weddings”, we decided to speak with Dani and Jay Purcell…
Dani and Jay have been together just over three years but knew each other a little longer than that. Their love story began with a somewhat clichéd meeting at work, which I’m sure a lot of us can relate to and like a lot of good love stories, Dani chose to play hard to get. Jay however, had other ideas and chased the woman he’d fallen head over heels in love with. It wasn’t all plain sailing however as their jobs took them in opposite directions, but that wasn’t stopping Jay as he decided a little later down the line to make his feelings for the feisty truck rentals worker clear. They eventually became friends on social media and the rest, as they say, is history.
In true Jay style, he decided to propose in front of both of their friends with red roses and a Haribo ring! Thankfully, he took his blushing bride to be to Hatton Garden the following day to let her choose a ring, something Dani was very pleased about.
Once the ring had been chosen, it was time to find the venue and that’s where That Amazing Place comes in. Now what you may not know is that Dani happens to be good friends with a certain someone here at That Amazing Place and after a little helpful nudge, was persuaded to come along and take a look, “My best friend Angie had been running the weddings there for a while. She said there was no pressure but to come down and look at it to see if it was what I wanted.
“As soon as I was shown around I loved it; it was a beautiful sunny day and the grounds looked stunning. I loved the idea of it being solely ours for the day, no other guests from other function rooms, just all of our friends and family together. Plus having your best mate to organise things always helps and took pressure off me and I know what a perfectionist she is.”
Dani chose, instead of a theme, to simply keep things neutral which she said matched the décor perfectly. Jay, her groom was also pretty chuffed at having the front of the house fully cleared and blocked off especially to allow for his love of retro cars to be included on the day too. Their photos were made even more personal with the addition of their own, as well as friends, retro cars parked up behind the happy couple.
Wedding aside, there was one aspect of the day that Dani was particularly pleased with and that was the service she received surrounding her disabled mother. Despite That Amazing Place being a listed building, which makes disabled friendly adjustments not always possible, Dani felt the service was outstanding, as they did their best to accommodate her mother in spite of not having all disabled friendly facilities in place.
So the question remains, would Dani change anything from her day? “We would do it all over again in a heartbeat,” She said, “and not change a single thing.”
Excitement will always follow immediately after every engagement. Not only have you just agreed to spend the rest of your life with the person you love the most in the world, but you get to start planning the happiest day of your life. While it’s oh so easy to get carried away, it’s important to take a few moments to really think through each decision from picking the date, your colour scheme and of course, the bridal party. Picking your bridal party is a decision that shouldn’t be made lightly so here are some ultimate rules to keep in mind when choosing who’ll be standing by your side when you say the big “I do.”
Think carefully before asking. When announcing your engagement, you may feel a little pressure to ask each person to be right there with you on your big day from your cousin to your co-worker but be patient. You need to be totally sure before asking because let’s face it, no one ever takes it well when they’re told that actually, they won’t be a part of the bridal party like they first thought.
Include ALL sisters. It doesn’t matter if you have five sisters and your fiancé has six sisters, every single sister MUST be included in the bridal party. While your friends may have been through a lot with you, your family must and will always come first no matter what. While you may not be very close to your fiancés sister, leaving her out of the bridal party will ensure that never changes.
Consider men and women. If your best friend happens to be a boy, then include him in your bridal party. Don’t allow anyone to tell you they can’t be included. Remember – it’s your wedding and the people closest to you (be they male or female) are the ones who should be there with you. A mixed gender bridal party could be one of the best choices you make.
Agree things with your groom. While you might want to include all of your best friends, your groom may want to keep things small and intimate. Unless you can both agree on a small wedding, then you’re going to have to come to a compromise by discussing each person you’re inviting. If you can both come to a compromise before sending out invites, you’ll feel all the better for it.
Research different bridal party roles. Is there someone you’d love to include within the party that isn’t necessarily the most responsible? Then look at other roles they could enjoy. Could they plan the hen or stag party? Could they perform a reading at your ceremony? Could they be in charge of creating the cocktails the morning of your wedding? There are so many ways to make people feel included without putting yourself at risk of having an unreliable bridesmaid; you just need to use your imagination.
Set the expectations. In any good relationship, it’s a good idea to set expectations. Let each person know what’s expected of them and communicate things clearly. By letting them know what’s in store for them, you’ll see who’s able to commit and who may wish to bow out politely. This helps avoid any potential drama early on.
Choose a Maid of Honour who you know will support you. You might have two best friends, you might have someone you promised the roll to years ago but you need to put that all aside and think of the person who makes you feel most supported. Remember a Maid of Honour isn’t just your closet friend, they need to be the most responsible too.
Sticking to these ultimate rules should help make a large chunk of your wedding plans a lot easier and as such, smooth sailing too. For more helpful hints and tips, feel free to speak to us here at That Amazing Place. When it comes to weddings, we know what we’re talking about.
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