Following a surprise proposal within the walled garden of North Yorkshire country estate, Middleton Lodge, it was only natural that the special setting would form the backdrop to Helen and Joe’s big day too.
Achieving the perfect English country wedding, the couple married during a traditional church ceremony before heading to the Fig House and walled garden at Middleton Lodge to continue their fine summer celebrations.
Keeping the look clean, simple and chic, the styling was largely focused on a timeless white palette with thoughtful pops of colour delivered in elements of the décor and groomsmen and bridesmaid attire.
Meanwhile bride Helen looks nothing short of incredible in her choice of Daffodil gown by Halfpenny London – an alternative off the shoulder design with gorgeous twist detail bodice and flattering, flowing skirt.
With images by MIKI Photo + Film Studio
PROPOSAL
Joe says: We got engaged at Middleton Lodge, a country estate in rural North Yorkshire. When driving up to see Helen’s parents after returning from six months of travelling, I turned off the motorway a couple of junctions early, using the guise of a surprise spa day when in fact I had planned a proposal in the walled gardens – and she said yes!
SETTING
Helen says: We knew that we wanted a summer wedding and chose 12th July 2019 – funnily enough this was also Joe’s dad’s birthday, meaning that we had a day of double celebrations.
We got married at St Michael & All Angels in Middleton Tyas – our vicar Stewart made us feel totally at ease, setting the perfect tone for our ceremony. We held our reception within the beautiful walled gardens at Middleton Lodge where Joe proposed, a short drive away from the church.
THEME
We wanted a traditional English country wedding that also felt relaxed.
In terms of the palette, we went for classic white, with pops of fuchsia and orange florals to add some colour.
DRESS
I wanted a dress that was a classic silhouette to stand the test of time. I had always thought that Halfpenny London dresses were beautiful, and having seen my dress online, Jesmond-based boutique Marrime ordered it in. It was the first dress I tried, and it felt right from the moment I put it on – a very easy decision made! The dress was worn with a simple, cathedral length veil.
GROOMSMEN
Joe and the groomsmen wore suits from Suitsupply, Alex there was so helpful. Their ties were from Catkin Jane, who is based in North Yorkshire.
The page boys wore suits from John Lewis.
BRIDESMAIDS
The bridesmaids wore Jarlo London gowns, and our three-year-old flower girl, Betty, wore a cute little dress from Marks & Spencer.
BEAUTY
Jo Leversuch was in charge of beauty. She was fantastic and made me feel like, me! I would recommend her to anyone looking for a makeup artist.
TRANSPORT
I travelled in a 1968 Jaguar from Brooklands Wedding Cars.
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY
We hired London wedding photographer and London wedding videographer MIKI Photo + Film Studio – and it was one of the best investments that we made with amazing memories to keep for a lifetime.
The quality of the product and service are second to none. Both Mick and Ash fitted in perfectly with all of our friends and family, and we would recommend to anyone and everyone! The mood and fun of the day was captured perfectly.
The film and wedding trailer they created blew our socks off – we received so much amazing feedback from family and friends. One word…EPIC!
STYLING
Flowers by Nattrass were our chosen florist who created our beautiful church arch and displays, all of the bouquets, hanging flowers and table decorations – we loved them all.
The calligraphy for our place settings and the table plan was done by Olive & Reid. Kate was lovely to work with; she is a perfectionist and the end product was just what we wanted!
FAVOURS
Instead of giving favours we made a donation to The Arsenal Foundation, which helps to inspire and support young people and charity partners.
CAKE
We decided on a cheese cake which we created with The Cheese & Wine Shop – delicious, and the perfect evening snack!
DINING
The catering was done expertly by the venue, with cured smoke salmon and edible flowers to start, followed by spring lamb and then crumble for dessert. In the evening, we had a hog roast.
ENTERTAINMENT
For our drinks reception, we hired David Ball, who did an amazing acoustic set. Jenny, Joe’s sister, sang our first dance song – Donna Lewis, I Love You Always Forever, which was very special, while Joe’s dad’s band, Bad Girls Grove, played the first set of the evening getting everyone on the dancefloor. This was followed by beatboxers Duke who we loved after seeing play at a friend’s wedding.
SPECIAL TOUCH
We added personal touches throughout the day; from having a sign in the walled gardens where Joe proposed at our drinks reception, through to having talented family members doing the music on the night.
THANKS TO
We would absolutely recommend Middleton Lodge to couples on the hunt for a venue! It’s picturesque and the walled garden in the summer is so, so beautiful. The staff were on point, friendly and attentive, the food was delicious and Rhiannon our planner was very supportive – meaning the day itself was completely stress-free!
BEST BIT
We really can’t pick – we loved it all!
HONEYMOON
We went on minimoon to Soho Farmhouse. It was the perfect place to relax straight after the wedding. We then headed for some main honeymoon sun in Mauritius, in October. We stayed at LUX Grand Gaube, which was dreamy.
ADVICE
Relax and enjoy the day, as it all goes so quickly! Take five minutes with each other was a tip shared by friends, it was such valuable advice – a walk around the gardens together is a special memory for us both.
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