Nicola and her beau Steven were blown away by the gorgeously rustic Doxford Barns  from the moment they drove down the driveway and, if you’re planning a barn wedding, we think you’re going to love their gin themed, wintery day.

Yes, we did say gin themed! It’s very subtly done but our couple are known for their love of gin and had to incorporate that into their day where possible! Right from that personal beach picnic proposal, Nicola and Steven have done things in their own way and with their own sense of style, and we love it!

They fell in love with their venue – an UNVEILED Network Member of course – instantly, cemented by the fact that they even got their dog, Daisy, from Doxford Barns – and it’s not hard to see why they were head over heels for this uber romantic, rustic, exclusive farm space. With a venue this lovely, the bride and groom knew that they wanted to accentuate the natural charm, rather than over-style and cover up with a bold OTT theme of any kind, opting instead for elements that could’ve grown in situ.

All this with a palette of rich burgundy, deep navy and bottle green means this winter warmer of a celebration is all the seasonal inspo you’ve been looking for!

With photography by Lee Scullion Photography

Proposal

Nicola says: It was on Tynemouth Beach, 6^th May 2018. It was a sunny bank holiday Sunday and we went for a day out in Tynemouth. It is a special place for us as it’s somewhere we went on some of our first dates together. We had a lovely picnic, then Steven put on our song (which was later also our first dance song). He brought out a ring box that he’d been carrying around all day. As we laid on our picnic rug listening to our song, he asked me to marry him and then we toasted our engagement just as the sun started to set, with a bottle of Champagne he had sneakily been carrying around all day with him too. It was perfect and very us.

Setting

We were married on 9^th November 2019. We had originally been looking for a summer wedding but it became clear that we would have to wait another year for a summer date. Fortunately we changed our minds as we would have been getting married this summer with COVID going on!

When we arrived at Doxford Barns, we knew it was the place for us so we took the first available weekend date they had. We both had a good idea of what type of venue we were after but didn’t really know what that was (or if it even existed) until we arrived at Doxford. It just felt right from the first moment we drove down the long driveway to the farm and the minute I stepped into the Threshing Hall I knew it was the place. It was rustic but still with the right amount of finishing touches that meant it had that classic wedding feel. I still get emotional every time we drive down that driveway.

Not only is the place truly breathtaking but we loved the idea of having the venue to ourselves for the full weekend and being able to have our closest family and friends stay on site for the weekend too. Having everyone together for dinner and drinks the night before the wedding and breakfast the day after added an extra special touch and made us feel like the celebrations lasted that little bit longer.

We knew it was truly meant to be when a few weeks later we got our puppy from Doxford too! The farm dog had puppies the first night we went to view the venue and we were lucky enough to get our little Daisy.

Theme

With it being a winter wedding, we chose dark colours that complemented each other whilst being contrasting enough to not all blend into one, going for bottle green, navy and burgundy. We didn’t have a theme, more of an idea that ran throughout. Because we were having a barn wedding we wanted to keep things more rustic and wild so the arrangements for the flowers were all very overgrown and wild. The idea was to complement the natural beauty of the barn in its simplicity whilst still having the feel of a wedding venue.

The wild and overgrown idea was carried through to the table centrepieces, where each was covered in moss, with flowers and foliage growing up the gin bottles. We wanted it all to look like it was meant to be there rather than placed to look good. We are known as a couple who love their gin, it was what we spent most of our first date talking about, so it felt only right to incorporate that into the day.

The tables had coordinates rather than place names, representing key moments in our relationship so far. This was carried through into the wedding gifts, with the best men receiving personalised cufflinks representing where they and Steven had met, the mums’ were given personalised handkerchiefs with our place of birth and Steven had cufflinks with where we got engaged and married.

The post Karen Willis Holmes for a Rustic Winter Wedding at Doxford Barns – Nicola & Steven appeared first on UNVEILED.

Today fan favourite Matfen Hall, recently taken over by the incredible team behind Walwick Hall, plays host to our styled shoot, conceptualised and brought together by the ever-talented team at Sprig & Thistle. The word ‘elegant’ was created for moments like this…

Taking the idea of a white wedding to beautiful new heights today. We’ve got our sights set on the ethereal fragility and crisp white maximalism in this dreamscape styling. Imagine yourself away to all the charm of a chateau in southern France and be swept up in the inspiring florals, decor and gowns fresh from a fairy tale.

With 200 years of its own history, Matfen Hall is perfect to serve as a backdrop for such an aristocratic and decadent but modern affair. We love the concept of bucking the current heavy foliage trend and trimming all of the greenery off to allow for a clean, white feel to the floral arrangements and bouquet, instead favouring pampas grass as a more neutral base, and the dramatic half-moon floor arch is an incredible touch.

Let’s hear from Jess at Sprig & Thistle about how the concept was realised.

With images by Phoebe Jane Photography

Fields of French Gold from Top Table Films on Vimeo.

The post Pollardi Bridal for a Styled Wedding Shoot at Matfen Hall appeared first on UNVEILED.

Pared back elegance is what firm favourite venue Middleton Lodge is known for, and Chloe and Aston’s wedding was no exception. Sometimes it really is best to keep it simple…

If you’re still venue shopping, you might want to add the stunning Middleton Lodge to your ‘To See’ list because we’ve yet to find a wedding held at the beautiful Yorkshire estate that isn’t unbelievable amounts of pretty. It’s hard to go wrong when the backdrops are this downright gorgeous, something today’s couple, Chloe and Aston, spotted right away.

Bride Chloe chose to accent her venue of choice with an all natural palette of white, greens and a hint of very pale pink, and then kitted out her bridesmaids in matching forest green Rewritten dresses. It’s a match made in colour combo heaven. Read on for your daily dose of wedding inspo.

With photography by UNVEILED Network Member Laura Calderwood Photography

Proposal

Chloe says: We got engaged on the 26th of May 2018. Aston took us to one of our favourite cafés for brunch and proposed in the grounds overlooking the countryside in North Yorkshire. He had then arranged a surprise get together with our closest family and friends that afternoon to celebrate, which was so lovely.

Setting

We chose August as we really wanted a summer wedding so that we could have music and photos in the gardens. We also have a lot of friends and family who are teachers and, as our wedding date was a Friday, we wanted to make sure they could easily join us!

We got married in the Main House of Middleton Lodge with the reception in the adjoining marquee. We chose Middleton Lodge because the house and grounds are absolutely stunning. As the venue is totally private, we were guaranteed to have the place to ourselves for the whole day which was something we really wanted. We particularly loved the main house as the indoor and outdoor venues for the ceremony were both amazing, just in case it rained… and it did! The indoor venue has a huge spiral staircase which my bridesmaids and I walked down. It was so special!

Theme

We wanted everything super simple and elegant. Middleton Lodge offered so much in terms of style that I felt I didn’t need to add too much! I chose very natural colours. whites, cream, very pale pink and green. My flowers were mainly white and green with a hint of pink from some amazing blush David Austin roses. My stationery was also white with very pale green accents, all wrapped in ivory bows on each place setting.

The post Pronovias for an Elegant Wedding at Middleton Lodge – Chloe & Aston appeared first on UNVEILED.

We’ve got a picture perfect September day with classic and elegant touches to inspire all you brides-to-be who are looking for something traditional yet sophisticated.

Introducing bride Catherine and her groom, Chris. We follow our happy couple’s romantic tale from intimate Lake District proposal to perfect English, white wedding at the stunning Iscoyd Park, and find out how the whole day came together perfectly, with a little help from their suppliers and the amazing team at Iscoyd.

Catherine herself looks the very epitome of pure, modern bridal style in an unfussy Mikado silk Pronovias gown with a boat neck and low back, and we love the natural sage green of the bridesmaids, echoing the greenery in the floral arrangements and bouquets, rather than adding another colour into the mix. This beautiful wedding is certainly a reminder that keeping things simple doesn’t need to mean compromising on style.

With photography by Photography 34

Proposal

The Lake District will always be a special place for us. Chris took me there in May 2018 for a weekend away at our favourite place. I was clueless, and with his Best Man having proposed to his now wife only a couple of weeks before, I thought I would have to wait a while until it was my turn.

We decided to climb The Old Man of Coniston on the Saturday and, despite me offering several times, Chris was adamant that he was to keep the rucksack on his back. I thought at the time he was just being kind, however I later found out it was because it had the ring in it. Somewhere near the top apparently I said I felt sweaty and horrible and couldn’t wait to get back down and have a shower, so Chris abandoned his plans to propose at the top! We got back to our hotel, and treated ourselves to some pizza and champagne from room service – my favourite combination! We sat out on our little private terrace overlooking the stream and that’s when Chris proposed. I said yes in a flood of tears.

The ring was a three stone diamond ring from Boodles. I didn’t know at the time but my Nanna also has a three stone engagement ring from Boodles, so that made it extra special.

We facetimed our immediate family before going off to dinner. At dinner we ordered food but couldn’t eat any of it due to the excitement. So we took our drinks and went back to the room. It was the best weekend ever.

Setting

We got married on Friday, 6^th September 2019. We always wanted a September wedding date. I remember when I was a little girl at school, you’d have the whole summer holiday and the weather would be rubbish, then you’d go back to school and the first few weeks would be glorious sunshine. So we went with it for that reason, despite Chris wanting to move it earlier so he could get married when he was still in his 20s – he turned 30 in June 2019!

I grew up in Chester and, when I was younger, I made a deal with my parents that they couldn’t move from our family home until I had got ready there on my wedding morning. We’ve been in that house for almost all of my life so it was really important to me.

We visited Iscoyd Park on the open day in June 2018 and it was a beautiful day of sunshine. Charlie met us and showed us around the stunning house and then left us so we could have a wander round by ourselves. We went out into the garden and sat on the grass and just looked back at the house and already we started to imagine ourselves on our wedding day.

The house had absolutely everything we could have wished for – stunning grounds and reception rooms, a beautiful blank canvas marquee for us to put our own stamp on, and the perfect party room for the evening. To top it all off, we were able to have our immediate family and bridesmaids and ushers stay overnight with us in the beautiful bedrooms, each of which has been individually designed. Chris and I viewed three other venues but none compared in any way. We got back in touch with Iscoyd and reserved the 6^th of September.

Theme

We didn’t have a particular theme, but our flowers were all white and we wanted everything to be simple, classy and elegant.

The post Pronovias for a White Wedding at Iscoyd Park – Catherine & Chris appeared first on UNVEILED.

Getting the whole family together for their big day was super important to Hannah and Jack but the wonderful Doxford Barns provided the perfect solution.

From a proposal up a mountain to a wedding in a barn – today’s outdoorsy couple are doing it their way and it’s those personal and handmade touches that make each wedding so wonderfully unique, keeping us so excited about every wedding we feature.

There’s such a sense of fun in these gorgeous photos and our cool couple certainly seem to be living their very best lives on their very best day! Hannah talks about getting all the right vibes when she first viewed the venue and tells us how she knew Doxford Barns was The One, distance be damned! So, if you’re currently on the hunt for your perfect venue, you might want to check this out and perhaps widen that net!

With photography by Rosie Davison Photographer

Proposal

Jack proposed in May 2019, in France, on top of a mountain! We love to travel and, ever since we started travelling, every time we’re at the top of the mountain we take a photo where I’m on top of Jack’s shoulders.

We went up this one mountain in France, that looks onto Mont Blanc, one of the first mountains we went up on our trip of travelling the world back in 2017. I set up the camera on a self-timer, thinking I was recording us so that I could take a screenshot of the best photo of me on Jack’s shoulders and with a view of the mountains. Little did I know that when my feet touched the floor Jack would remain on his knees and proposed to me!

I burst into tears (of happiness of course), it was the best moment. I couldn’t believe it and I’ll never ever forget it.

Setting

Our wedding was on February 22nd 2020. We didn’t mind when we got married. We did however want to get married quite soon. When we went to Doxford Barns, this was the best date that suited us, we cancelled a ski holiday that was booked to get this date too! We are so glad that we did. The most perfect timing.

We got married at Doxford Barns, both ceremony and reception. I looked for weeks for a venue. Our plan was to have a weekend wedding and a place that could sleep our whole family on site, as we wanted to treat our family to a weekend away. Something that we don’t do enough of as we’ve all grown up and gone our own ways.

I saw Doxford Barns through the website ‘Hitched’. We loved it straight away, I loved the rustic feel to it, how beautiful the venue and the area is, the photos were just beautiful. We showed both parents and they both agreed. The problem was the venue was a 4 hour drive from where we all lived.

We decided to visit, arranged a date and away we went. We all kind of hoped that it would be horrible when we got there because of how far away it was.

That didn’t happen. Doxford Barns is honestly breathtaking as soon as you walk in. They had music playing whilst we walked around, the breakfast hall was gorgeous, every little touch, the lighting, the space, the threshing hall. Jack and I loved it, I was crying, I felt emotional straight away, I just knew this was the place. So did our parents!

Theme

We wanted our day to be as natural as possible. Simple, but effective, bringing the outdoors in and as much pretty lighting as possible.

We opted for creams and greens. Made Simply Perfect helped us so much with the set up, they are honestly incredible. Everything we imagined and more was set up on the day of our wedding, it was beautiful.

The post Lusan Mandongus for a Rustic Wedding at Doxford Barns – Hannah & Jack appeared first on UNVEILED.

One of the most unique venues that the North East has to offer became the perfect backdrop for Sophie and Anthony’s winter wedding, with white florals and muted blue and grey toned thistles and eucalyptus, accented with a neutral mauve bridesmaid’s dress and navy tweed suits for the groomsmen.

Keeping their own style simple meant the couple really made the most of their unusual venue. The classic meets quirky decor of UNVEILED Network Member venue Charlton Hall lending a natural sense of fun to the celebrations, the bold ceremony room aglow with twinkly lights, perfect for the dark evenings of the season.

The stunning, personalised off-the-shoulder Ronald Joyce gown with bold lace detailing, truly flatters Sophie’s figure. It really isn’t hard to see why emotions evidently ran high in today’s wedding, as Anthony catches the first glimpse of his blushing bride.

With photography by Dan Clark Photography

Proposal

Sophie says: We got engaged on the 26^th August 2018 after being together for just over four years. We had recently moved into our first home. Anthony woke me up early one Sunday morning, saying there was a parcel delivered for me. Obviously still half asleep, I went downstairs, not thinking about the fact that it was Sunday and therefore quite unlikely that there would really be any parcels being delivered.

Hair still messy from bed, I opened up the box and a giant balloon popped out of the box saying “will you marry me?” As I turned around, Anthony was down on one knee with the ring. Our puppy, Ernie, also had a dog tag saying “will you marry my Dad?” It was super private and absolutely perfect for us, I wouldn’t change a thing. And soon Ernie will have some company as we’re delighted to announce that we are expecting our first baby in October!

Setting

We picked November 30th 2019 as we didn’t want a long engagement. It allowed us just over a year to plan our wedding. Autumn is my favourite season and our wedding day was a perfect autumnal day, crisp yet with the sun shining all day.

We got married at Charlton Hall in Northumberland. After toying with the idea of getting married abroad, we decided to stay local to allow all of our family to attend.

We chose Charlton Hall due to its unique décor and phenomenal ceremony room. We also loved the exclusivity of the venue. We arrived on the Friday evening, were married on the Saturday and left on the Sunday morning. I loved that my closest family were able to stay with us the whole weekend.

Theme

We didn’t have a theme as such, however our table names were based on Marvel characters as my husband is a massive Marvel fan. There were elements of this then woven throughout the wedding but we didn’t have an overwhelmingly obvious theme.

We kept our flowers neutral and décor very simple as we felt Charlton Hall is so amazing in itself, it required very little additional styling.

Our wedding colour scheme was white and our table centrepieces were fresh white flowers; roses and hydrangeas, my favourite flowers, with eucalyptus leaves. My bouquet was predominantly white with blue thistles included, which matched the boys buttonholes.

The post Ronald Joyce for a Whimsical, White Wedding at Charlton Hall – Sophie & Anthony appeared first on UNVEILED.

If heaps of greenery and clear glass, a stunning yet neutral palette and using whole trees as huge, impactful indoor decor sounds like your kind of thing, we’ve got a treat in store for you with today’s styled shoot!

We’ve caught up with the lovely Rachel from Ellingham Hall to chat about casually bringing a little touch of the Med to Northumberland in winter. As you do.

Rachel has teamed up with some of the North East based suppliers who form part of Ellingham Hall’s 2020 recommended suppliers list to create something super special. The stunning Silver Birch trees that inspired the shoot, seen in the venue acting as oversized table centrepieces, have totally won us over, lending an incredibly romantic feel to the space.

With images by Carn Patrick Photography

INSPIRATION

Rachel says: ‘Mediterranean Centre Sage’ was the working title for this shoot! At Ellingham we work closely with our recommended suppliers throughout the year, providing opportunities for them to showcase their creativity through a variety of events, including photoshoots. Sparking this particular shoot, Kathryn from The Whole Sch-Bang purchased some incredible Silver Birch trees to form part of their hire collection and we instantly fell in love

We wanted to create a styled shoot using those as a focal point, to really compliment the interior style of Ellingham Hall. We also wanted to shoot early on in the year as we’ve had an influx of couples looking at marrying in the first quarter, so the idea of offering style inspo for the winter months which isn’t based on the traditional dark and bold colours, was a real interest for us. We always aim to provide that inspiration to our couples.

LOCATION

Ellingham benefits from the most beautiful stone architecture and that, combined with the soft sage tones of the chapel, make it a beautiful space to showcase. We had the Silver Birch trees as the main feature and we knew these would sit perfectly in the high ceilings of the chapel, creating a full scale production piece which has wowed couples ever since.

To compliment the stylings of the venue, we wanted to capture the beautiful stone windows and interior colour palette which is perfect all year round. Shooting in January, we wanted to share how incredibly versatile the venue was and also how you can bring elements of warmth and light into some of the darker colder months.

The post PURE BEAUTY: A STYLED BRIDAL SHOOT AT ELLINGHAM HALL appeared first on UNVEILED.

The exquisite wedding of Juliet and Thomas provides a perfect insight in how to achieve a chic and classy wedding with contemporary edge, but one that has timeless quality too.

Sticking to a neutral colour palette of nudes, muted tones and white, the styling is simple yet effective with the Fig House and its walled gardens at Middleton Lodge in North Yorkshire, providing an exceptionally beautiful backdrop to the celebrations.

Romantic roses and delicate trailing foliage complement and enhance the beauty further, with the décor theme consistent in every detail, right through to the fig, fruit and flower adorned sweet and savoury cakes.

The style bar is also set high in terms of the bridal party attire here, with the bride, groomsmen, bridesmaid and mother-of-the-bride, seriously on point with their sartorial choices.

With images by Peter Hugo Photography

PROPOSAL

Juliet says: We got engaged in Cape Verde. Tom booked us a romantic horse-riding trip. We galloped along the beach and up the sand dunes and at the top he asked me to marry him. There was a picnic set up to watch the sun set with a bottle of prosecco.

SETTING

We set the date for 17^th August 2019. We wanted a Saturday in the summer – we were very lucky as it rained all week leading up to the wedding but was beautifully sunny on our big day!

We chose The Fig House, part of the Middleton Lodge Estate in North Yorkshire, as our venue. This was the first one we viewed and actually wasn’t fully built/finished when we went to see it, but we both got ‘the feeling’ that it was the right one. We viewed a couple more, but nothing could compare to that one – it was a bit of a risk, but it really payed off.

THEME

We didn’t have theme as such, we just wanted to keep it up to date and elegant. We want to be able to look back in 50 years and still think everything looked amazing.

Colour-wise we went for nudes, neutrals and white – again colours that wouldn’t date and always look classy.

The post Enzoani for an Elegant Summer Wedding at Middleton Lodge – Juliet & Thomas appeared first on UNVEILED.

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 12^th 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.

The post Halfpenny London for an English Country Garden Wedding at Middleton Lodge – Helen & Joe appeared first on UNVEILED.

Colour-popping beauty, contemporary bridalwear and chic styling come together in this luxe shoot to perfectly demonstrate how brides can style both themselves and their venue in a harmonious but not overly orchestrated manner.

Led by award-winning hair and makeup professionals Kelly Hanks Hair Design and Natalie Kate Makeup Artist, the talented duo decided it was high time that they combined skills and work together on a creative project that would showcase all the things that they truly love about weddings.

Countless ideas and inspiration chats later they settled on their desired look for a dreamy editorial shoot – cool boho combined with absolute elegance centred around a burnt orange and natural palette. Then to execute it, they called upon a host of equally skilful Yorkshire suppliers who they knew would share that vision.

The result? A captivating set of highly inspiring images reflecting aspirational yet obtainable styling for both the bride herself and also the setting in which she weds.

Created by beauty experts, the modern day makeup is off-the-scale gorgeous and we at UNVEILED echo Kelly and Natalie’s sentiments that there is no need for ladies to try to fit a typical bridal mould – it should be about individuality, style and a hint of sartorial sass.

With images by Tiptoe with Eve Photography

Model Emily Hudson

The post Savin London for an Ethereal Styled Wedding Shoot at Hirst Priory appeared first on UNVEILED.