REAL WEDDING ELEANOR & JOE
Eleanor and Joe were married in August 2022 at St. Chad’s College, Durham. Their wedding was nothing short of stunning.
The Proposal
We got engaged in June 2021, during our first trip away since the start of the pandemic! We went to the Peak district for a paddling trip, and Joe proposed during a walk along the Roaches. After I said yes, and we celebrated with a picnic and bottle of champagne, which Joe had smuggled in his backpack!
The Venue
We fell in love with St. Chad’s when we went to visit – we loved the different spaces around the venue and the exclusive use. We particularly liked the stunning quad, the garden and the lovely view of Durham Cathedral. The staff at St. Chad’s were also so helpful and made everything so easy in the planning, the lead up and on the day – we couldn’t recommend St. Chad’s enough!
The Morning
Eleanor: The bridesmaids came to my parents’ house where everyone got ready. It was very early so lots of coffee and pastries were required to keep everyone going. Once we were ready, there was just enough time for some prosecco and photos in the garden before we headed to the church in style!
Joe: I stayed over our family caravan by the sea with my best man and usher. On the morning of the wedding, the three of us started the day with a dip in the North sea, followed by croissants on the veranda before getting suited up! After some photos on the beach, we made our way to the church to greet guests as they arrived.
The Ceremony
After arriving in the market place by wedding car, Eleanor walked down the aisle to ‘Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me’, one of our favourite Christian hymns. Our faith is a big part of our lives so the ceremony was one of the most important aspects of the day for us.
It was lovely to see everyone together and a real highlight was walking out of the church to a confetti tunnel in the market place as the church bells rang. There were lots of smiling faces from our guests – and passers-by!
As we led the procession of guests up towards the reception venue, we very much felt like celebrities as everyone we walked past wished us well and cheered us on!
Drinks & Photographs
After making our way up to St Chad’s in the 30 degree heat of the summer mini-heat wave, we were very glad to have a refreshing welcome drink at the reception venue.
It was great to see all the floral arrangements and my handmade decorations come together which added a very personal touch to the already lovely venue!
There were garden games on the lawn for people to enjoy whilst we had family photos in the sun – everyone got quite warm!
It is important to remember that your photographer is around the whole of your day so their personality really matters. Our photographer, Ed, was just so lovely and chilled. We can’t put into words how great he was from first meeting him at a wedding fair to our pre-wedding photoshoot to the day itself – he was just fab!
Later in the day, he took the two of us for some photos outside and by Durham cathedral. It was nice to have some time, just the two of us, and the lighting was perfect for Ed to take some stunning photos. We were delighted with all of Ed’s pictures, he is very talented and such a really great person to have around on the day – so calm and friendly – many of our guests commented on how wonderful he was (which we already knew from our pre-wedding photoshoot with him). It was just a joy to have Ed be part of our day – we can’t recommend him and his stunning photos enough. We are delighted with them!
Dining & Speeches
The melon and champagne sorbet was a much needed refreshing starter in the hot weather, this was followed by lamb for the main and – my favourite part – chocolate brownie for dessert! All the food at St. Chad’s was delicious and perfect for the occasion!
Speeches followed –the bride’s father, then a double act from the maid of honour and best man involving some audience participation (which everyone found entertaining), then Joe and I jointly thanked everyone to wrap up the speeches.
St Chad’s really made all the logistics and catering go so smoothly – Lesley and Darryl from St Chad’s were so helpful beforehand and on the day itself!
Cake
We absolutely loved our wedding cake – it was a three tier semi-naked cake made by Sara’s Kitchen. Each layer was a different flavour: white chocolate & raspberry (bottom), ferrero rochet (middle) and lemon & elderflower (top). It all tasted delicious and once again Eleanor’s favourite layer was the chocolate one (spot the theme!)
Sara decorated the cake using flowers provided by the florist so it tied it in beautifully to the rest of the décor – we would really recommend Sara – she is very talented!
First Dance
Hold My Girl by George Ezra, performed by the Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra (NUJO). We chose this as we’re both big fans of George Ezra and his was the first concert we went to together.
Entertainment
It was really special for Joe to have NUJO provide the musical entertainment for the evening, as he has played trombone in this band during his last five years at university – he even brought his trombone to join in for a few of his favourite numbers!
Special Touches
The flowers were superb. Jen Jones matched the colour scheme perfectly – from just a couple of meetings. She had clearly understood our vision and brought it to life on the day – we can’t recommend Jen enough!
We both love to read, so for our wedding favours we bought lots of second-hand books from a charity shop and wrapped them up in brown paper for guests to pick out as a lucky dip and hopefully find their next favourite read (swaps were also allowed!).
My Grandma and I made the confetti using handpicked rose petals from the gardens of my grandparents which added a personal touch to the day.
Favourite Moments
Joe: Seeing Eleanor for the first time that day as she walked up the aisle looking absolutely stunning in her beautiful dress!
Eleanor: Walking out of the church top the confetti tunnel and being surrounded by all our family and friends in the glorious sunshine!
Both: Laughing and having fun on the dancefloor with our family and friends while the jazz orchestra played some of our favourite songs into the evening.
Top Tips
Try and stick together for as much of the day as possible – it can be tempting to divide up to speak to more of the guests, but we still managed to speak to almost everyone while being together for the majority of the day It’s about the two of you so you want to experience it together.
It’s probably a cliché, but the day goes so quickly so don’t forget to pause for a moment together and take it all in and appreciate that everything you’ve planned has come together
Those who helped
All our family and friend, in particular our wonderful parents, grandparents and the entire bridal party who helped us pull everything together whilst also helping us remember to enjoy every moment!
Photography | Edward Ashley Photography
Cake | Sara’s Kitchen
Flowers | Jones & Jones
Wedding Dress | Blue Bow Bridal
Entertainment | NUJO – @nujazzorchestra
Reception Venue | St Chad’s, Durham
Church | St. Nic’s Durham
