Good morning beautiful ones, and welcome to the blog today. We have the most amazing real wedding to share with you, brought to us by one of our fave UK celebrants Jan Shillito from Celebration Ceremonies and Weddings. Not only does Jan personalise and deliver the most stunning ceremonies, but she also lends a helping hand to coordinate and manage weddings on the day.
Today’s outstanding offering of real wedding joy took place at the Braisty Estate at Brimhall Rock in Harrogate, Yorks.
We were looking for an outdoor, barn type wedding. Brimham Rocks is a really special area for us with us both growing up nearby, and having the rocks as our backdrop was just amazing!
The venue is outdoors, and the reception area is a huge, open countryside blank canvas that the pair used to create their dry hire wedding from scratch – this means that Cate and Nick organised absolutely everything, from the marquee to the toilet hire. This wedding style is just perfect for a creative couple who love DIY and aren’t afraid of a little hard work!
Our venue was really just a field and piece of woodland, so we had to organise everything from toilet hire to matting for walkways up to the marquee! Jan offered her help on the morning of the wedding to organise people and set up the ceremony area, which we found this invaluable.Hiring her was one of the best things we did!
The reception features rustic decor, a fairy lit feature wall and a feast of a BBQ. Oh, and let’s not forget the Gin Trailer! Ryan from Shutter Go Click was the mastermind behind the lens of this fabulous photography collection – and we absolutely love his style.
Here’s Cate to tell you all about her outdoor wedding on the rocks to husband Nick….
Engaged in New Zealand
Nick really pulled it out the bag for our engagement – he managed to secretly pack and get the ring over to New Zealand during a trip to visit family. We stopped for a photo op at the most beautiful spot on the drive home, and he got on one knee! It was a massive shock, but he managed to get the perfect shot to remember it by – and the ring fit too!
Outdoor Nature Venue at Brimham Rocks in Harrogate
We got married at the beautiful Braisty Estate, near Brimham Rocks, in Summerbridge, Harrogate. We wanted a really relaxed wedding and we loved the idea that our we could embrace our passion for the outdoors at this venue. We did take a gamble with the lovely British weather, but it all paid off in the end!
Personalised Celebrant Ceremony on the Rocks
We were both certain that a church ceremony wasn’t for us. I found Jan, our incredible celebrant, from reading reviews from her other ceremonies and I was certain from the start that she was who we wanted to conduct our ceremony. We wanted a really personal ceremony with the chance to write our own vows. It was really lovely to meet Jan and go through how Nick and I met. Our guests were laughing along during the ceremony and really enjoyed it.
Our ceremony area was just beautiful, with it’s own natural rock formation. We had some lovely glass tealight holders filled with moss and a faux tea light hanging from trees. We used straw bales as seating and everyone accessed the ceremony through a small rustic gate.
DIY Marquee Reception with Fairy Lights and Green Foliage Installations
We had a gorgeous ‘Celeste’ Marquee from Yorkshire Yurts. We had plenty of space to use, with a small barn where guests arrived, the marquee AND an entire field. We went with rustic décor featuring a DIY fairylit curtain which had photos of me and Nick when we were younger. Outside the marquee we had fire pits and straw bales for people to chill on, along with a large area of matting with games, festoon lighting and of course our Gin Trailer!
For the marquee, we really wanted to bring the outdoors in! So had the most beautiful foliage installations around the poles, with loads of greenery everywhere, all supplied by the amazing Sarah from Farm Interiors. As soon as we started chatting I knew she just ‘got us’ and our ideas – it meant we could let her know what we wanted and left it to her to create. She also did the buttonholes and bouquets for me and the bridal party with very little guidance….she’s amazing!
We hired our farmhouse tables from All Things Borrowed. We decided to go for the mix and match chairs to create a real vintage rustic feel.
Laidback BBQ Feast and Pretty Rustic Bar
Our caterers were Harrogate Food and Drink Co who were great. We were keen to have a laid-back wedding breakfast, and we had an absolute FEAST! We did sharing boards and a BBQ theme, with all local produce and lots of food! They also did the bar which was a vital part of the day! They had gorgeous rustic bar in the marquee and a particular highlight was their gin trailer! Their staff were fantastic and couldn’t have been more helpful.
Homemade Rustic Cake Display
Our amazing cake was made by Nick’s Auntie Liz and cousin Charlotte. We had our favourite flavours and went for a drizzled effect to tie in with our rustic look. We had them sat separately on tree stumps. They looked fantastic and tasted amazing!
Acoustic Music and Garden Games
We had the fabulous Steven Heath perform a live acoustic set as guests arrived, and he also played some songs up in the ceremony area before I arrived. He then played a set outside the marquee as guests got their drinks! He was just great and really set the relaxed, happy atmosphere! In the evening, we had DJ Boon, who was just brilliant. We hired the garden games set from Yorkshire Yurts, which included a giant Jenga and connect four, and we had a game of ‘Stump’ – where you have to hammer a nail into a tree stump with as few hits as possible and the loser gets the next round.
Silk Organza Skirt, Laced Corset Top, Hairvine and Grecian Sandals
My dress was an absolute fluke find. I already had a dress picked, but was keeping my eye out for others, as I just didn’t know if the one I already had was really ‘the one’! I picked up a bigger skirted dress, and decided to try it on because it had pockets! I immediately tried it on, and of course, finally got that feeling! It matched up with a strapless laced corset top with a sweetheart neckline, and the skirt was a beautiful silk organza skirt with small train. The fact that it was separates was great for me in the end, as I could really cinch the top in, and the skirt was looser, so I was comfortable all day. Oh, and did I mention it had pockets?!
I wore some flat Grecian sandals from Topshop. I wore a beautiful hair vine bought for me by Nick’s mum. I found it as we were dress shopping and just fell in love with it! I almost didn’t wear a veil at all, but when I tried one on, it really made me feel bridal, and so I decided on a simple single layer cathedral veil.
Tailor Made Suit and Cowl Neck Navy Maxi Dresses
With Nick being so tall (he’s 6ft 8!) he really wanted a suit he felt comfortable in. He had his suit handmade by Carl Stuart, a Yorkshire tailor recommended by my dad. My dad also designed the tartan that Nick used for his waistcoat.
I had my four sisters as bridesmaids. It was really special to me to have them and it was also really important that they felt comfortable too. I let them choose a colour and style, and they all opted for beautiful Navy. cowl-necked maxi dresses from David’s Bridal.
Shutter Go Click….
Our photographer was Ryan from Shutter Go Click. We chose Ryan as we wanted our wedding photos to be a bit different and we love the style of his photos. I absolutely hate getting my photo taken, but Ryan was so great at making us laugh, and did a fab job of organising people on the day. We are SO happy with our finished photos.
First Dance
We went for Florence and the Machine’s ‘You got the Love’. It’s always been a favourite of ours and we wanted something upbeat and happy!
Favourite Moment
For me, it was the start of walking down the aisle with my dad – as I looked around and saw everyone I love looking back at me, I felt so happy. For Nick, it was as I joined him at the ceremony at the moment that we saw each other for the first time that day.
Any Advice?
I think my ultimate piece of advice is that it is your wedding day, and as a couple, you should do what you want!! I had plenty of moments of doubting whether outdoors was a good choice, or whether our guests would mind toilets in a trailer, but actually, in the end we were so glad we went with all of our choices.
The Line Up
Photographer: Shutter Go Click; Venue: Braisty Estate; Celebrant: Celebration Ceremonies and Weddings; On the Day Coordination: Celebration Ceremonies and Weddings; Hair: Loves Hair and Beauty; Make up: Amy George Make Up; Bride’s Shoes: Topshop; Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal; Groom’s Suit: Carl Stuart; Florist: Farm Interiors; Caterer: Harrogate Food and Drink Co; Musician: Steven Heath; Marquee: Yorkshire Yurts; Generator and Extra Matting: Blue Sky Event Solutions; Toilets: Classic Chambers; Love Letters: Love Lights the Way; Tables and Chairs: All Things Borrowed; Wedding Car: Yorkshire Vehicle Hire; Place names: VM Bespoke
Love the vibe and the imagery of this wedding, those semi double exposure shots are just beautiful!