Ellie & Sam's Nature inspired Wedding at York Wedding Venue, Sandburn Hall on the 7th October 2023.
Ellie and Sam met as students at the University of York. They both studied Law and were also placed in the same University accommodation together. They became good friends that year and decided to live together again along with other friends in their second year. As their friendship grew and blossomed into something special, it didn't take long for them to realise that they both wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.
Sam's not-so-surprise proposal to Ellie took place in the open fields near University of York's Halifax College after Ellie had bought and brought her own engagement ring with her, as Sam shared and explained during his speech, being sure to add that he reimbursed her for it - absolute gold! And of course, she said YES! Not only that, but they had pre-arranged to visit their wedding venue after the proposal, and when they were asked 'how long have you been engaged?' their response was 'about 30 minutes!' - I love this story SO MUCH!
Sam and Ellie's wedding took place at the gorgeous venue, Sandburn Hall (@sandburnhallweddings) in York on Friday 7th October. Their theme was inspired by nature with pink, green and white colours throughout, and featuring beautiful faux blossom trees and floral decorations, with ceremony decor and table centre-pieces, supplied by Shindig (@shindigeventstyl).
Home-made leaf confetti, forest green bridesmaids dresses, and even bespoke floral embroidery on Ellie's wedding dress completed the theme, perfectly complementing her bridal bouquet. Ellie, along with her bridesmaids, Mum, Dad and Nan, all got ready in a gorgeous woodland cottage a stones throw away from the venue on the morning of the wedding, joined by award winning hair and make-up artist, Sonia Schofield (@sonia.schofield.mua) who did an absolutely fabulous job at glamourising all the girlies.
Ellie looked absolutely amazing as she came down the aisle in her fabulous, bespoke wedding dress, made by Amy Mair Couture (@amy_mair_couture), with a gorgeous bouquet of roses, eucalyptus and carnations in one hand, and Dad's arm linked to the other. Sam's smile could have lit up the room as he saw his bride walking towards him, a truly beautiful moment!
Their ceremony was led by Alan Rose, the Elder of York City Church, where both Ellie and Sam have attended since their first year at University, creating a lovely, personal vibe to their marriage celebration. Not only this, but many other friends from church as well as family members were involved in the ceremony, leading worship, readings and prayers. Ellie and Sam proclaimed their vows to one another, exchanged rings and shared their first kiss, and then proceeded to make their way up the aisle together as Mr and Mrs Guy, while friends and family cheered and showered them with confetti.
Ellie and Sam were greeted and congratulated by all of their friends and family during the drinks reception, and luckily the rain had stopped, just in time for giant outdoor games supplied by Yorkshire Games Hire (@yorkshiregameshire) and formal group photographs, which took place in the lovely rose garden within the grounds of Sandburn Hall, finishing off with a giant group photograph from the balcony of all the guests.
Once the room had been transformed by the team at Sandburn Hall for the wedding breakfast, guests made their way upstairs to find their seats and were greeted with lovely place names and favours made up of the bride and groom's favourite choice of biscuits, beautifully packaged for each guest to enjoy.
The all new Mr & Mrs Guy were announced and entered the room to find their seats at the top table, which was situated in front of the gorgeous, large windows, framed with oak and overlooking the golf course and grounds. Everyone enjoyed a delicious three course meal and great conversations among their tables.
After the deserts were polished off and tummies were nicely filled, it was time for the Father of the Bride to begin his speech. He started his speech by displaying his gratitude and thanks all those who played a part in Ellie and Sam's wedding day, and then went on to share many kind words about Ellie and how proud he was of her. He finished with a short poem, and officially welcomed Sam to the family with a toast.
It was then time for the Groom himself to take the microphone. Sam shared his 'thank you's' to all of those involved in helping to make this special day possible, and then to Ellie's parents and bridesmaids, his own parent's and groomsmen, and then finally, his beautiful Bride. Sam wonderfully summed up his feelings for Ellie, as well as sharing stories of their slightly unconventional love story, which brought many smiles and bundles of laughter across the room! He finished with a toast to his beautiful new wife, before passing over to his younger brother/Best Man who shared a little bit about Sam, which included stories from their childhood as brothers, a short description of Sam's character, as well as some advice for Ellie on how to prepare for some of Sam's quirks from a younger brother's perspective. He finished with a toast for the happy couple, in which everyone gladly participated and cheered for Ellie and Sam.
The sun began to drop and golden hour swept across the grounds, just in time to take a walk around the golf course for some dusky, romantic portraits as the sun slowly dropped behind the trees, giving Sam and Ellie a few moments to themselves, before re-joining their guests for more celebrations.
The evening reception kicked off with the cutting of the beautiful cake made by Piece of Cake Harrogate (@pieceofcakeharrogate), which led smoothly into Ellie and Sam's first dance together to 'Best Part' by H.E.R. It was lovely to watch them share this special moment together, surprising us at the end with a twirl and fabulous leaning kiss to finish... however much to their own surprise, they quite literally fell head over heals as they stumbled to the ground and got the giggles in each others arms on the floor- definitely the most entertaining first dance finale I've seen in a while!
They got back onto their feet, laughed it off, and invited everyone onto the dance floor to boogy the night away with the help of their live band, The Singles Table (@thesinglestableuk). The dance floor quickly filled, and a whole lot of funky moves were busted out until late into the night. There was plenty of pick 'n' mix to go around and a tasty evening buffet to fuel those dancing juices - it was truly a fantastic night!
It was an absolute pleasure to play a part in this special day - Thank you so much Ellie and Sam for asking me capture these special memories for you!
Photography by Rhi Scotchbrook Photography
Website: www.rhiscotchbrookphotography.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rhiscotchbrookphotography / @rhiscotchbrookphotography
Instagram: @rhiscotchbrookphotography
Comments