Rebecca & Samuel 28/01/23
What made you choose Iscoyd Park for your wedding venue?
At the start of planning our wedding, we spent some time browsing different wedding venues mostly on Instagram. We shortlisted venues of interest before then spending more time looking at their websites, wedding brochures etc. Whilst we wanted our winter wedding day to be glamorous and special, we were also looking for somewhere that was relaxed and had a familiar, cosy like feel. Iscoyd Park for us was the perfect combination of this and we couldn’t be happier with the choice we made.
The considerable amount of on site accommodation on offer was perfect for our guests as everyone would be travelling to the area. The interiors throughout Iscoyd are so unique and fabulous, all of our guests commented about how even without the excuse of a wedding they would love to come back to visit Iscoyd for a weekend away.
Particularly since we were getting married in the winter, we also loved the fact that Iscoyd enabled us to have every part of the wedding under one roof. A lot of guests commented on how ‘relaxed’ our wedding day was and we attribute a lot of this to the fact that guests could arrive at Iscoyd and enjoy every element of the day without the stress of travelling between venues etc. Despite us being in the same building for the entire day, since there are so many rooms to make use of at Iscoyd it really felt as though each part of the day was being hosted somewhere completely different.
What was your favourite part of your wedding day?
It may sound obvious, but there is something incredibly special and unique about having all your loved ones in the same room. To look around a room of 100 people and think of all the memories and special times you have shared really does give you a feeling like nothing else.
The other time that felt particularly special was having a moment together after our ceremony. Whilst our guests got ready to throw confetti, we waited in the living room and had our first few minutes alone together as husband and wife. As if by magic, Chelcie arrived with a chilled glass of champagne which was the perfect accompaniment to us taking in the fact that we were officially a married couple.
Tell us a little bit about your wedding theme.
We decided quite early in our wedding planning that we wanted our dress code to be ‘Black Tie’. Since we were having a winter wedding we felt that this theme accompanied the time of year perfectly and loved the idea of our guests having an excuse to really get glammed up.
Once this decision was made, we started thinking about the colour the bridesmaids would wear. Since the men would generally be wearing black, we felt that a lighter colour would work well as a contrast. As a result, we ended up picking a ‘champagne-like’ tone for them to wear which we felt was a lighter colour whilst also still being appropriate for the winter.
Having picked these two things, we tried to make choices which were ‘classic, elegant and timeless’ and were delighted with how it all came together.
The Outfits; Who did you wear? What did your bridal party wear?
I found my wedding gown from Pronovias on Bond Street. I had visited a few bridal boutiques but found Pronovias a great place to find your dress as they have so many types and styles on site for you to try on. I felt that my wedding dress matched the elegant and timeless look we were trying to create and liked that the accompanying jacket reminded me of winter due to its ‘snowy’ appearance.
Sam decided to look into the option of having a tailored tux made to measure and came across Jack Davison Bespoke. He was delighted with the service and results and is already looking forward to an occasion where he has an excuse to wear it again.
We had four bridesmaids and I came across David’s Bridal for their dresses. We really wanted all four to feel lovely in what they wore on the day and so this store worked well in that they had lots of different style dresses that you could have made in the same colour. After choosing the colour we wished, I asked the bridesmaids to pick out whichever style they preferred and was happy if they were to all wear something different. As it worked out, they picked two different styles between them which looked fabulous on the day.
The Flowers; Tell us some more about your blooms.
We chose Chloe at White Wysteria to do our flowers on the day after coming across some of her work on social media. Our initial consultation was over the phone and we knew straight away that Chloe would be perfect at creating the look we desired.
After discussing colour schemes and sending images we had found on Instagram and Pinterest we decided to proceed with a romantic theme of blush and neutral colour tones. Interspersed with this, we felt that winter anemones would be the perfect way to tie in the ‘Black Tie’ dress code.
Chloe was so helpful with every question we asked and was happy to lead the way with her creative expertise. Alongside the flowers, she also brought accessories such as candlesticks and tea light holders which made the wedding breakfast table setup so romantic. We really could not recommend White Wysteria anymore.
The Photography; Who were your photographers and why did you choose them?
For our wedding photography we chose the man, the myth, the legend that is Mr James Fear. I had seen James in action at a friend’s wedding a couple of years ago and loved how he interacted with the guests and worked hard to make sure that people were relaxed whilst having their picture taken. On my friend’s wedding day, the weather conditions were incredibly mixed and I watched James negotiate this with ease and exclaim things such as, “that spot over there will have the most gorgeous light in ten minutes so meet me there for a piccie.”
Seeing him navigate the challenges of the day and then being lucky enough to view my friend’s wedding album afterwards, I was awestruck about how stunning the images were and knew straight away that I would love if he could photograph our own wedding day.
Of course, James was everything we could have asked for as our wedding photographer. He has given us the perfect physical memories of our wedding day and could not recommend him enough.
The Evening; Give us the lowdown on entertainment.
Like any couple planning a wedding, we were on a budget and had made choices about how to distribute what we spent on the different parts of our wedding. Whilst we have always loved dancing along to live music at friend’s weddings, we decided that the cost of hiring an amazing DJ sat more in line with what we wished to spend on entertainment.
We contacted Jonny Ross Music who sent across information regarding all the entertainment packages they offered. We decided to hire a DJ with the add on of also hiring a live saxophonist – we were not left disappointed! For us, the combination was the perfect blend of a DJ set list with intermittent accompanying live music that was more affordable than hiring a full live band.
This allowed us to spend money on other entertainment such as a Photo Booth. We found Capture It! Photo Booth for this and could not be happier with the service they provided. Our guests had a great time posing for photos with the provided props and were given print outs of the images on the night. We love the online album to all the images taken that we can now access and treasure forever!
Words of Wedding Wisdom?
Whilst wedding planning can be stressful, we felt that if you researched well and chose experienced and talented suppliers you really can leave a lot of trust in them to to take the lead on certain aspects of your day.
The feeling you have on your wedding day is really like no other, so any stress will be more than worth it and keep faith that everything works out just right on the day. It goes by in such a fantastic blur, pause for moments to take everything in as often as you can – it really will be the best day of your life!
Find out more about Weddings at Iscoyd Park
Photography by James Fear