OH-SO ELEGANT

OH-SOelegant

Amanda and Tom had a modern and minimalistic wedding at The Riding School Images courtesy of The Light Painters

Amanda and Tom first met while queuing for a club in Derby. “He was very kind, mature, intelligent and well spoken, which I liked”, says Amanda. Tom asked her on a date and thought she was fun, confident and chatty – the rest is history.

Tom proposed at Rudding Park Hotel in Harrogate, where the pair had been on a short break away. Amanda says, “It was a total surprise, even though we had been together for nearly eight years. We had been in the spa all afternoon, so I was very relaxed, and Tom planned to take me on a walk around the grounds after dinner. There was a love bench set up under a private archway with candles and champagne; here he popped the question!”

Here Amanda shares details about their special day…

We picked The Riding School, Calke Abbey because it was close to home and was a classic blank canvas that we could make our own.

There was festoon lighting across the venue, a neon sign of our name, blossom trees around the cake and a guest book table. We had a simple black and white table plan. We had a floral arrangement on the windowsill with waterfall flowers and foliage.

We had a black and white Daimler with a white ribbon on the front.

For centrepieces, we had tall plinth flowers with lots of wild greenery.

Guests could pick mackerel pâté or Mediterranean tart for starter, slowroasted Derbyshire beef or potato gnocchi for main and cake or cheese and biscuits for pudding. I wore a long satin dress with a train and a cathedral-length veil before changing in the evening to a backless sequin dress.

I had been working hard, exercising and eating right throughout the pandemic for the last 18 months – I felt amazing on the day! The groom wore a tailored dinner suit, patent loake shoes, a white handkerchief from his grandfather and his gold cufflinks.

The groomsmen wore black tuxedos and white shirts, while the bridesmaids wore off-white satin dresses. We had a modern white and gold semi-naked cake with three tiers.

We had a live band play in the evening, which was a big hit with guests.

Tom was very emotional on the day while I was buzzing! I had planned this so much and was very chilled on the day.

A part that stood out was walking down the aisle and the speeches.

Tom said that seeing me in my evening dress stood out to him as it was such a surprise.

The dance offs that the band instigated towards the end of the evening were amazing.

All our suppliers were terrific, especially the amazing Ivy House Weddings team!

AMANDA AND TOM’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK

Venue, https://ivyhouseweddings.co.uk | Photographer, www.thelightpainters.co.uk | Bride’s and bridesmaids’ dresses, Wed2B Bride’s accessories, John Lewis | Hair, www.sallymontague.co.uk | Make-up, www.instagram.com/luxebeauty_pboro | Groom’s suit, www.brigdens.com | Cake, www.rubylouscakeco.co.uk | Flowers, www.mariasflowers.online | Transport, www.weddingcarsofderby.co.uk Stationery, www.instagram.com/janehives |Entertainment, https://thedistractionsband.co.uk | Catering, www.blackpeppermint.com | Stylist, www.instagram.com/taraknott_