SOMETHING OLD SOMETHING NEW

something new SOMETHING OLD,

Annabel and Isabel tied the knot at Jervaulx Abbey in a vintage styled day with antiques and treasures adorning every corner

Annabel and Isabel met at work. Enjoying the privacy of their loved-up bubble and not wanting to be part of the office gossip, the pair kept their relationship a secret for over a year! When they revealed they were a couple, of course, everyone was over the moon.

Having discussed getting married for a while, the couple were in a bit of a stand-off about who was going to ask! Isabel also thought Annabel was joking because she’d always said she didn’t want to get married, so Annabel planned a walk with the dogs to Jervaulx Abbey. Whilst walking through the ruins Annabel voiced, “This is where I’m going to marry you!” By the time they’d finished their walk they’d been in touch with the venue to book a date followed by a shopping trip to buy rings!

Annabel and Isabel Mangham-Haigh tied the knot at Jervaulx Abbey on 4th June, 2022. Here, Annabel tells us more about their day...

SETTING THE SCENE

The venue was central to the whole day as Annabel explains, “We absolutely love Jervaulx Abbey and it’s become such a special place to us. The abbey is family run and they were all so welcoming, patient and understanding. We loved that we had free reign over how individual it was. We never visited any other venues when planning the day. The natural beauty, tranquillity and freedom to make all our own decisions appealed to us. Some three years ago, we bought a Georgian house and spent many hours in antique shops furnishing it. We wanted to incorporate pieces we’d collected so had a loose antique theme that we felt complemented the abbey ruins. When we were buying pieces for the house, we were drawn to rusty items, so this rust colour became a theme for bridesmaids and flowers.”

The tables were dressed with runners and foliage, leaving space for the sumptuous food served on sharing platters. The brief to the florist was to take inspiration from the wild flowers growing around the abbey with a natural feel and some of the rust colour coming through. She certainly delivered the brief.

The cake was a masterpiece! The flavours were: Biscoff in one layer and cherry and amaretto in the others. Annabel adds, “We both have a massive sweet tooth so our morning with Gayle at Where the Ribbon Ends was like a dream come true. As we wanted to balance the inspiration from the natural beauty in the abbey and the antiques from home, but have a modern twist as well, Gayle created a beautiful cake using the colours and drama we imagined. We loved it! Isabel even cried when she saw it!

“Taking the antique theme further, our card and gift table was an old sideboard which was then moved and repurposed as a cake table and the desserts were served on an old bookcase. We also bought some old bar tables from a pub which was closing down for our drinks reception area.”

DRESSED TO IMPRESS

Annabel’s dress was Klee by Eliza Jane Howell adorned with sparkly beads, fabulous back detail with a feel of vintage glamour. Isabel’s dress was Charlize by Badgley Mischa. The fathers of the brides and their brothers wore forest green Ted Baker jackets with a dicky bow and black Boss trousers paired with shiny shoes. Isabel remembers, “They looked so smart! We knew we went a bit extra with them but wanted them to stand out and loved it!

TIME TO CELEBRATE

The pair really pulled out all the stops when it came to entertaining the guests! Annabel tells us, “We had three parts to our day and wanted each part to have a different atmosphere and used the entertainment to create this. For the ceremony, we wanted this to be quite formal with an English Country Garden vibe, so we had a string trio who played classical pieces while the guests were waiting for our arrival. After the ceremony, they played more current songs to take us through to the drinks reception which was in a different area of the abbey walls.

“For the drinks reception, we wanted a more playful, fun atmosphere so had a surprise flash mob style Barbershop Quartet who were a massive hit with the guests. They were so funny and everyone got involved. For their last song, they led everyone to the paddock where the marquee was set up for the wedding breakfast and did one last tune before food. Straight after eating, we had an amazing saxophonist to set the party mood for the evening. We then had an evening band which had everyone up dancing all night.” Wow, I wish I had an invite!

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

The pair had agreed Isabel would walk down the aisle first, but Annabel would follow straight away after to avoid waiting. Annabel describes the moment she entered and saw all her loved ones together to celebrate their love for one another. “Walking down the aisle was such an amazing feeling. I thought I’d cry but I’ve never been so excited in all my life! Isabel didn’t turn round straight away so first I remember seeing all our favourite people there to celebrate with us then and when she did turn round, it was like it was just the two of us. Two friends also played a part in the ceremony by giving all our guests coloured ribbons before we got there. Each colour represented a promise to send us into married life. They tied the ribbons and held them in the air during the ceremony and holding Isabel’s hand and looking at our guests with their ribbons in the abbey walls was such an incredible moment when I felt so lucky and loved. The ribbons were all put in a jar which is on our mantelpiece now.”

My Pretties UK styled and coordinated the day. Annabel gushes, “Jen was amazing! We couldn’t have done it without her. She understood what we wanted from start to finish. She never stopped in the day and even had a little dance with us. We also have two dachshunds and Keri at Bow Wow Vow was unbelievable with them. One is quite nervous and as soon as she met them she got down to their level and they went straight to her which they never normally do. Knowing they were being so well looked after was a huge weight off our mind. Every single one of our suppliers went above and beyond and played a massive part in our special day. Thank you to each and every one of you.”

ANNABEL’S TOP TIP: “Choose your suppliers carefully then put all your trust in them. They are professionals at what they do.”

END CREDITS

Venue, www.jervaulxabbey.com/weddings | Photographer, www.mattgodmanweddingphotography.com | Marquee, www.wills-marquees.co.uk Alterations, https://bridalperfectfit.business.site | Dress for Annabel, https://laceandco.com | Dress for Isabel, www.perfectdazebridal.co.uk Jewellery and accessories, https://thebobbypin.co.uk | Hair stylist, www.lottiehaigh.com | Make-up artist, www.louiselunn.co.uk Cake, www.wheretheribbonends.com | Flowers, www.rockandwreath.co.uk | Stationery, https://graystarling.com Catering, www.theoutsidekitchen.co.uk | Wedding rings, www.josephalessander.com | Stylist/coordinator, www.myprettiesuk.com Pet care, www.bowwowvow.co.uk | Bar, www.thebarstewards.co.uk | Celebrant, www.rebeccahallcelebrant.com Videographer, https://studio-lester.com | String quartet, https://dolcestrings.co.uk | Barbershop quartet, www.utc-entertainment.co.uk Saxophonist, www.ladyvsax.co.uk | Band, www.facebook.com/thepenniesmusic