TIMES LIKE THESE

from Your Yorkshire Wedding - Issue 56 September/October 2022

OUR HAPPILY EVER AFTER

like these... TIMES

Chelsea and Max Wainwright tied the knot at Whirlow Hall Farm. Amongst family, friends and their beloved dog Jac, the couple had one extra announcement to share…

Images courtesy of Sasha Lee Photography

Chelsea and Max met online and had an instant connection just speaking on the phone. The couple were actually living 90 miles apart at the time (Chelsea in Sheffield and Max in Ruthin, Wales) and started commuting to see each other at every opportunity.

When asked about the proposal, Chelsea casually replies, “There wasn’t a proposal. We’d talked about getting married for a while and just booked the venue when we realised it should just happen. We booked the entire wedding before announcing it to anyone! The date was arranged to be as close as possible to the anniversary of our first date.” And it doesn’t get more romantic and heartfelt than that!

Laid back vibes all the way, Chelsea and Max did ‘the legal bit’ at Sheffield Town Hall the day before the reception. Chelsea tells us, “We just had our mums as the witnesses. We’d planned on just doing it on our own and grabbing two witnesses but the mum’s caught wind of this and we got told off a bit!”

The following day, on 24th June, 2022, Chelsea and Max repeated their vows in front of all their friends and loved ones at Whirlow Hall Farm. “It’s a really relaxed venue and that’s all we were after.” Chelsea adds, “As a charity organisation, holding our wedding there was supporting their important work.”

Full of surprises, the pair even had one extra one up their sleeve to make their day one they’ll never forget. During their vows the couple announced they were pregnant. Goosebumps anyone? I certainly do!

Here, Chelsea tells us more about their utterly perfect day.....

At Sheffield Town Hall, the day prior to the main reception, I wore a relaxed off the shoulder dress bought online, perfect for a growing bump! The legal day was the perfect opportunity to have fun in front of the camera and get used to having our photos taken with guests the following day.

On Saturday, the dress and veil were from Emily Bridal. The dress was bought pre-pregnancy but they managed to change my fittings ensuring the dress definitely fit. Lace had been a must from the start for that more relaxed look. It showed off our growing bump perfectly.

Whirlow Hall Farm is really local to us. It’s really relaxed and that’s all we were after. The ceremony was conducted by Chelsea’s sisterin-law Anna – it was perfect!

All the table decorations and centrepieces as well as the bouquets, were flowers provided by our local florist Hollow Meadow Flowers. They sustainably grow cottage garden and wildflowers which lead to a very natural feeling and fit with the farm perfectly.

On Saturday, Max wore a suit and tie from City Gate in Chester. Cufflinks were a gift from myself, one engraved with the co-ordinates and date of our first date, and the other the co-ordinates and date of the wedding.

The venue décor was done by Mark and Nikki at Wild Wedding Days. I don’t know how we’d have coped without them. We didn’t have a wedding planner but Wild Wedding Days practically did this for us. They’re clearly so passionate and experienced and were so excited to be back doing weddings after the pandemic. There wasn’t a question they couldn’t answer.

We had several cakes made by the local Secret Cake Club. We wanted a selection of treats and they did not disappoint. Our main cake, featured, was a Victoria sponge

Nerves were obviously felt but far less than we had imagined. It was great seeing friends and family – some of which we hadn’t seen for a long time. Having them all there together to celebrate our special day was amazing.

To fit with the more relaxed theme we didn’t have a table plan – we had Whirlow Hall Farm provide their BBQ, which lead very much into people mingling even whilst eating.

I’ve always been a bit dinosaur crazy and wanted them in somewhere. It had even been joked about me walking down the aisle to the Jurassic Park theme song.

A speech sent by one of Max’s best friends, who unfortunately couldn’t attend due to deployment was delivered by Max’s sister. Without even being in the same country he managed to make everyone laugh. It was announced during our vows that we were pregnant! A lot of the wedding party didn’t know and it was lovely telling everyone at the same time. We’d found out the day I was going on my hen do and with the help of my friend had managed to hide it from everyone there.

Max was based up in Scotland for a while whilst in the marines and we’ve done lots of travelling around Scotland together, along with our sheepdog, Jac. We thought a ceilidh would be a good way to get people dancing that wouldn’t ordinarily and would fit into the farm/ barn setting well. They even provided a DJ for after.

The evening catering was pizza from Wood Fired Pizza company – the guests loved them! It was great watching our pizzas prepared in front of us then cooked.

CHELSEA’S TOP TIP! It’s your day. Don’t do things just because they’re ‘tradition’ or because it’s expected.

CHELSEA AND MAX’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK

Venue, www.whirlowhallfarm.org/venue/weddings | Photographer, https://sashaleephotography.com Dress at Whirlow Hall Farm, https://www.emilybridalwear.co.uk | Dress at Town Hall, https://covenandco.com Jewellery & accessories, https://www.rustjewellery.com | Hair stylist, www.thewildcolour.co.uk Make-up artist, www.instagram.com/charlotte_mallindermua | Suit, www.citygatechester.co.uk Cake, www.secretcakeclub.co.uk | Flowers, www.hollowmeadowsflowers.com BBQ, www.whirlowhallfarm.org/venue/weddings | Evening catering, https://woodfiredpizzacompany.co.uk Décor, http://wildweddingdays.co.uk | Ceilidh band & DJ, www.thescottishceilidhband.com

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