David and Gemma said ‘I do’ with an elegant wedding at Wynyard Hall! With an onsite 12th Century Chapel, beautiful staterooms and breathtaking lakeside views on the terrace, Wynyard Hall was the perfect location to say their vows and dance the night away with loved ones.
MEET THE GROOM
David Simpson, 29, Financial Advisor from Scarborough.
MEET THE BRIDE
Gemma Simpson, 28, Accountant from Durham.
HOW MANY GUESTS DID YOU HAVE?
We had 84 guests on the day, it was a nice number to have.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT HOW YOU MET AND THE PROPOSAL?
Our mutual friend, Ian, arranged a boys night out and invited me along (he was one of our Groomsmen on our wedding day). David and I exchanged phone numbers that night, the rest was history. We never thought anything of it but now we realise Ian was probably playing matchmaker.
We were on holiday in the Dominican Republic on Valentine’s day in 2017, we went for a walk along the beach on the night and there was a swing that David was pushing me on. When I got off the swing and turned around David had gotten down on one knee. It was so romantic but I just asked: “what are you doing?”.
WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE WYNYARD HALL?
We went around various different wedding venues in the North East looking for a venue we could have a ceremony and the reception at. There were a few venues which had nice elements but didn’t have the whole package, they often had either good outside space or inside space but didn’t seem to have both. Wynyard Hall has everything, all the rooms inside are beautiful, the terrace is lovely and the Chapel is stunning.
Our favourite room was the Chapel. We loved the idea of a church wedding but a lot of churches are very difficult to fill as the buildings are so large making them seem empty and cold. The chapel is the perfect size and has a lovely atmosphere. The artwork and stained glass windows are gorgeous and the marble work finishes everything off.
WHAT COLOUR SCHEME AND FLOWERS DID YOU CHOOSE?
We went for a pink colour scheme and for our theme, we just wanted everything to be elegant. We wanted a mix of pink and white flowers so we described our ideas to the florist and they chose everything for us- we loved what they came up with.
WHAT WEDDING MENU DID YOU CHOOSE?
We chose poached eggs with asparagus for our starter, chicken for main and cheesecake for dessert. The food was lovely but what makes it special is the service provided by the staff at Wynyard Hall. It didn’t take long to get around all the tables and when the plates are brought to a table they are all placed down at the same time – it’s very well-choreographed!
DID YOU DO ANYTHING SPECIAL ON THE NIGHT BEFORE YOUR WEDDING?
We stayed in the cottages on the Wynyard grounds. David had a cottage for himself, his parents and groomsmen and I had a cottage for myself, my parents and bridesmaids. The girls had a lovely night relaxing preparing for the wedding day but the excitement got too much for the boys! After plenty of alcohol and the father of the bride diving into the hot tub fully clothed, the mothers had to intervene and send some of them off to bed!
TELL US ABOUT THE DRESS… WHAT STYLE WAS IT? WHERE WAS IT FROM? WHAT DID YOUR BRIDESMAIDS WEAR?
The dress designer was Savin and it was from YAP. It was very elegant with capped sleeves and lace and was A-line style. The bridesmaids wore light pink dresses from Tonia Ann Bridal.
WHAT DID THE GROOM WEAR, AND WHERE WAS IT FROM?
The groom wore a dark blue suit with tails and a light grey waistcoat. The suits were Ted Baker from Moss Bros in Newcastle.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR WEDDING PHOTOS… WHICH ONE WAS YOUR FAVOURITE AND WHY?
Our wedding photos were done by 2tone Photography, we absolutely love them. They captured so many natural photos which help us relive the day. Our favourite is one of us with our wedding party all striking a funny pose as we were full of giggles trying to do it.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR ENTERTAINMENT…
During the day we had Helena Pearson play the harp during the ceremony and the drinks reception which gave a lovely feel and fit really well with the hall. We also had Paul Lytton as a magician during the wedding breakfast and into the room turnaround for the night-time. He is brilliant and the guests absolutely loved it! He managed to steal the best man’s cufflinks twice and he set a groomsmen’s suit jacket on fire.
On the evening we had Abi Alton sing the song for our first dance (Heaven – Bryan Adams) on the piano. It was so special for us as having someone sing it live, makes it feel different to anybody else.
After our first dance we had the Ultimate Wedding DJ. We loved this DJ as we had a lot of input into what was played and any guests requests were played which was important to us. Everyone danced the night away and we didn’t stop laughing with friends and family the whole night.
WHERE DID YOU BOTH JET OFF TO FOR YOUR HONEYMOON?
We went on our honeymoon 2 days after the wedding. We started off in Las Vegas for 5 nights, then we went to Maui, Hawaii for 8 nights and finished off in San Francisco for 5 nights.
WAS THERE ANYTHING EXTRA SPECIAL OR UNUSUAL ABOUT YOUR WEDDING?
We would say what was extra special was the father and daughter dance. My dad and I wanted to do something special, so on the wedding night, the dance started off to My Girl but changed to Apache (Jump on it) by The Sugarhill Gang, then to It’s Not Unusual by Tom Jones and back to My Girl to finish. We danced like Will Smith and Carlton, everyone found it hilarious. It took a lot of rehearsing in the back garden running up to the wedding!
DO YOU HAVE ANY WEDDING PLANNING TIPS?
Enjoy it and don’t get stressed or caught up in every minor detail. If you do, look back at every wedding you’ve been to and what you remember from it and you’ll realise as long as there’s a good atmosphere and plenty of dancing, people will love it!
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND WYNYARD HALL TO OTHER COUPLES PLANNING A ELEGANT WEDDING?
Definitely, can’t recommend it enough. Everything was so well organised and we really enjoyed the run up as we could get in touch with our wedding coordinator and know that whatever it was, she would sort it. The venue is amazing and a lot of people have gotten in touch with us following the wedding to say how beautiful it is.
Our wedding coordinator, Rebecca, was brilliant. Nothing was a problem and she sorted a lot for us – all the staff are like that at Wynyard. Our master of ceremonies, Tony, was great to work with on the day. They went above and beyond for us, organising everyone and making sure everything went smoothly. We didn’t have to worry about anything on the day.
Looking for a stunning wedding venue? Join us for tonight’s Wedding Showcase and see Wynyard Hall dressed for a wedding.Our expert Wedding Coordinators will be on hand to answer questions, offer guidance and check available dates for you.Click here to find out more!
To enquire about your luxury wedding at Wynyard Hall, call our wedding team on 01740 644811 (option 5).
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