Blog – Fun and Full of Love
Fun and full of love – a real Hospitium wedding! Northern love birds Amy and Chris held their intimate wedding ceremony at the Hospitium in the York Museum Gardens on 28th October 2017. Read all about their special day…
Tell us your engagement story…
Chris and I had been together for around 7 years. We’d never really talked about marriage much, or at least he hadn’t! We went out for a nice date night and Chris was acting really strangely all night and I asked numerous times if he was OK!
He eventually asked if we could go home and that’s when he decided to pop the question on the bus home! I didn’t believe him at all and made him ask me another 5 times AND get down on one knee in front of a bus full of people. It might not have been the most romantic of settings but it suited us down to the ground. Casual, spontaneous and fun! I eventually accepted and we went to choose my ring together the day after!
Why did you choose the Hospitium for your special day?
York has always been close to our hearts and on one weekend away here, we accidently stumbled on the Hospitium. I said to Chris there and then ‘If I ever get married, I’m doing it here!’ Being a typical bloke, I never dreamed he’d remember me saying it until we got down to discussing venues and we realised it was the only place on Earth we wanted to do it. We didn’t even view anywhere else. It was viewed on the Saturday and booked by the Monday morning!
Did you pick a theme or have a vision for your day?
My engagement ring is sapphire and diamond so I worked our theme around that, going for navy and silver. Very simple but perfect. I also made sure to incorporate stars into the wedding as I have a fascination with stars… I even went as far as making my own star shaped glitter table confetti!
Tell us about the dress…
The dress! Oh my, what a labour of love! Before even getting engaged I knew I wanted a tea length wedding dress. It was just finding the perfect dress to fit my style. I did my research and paid a visit to Amelia’s Bridal in Clitheroe and they were exceptional. They were so patient in helping me come up with my dream dress.
In the end I opted for a tea length tulle Mori Lee skirt and an Ellis Bridal bodice. We adapted the bodice by adding spaghetti straps and we also ordered some tulle from Mori Lee to match my skirt. We then used this tulle to make sheer shoulder straps, and cover the bodice, so there was just a slight sparkle from the bodice through the material. It was so me, simple yet funky! I love it even more knowing that no-one in the world has the same dress as me!
Did you have any special jewellery or accessories on the day?
My mum bought my jewellery for the wedding day and I opted for it to match my theme and engagement ring. I had sapphire and diamond earrings, necklace, and bracelet. To fit with the old rhyme, I purchased an old sixpence from an antique store in York and stuck this to the bottom of my navy glittery Jimmy Choo’s to bring me luck! My absolute favourite thing though was my navy glittery hair bow to match my shoes!
Tell us about the ceremony and reception décor…
Our ceremony was fun and, most of all, it was full of love! Our registrar Janet was absolutely fantastic and put us both at ease. We had two readings by our friends, which were realistic, yet funny and loving, that brought laughter and tears to our guests. I thought I would be an absolute blubbering wreck but I wasn’t. I was super composed and got through the ceremony with only one wobble…. can’t say the same for the groom though! Chris isn’t an overly emotional person so seeing him so emotional reaffirmed all the love I had for him. It was genuinely the happiest moment of my life.
Our décor was tasteful and simple. We had candles all around the room and white chair covers with navy blue organza sashes on the chairs. We placed a white rose [on the aisle chairs] and had lanterns with rose petals lining the aisle.
What about the music?
We wanted to get [the music] just right and spent so much time choosing! We had the most amazing string quartet playing throughout the day and they were my favourite part of the wedding. I walked down the aisle to my favourite song in the world ‘Wherever You Will Go’ by The Calling. As we signed the register we had Ben E King’s ‘Stand By Me’, ‘Heroes’ by David Bowie and ‘God Only Knows’ by The Beach Boys. Our walkout song was the Match of the Day theme tune! A funny homage to my (now) husband’s love of football!
Our first dance as man and wife was ‘Follow You, Follow Me’ by Genesis. The words are incredible and it’s not something that’s overly used as a wedding song. It’s always been our song as a couple so it was only fitting we had it as our first dance.
Did you have a standout moment?
The whole day went past in the blink of an eye and, as clichéd as it sounds, it was hands down the most amazing day of my life. I think the most stand out moment for me was standing in the foyer before I was due to walk down the aisle. My auntie had just fixed my dress and taken her seat and that’s when I saw the [Wedding] Co-ordinator nod… this was it. I heard the opening notes of my song, my bridesmaids walked in and that’s when I knew it was time to take the most important walk of my life. My Dad took my arm and walked me down to greet my future, the love of my life. My husband. And nothing can ever or will ever compare to that.
Supplier Details
Brides Dress: Amelia’s Bridal
Brides shoes: Jimmy Choo
Groom’s formal wear: Next
Makeup Artist: Alison Martin MUA
Florist: Finishing Touches
Cake: Marks & Spencer
Photographer: Creative Weddings Buxton
Entertainment: Wedding String Quartet
