Join The Wedding Edition as we sit down with Beauty Director at Grazia, Annie Vischer and discover the thoughtful details of her wedding celebration in North Yorkshire.
The Story So Far
We were set up by a friend and met for our first date by the river at The Duke’s Head pub in Putney. That conjures up images of a balmy evening watching the sun set over the Thames, but the reality was a cold, rainy and blustery night in the middle of November. My umbrella blew inside out as I battled my way over the bridge, my hair went everywhere, I was on the verge of turning right back around, but instead I stumbled through the doors and scanned the room for Ollie. He was leaning by the bar looking like home, all chunky burgundy cable knit and floppy hair. The rest is history.
Three years in we got engaged. We’d discussed getting married plenty of times and even gamely spent one autumn morning doing the rounds in Hatton Garden, trying on different rings, so Ollie had a pretty solid idea of the design I had my heart set on – an oval cut diamond surrounded by a halo of smaller ones, big enough to look like petals on a flower, all mounted on a slim gold band. As for the proposal, Ollie had Corfu in his sights. Agios Stefanos, a bay in the north east of the island is pretty special to us and he got down on one knee on a secluded ledge just off the coastal path, a bottle of Champagne stowed away in his bag for the inevitable moment that I said ‘yes!’.
The Venue
We booked the first venue we visited in person, which sounds impulsive, but it was kismet. We got married at Middleton Lodge in Richmond, North Yorkshire. It’s a gleaming gold Georgian mansion surrounded by woodland, a walled garden, a beautiful fig house (arched windows, vines creeping up the walls) a pool that looks like it belongs in the South of France and a number of immaculately designed out buildings and shepherds huts that provide accommodation for guests. I’m a Yorkshire girl so the location was everything. Our ceremony took place in a beautiful local church, St Michael and All Angels, mere minutes down the road and everything from our pre-wedding drinks the night before (on the Gin Terrace) and bleary-eyed breakfast the day after (at the Coach House restaurant) took place on site.Â
The Fashion
I spotted my dress on Instagram and knew instantly that it was ‘the one’. I always imagined I’d go bespoke, but the Alena Leena Armeria dress was all of my period-drama-meets-Grace-Kelly-in-To–Catch–A–Thief dreams come true. There were only two stockists in the UK and one of them was in Ilkley, Yorkshire – appropriate. I booked an appointment and brought my sister, mother and aunt along. I thought the design was too good to be true and that I simply had to get a try-on out of my system before the dress hunt kicked off good and proper, but as soon as I stepped in front of the mirror in The Aisle, I knew the search was over. As for my shoes, I wanted something comfortable, elegant and closed-toed, that went with the dress, but didn’t compete for attention. I’d inherited a number of vintage Gucci courts from my Grandmother some years back – butter-soft leather, I could wear them all day. I checked eBay on route back from my first wedding dress fitting and couldn’t believe my eyes when I found the very same style in white leather with five minutes left on the clock – I snuck in a bid and picked them up for £50!
The Jewellery
It was important to me to stay true to my everyday style and not overdo it when it came to jewellery. I rarely wear necklaces, but love curating an ear full of delicate studs and hoops. I wore a beautiful pair of baroque pearl earrings from La Grotta Collective and a statement cuff by Completedworks. I wore my Grandma’s engagement ring too, a band of glinting diamonds set in gold that paired perfectly with my engagement ring and slim gold wedding band.
The Bridal Party
I live my life in pictures and got fixated on sourcing bridesmaid dresses in a particular shade of Champagne pink and in a satin material that was weighty enough to drape and move beautifully. After hunting high and low I found them at Jarlo London – full length and in enough different styles for everyone to hit on one they felt great in. I’m under no illusions that they’ll ever be worn again, but everyone looked stunning. As for the page boy outfit I had this designed up in my head too, which made it impossible to source as one whole outfit, so I bought it in components. Lando, who was three at the time, is a beautiful little Cornish surfer dude with a mass of dark curls, buttoning him up in a shirt and braces just didn’t feel right, so I went with a white loose linen shirt, white long-ish shorts, a pair of white loafers and a mini buttonhole spray of gypsophila and a white rose bud to match the bridesmaids’ bouquets. As for Ollie, the best men and the ushers, they were scattered up and down the country so a hire from Moss Bros seemed like the best option – Ollie found a morning suit he loved and coordinated the whole thing from there.
Transportation
We hired a 1963 white convertible Morris Minor from Northumbria Classic Car Hire as our wedding car – it suited the English country wedding feel of the day and is a particular favourite of mine, I couldn’t wait to trundle along the winding Yorkshire lanes in it. My father (a classic car enthusiast) gave Ollie a quick driving lesson in it the morning of the wedding, a moment that both our photographers (Vicky Adamson and Daniel Lewis) and videographer (Ben Tynegate) managed to capture. We hired a vintage Yorkshire bus from Yorkshire Pullman Coaches to ferry guests to and from the church too – white to match the Morris Minor.
The Tablescape
Wedding & Events Floral Design were in charge of the flowers and table scaping in the Fig House – I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I’d seen enough of their work at Middleton Lodge to know that they could create something better than I could dream up myself, so after listing off a few favourite flowers and asking for white and green, I left them to their own devices. I didn’t even wander down to have a look at everything the morning of the wedding, my first look was when we entered the Fig House, Champagne in hand, after our ceremony – such a magical moment. Having a hands-off approach meant that I truly relaxed and felt like a guest at my own wedding. The stationery was a big part of the day too – Liv from Ten Story Stationery was incredible, from the designs themselves to (we were lucky here, because Liv was relatively local) being there on the day to set everything up.
Food & Drinks
We made the most of a September wedding by going with a pretty summery menu. The food at Middleton Lodge is incredible and all locally sourced, if not grown on site. I loved our starter – an odd thing to say – but it was some of the best smoked salmon I’ve ever had with edible flowers scattered on top. A number of guests commented on the main – melt-in-the-mouth lamb with a fresh, herby salad, feta and new potatoes. Dessert was an English-strawberry-heavy take on an Eton Mess.
Entertainment
Our first dance was Eric Clapton’s You Look Wonderful Tonight – the Live At The Albert Hall version – and that eventually faded into Higher Love by Whitney Houston and Kygo, which drew everyone onto the dance floor in a bouncing, tipsy mass of out-of-tune singing. AG Events were in charge of the music on the day and we booked Danny B via High Row Music Events to play guitar and sing while guests mingled in the walled garden ahead of the wedding breakfast. He was incredible, so good that Ollie’s godmother assumed she was listening to a pre-recorded artist playing out through speakers. She tried to Shazam him.
Beauty Regime & Wellness
I’m a beauty director so brace yourself – skin consultations with the wonderful Dr Anita Sturnham and regular facials with her team at Nuriss Clinic on Wimpole Street, all bespoke and done while I kicked back in a full body lymphatic drainage suit, the one Jennifer Aniston is a fan of. The incredible Dom Seeley was in charge of my hair using Color Wow products – he jetted in from Dubai especially, something I’ll forever be grateful for. As for the cut – leave it to Tommy Cracknell, Creative Director at Richard Ward Hair & Metrospa. A few months ago he’d given me my dream long layers, blunt ends that made my long hair look way healthier than it was, and face-framing sections that lifted my features – what more could you ask for? He had the foresight and expertise to cut it in such a way, that by the time of our wedding day it would be the perfect length. Amy Conway was my make-up fairy godmother using Bobbi Brown products – any time spent with Amy is a dream, but I revelled in experimenting at the trial and as a result was so relaxed on the morning of my wedding that I barely looked in the mirror. Lashes are a big thing for me and I’ll see no one but Edy London – she’s a magician, I don’t know how she does it – a natural look with fluffy volume, curl and length that lasted well into my honeymoon and beyond. Jo Malone London scented my wedding – they gifted me a number of Pomegranate Noir candles that sat in clusters in the church, I remember a wall of it hitting me as I walked down the aisle. Ollie and I also went along to their Sloane Square store for the wedding scenting experience and I wore a Wild Bluebell and Honeysuckle & Davana layered together on the day, and spritzed on Chanel’s Les Eaux Paris Paris the day after. What else? Teeth whitening – I saw Dr Rhona Eskander at the Chelsea Dental Clinic for a pearly boost. Wellness wise I wanted to go all out. I was doing a lot of Pilates at home, but needed a pro to keep my fitness form in check. I trained with Dalton Wong and Conor McNevin at TwentyTwo Training. Dalton, the founder of TwentyTwo Training, performance coach, personal trainer and nutritional expert is all about quality over quantity and results-driven training. My time with the team corrected a lot of little form niggles I’d accrued over the years, something that will pay dividends in the long-term. And nails – the incredible Iram Shelton took these on, travelling to the venue to apply them the day before the wedding to ensure they looked as fresh as could be. Her eye for detail is second-to-none and she gave me the most gorgeous French manicure – a subtle one with an OPI Bubble Bath base and pearlescent tips.
The Honeymoon
I’d always wanted to head off on our honeymoon straight after the wedding to prolong the high. We spent a couple of nights in the Cotswolds before heading to Mauritius for a week to decompress and do absolutely nothing in the sun. Then it was on to Italy, first Capri where we spent a blissful few days at The Capri Palace and then the legendary Hotel Santa Caterina in Amalfi – sipping peach bellinis in the Hotel Santa Caterina beach club as newlyweds is now my bona fide happy place.
Advice
- Book suppliers that can do the job better than you can even imagine – it sounds like a no-brainer, but the flowers and styling would have taken up serious headspace for me, had I not booked Wedding And Events Floral Design who I knew would create something that I simply couldn’t daydream up. As a result I was all too happy for them to take full control. It meant I didn’t slip into micromanaging, didn’t stress and didn’t even think to check in on proceedings on the day. If you’re happy saying to your supplier – ‘You’re the pro, you tell me, you do you,’ planning suddenly becomes a breeze.
- Think of yourself as the guest of honour at your wedding, not the host. That was key to revelling in the planning process and completely relaxing and enjoying the day itself for me. Everyone’s there to celebrate you. As soon as you reframe things, you rid yourself of a whole lot of pressure and stress.Â
- Bring a set of nice looking coat hangers along with you. Photographers always try and get a shot of the wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses hanging up and they’re inevitably in the background of a lot of shots and video footage on the morning of your big day. You have no idea how many wedding prep pictures can be ruined by a set of brittle plastic hangers in clashing colours!
With Thanks To:
Bride / Groom: – Annie Vischer @annievischer Oliver Billson @olliehtbillson
Venue: Middleton Lodge @middletonlodge
Caterer: Middleton Lodge @middletonlodge
Dress: Alena Leena @alenaleenabridal from The Aisle @theaislebridal altered by The Bobbin Ilkley @the_bobbin_ilkley
Bridesmaids: Jarlo London @jarlolondon
Groom outfit: Moss Bros @mossbros
Flower girls & page boys: Trotters @trotterschildrenswear
Florist: Wedding And Events Floral Design @weddingsandeventsfd
Tableware: Weddings And Events Floral Design @weddingandeventsfd
Stationery: Ten Story Stationery @tenstorystationery
Wedding website: Wix @wix
Photographer: Vicky Adamson @vickiphoto and Daniel Lewis @lewisphoto as Sweet Pea & Ivy @sweetpeaandivyÂ
Videographer: Ben Tynegate @tynegate_films
Wedding rings: Hallmark Jewellers, Titchfield @hallmarkjewellersÂ
Makeup: Amy Conway @bbpro_amyconway assisted by Kate Ryan @makeupbykateryan using Bobbi Brown Cosmetics @bobbibrownuk
Bridal Hair: Styling Dom Seeley @domseeley using Color Wow @colorwowhair, cut Tommy Cracknell @tommycracknellhair at Richard Ward Hair & Metrospa @richardwardhair
Nails: Iram Shelton @iramshelton using OPI Nails @opinailsuk
Bridesmaid Hair: Becca Hunton @becca_hunton_bridal
Lashes: Edy London @edy.london
Music: AG Events @ageventsuk and High Row Music @highrowmusicÂ
Gift list: Prezola @prezola
Wedding coordinator: Rhiannon Beesley @rhiannonp94
Classic Car Hire: Northumbria Classic Car Hire @northumbriaclassiccarhireÂ
Travel: Yorkshire Pullman Coaches
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