Charlotte and Paul

Photographer
Mike Nowill Photography. Mike has the type of personality that instantly puts you at ease. When photographing our pre-wedding shoot, his sense of humour and calm direction enabled me to relax and feel comfortable which in turn contributed towards the fantastic resulting images, as well as making the day a fun and memorable experience. What was special about Mike’s service is that we truly felt like we were his top priority, even though we knew he was busy shooting for other people all the time (and they must all feel the same). Mike’s service was superb, from the moment we asked him to shoot our wedding right through to choosing our photographs for our album. This was done over a chilled glass of wine in Mike’s studio. Throughout the whole time, it really felt as if we were working as a team. Mike listened to what we wanted and involved us in all of the decision-making. The results are more than we could ever have hoped for.

Where did you meet?
We met while working for Chatsworth House, Derbyshire.

What attracted you to him?
He is amazing, he makes me smile everyday.

Where did he propose?
Paul took me away to Mottram Hall, Cheshire, for my 30th birthday. I had always said I wanted to get engaged for my 30th birthday. He got down on one knee before dinner and proposed with a Haribo ring in a box, which he had come up with the help of my son. The next day we went to Manchester so I could pick my ring, it was an amazing couple of days.

The dress
Made by Augusta Jones, called Juno, it was a multi-layered lace and tulle strapless A-line gown with scalloped edges. It was the most beautiful dress, I fell in love with it the first time I put it on.

He wore
Traditional tails in black, with black trousers and black waistcoat from Debenhams. He wore a pale pink tie to compliment the flowers in my bouquet.

Bridesmaids
I had six bridesmaids, two adults and four little ones (my nieces). The adult bridesmaids’ dresses were taupe, one-shoulder, long gowns with flowers over the shoulder from Dessy and the little ones wore ivory dress from Next.

Flowers
I wanted a feature bouquet, so I asked Kerry, my florist, to make it huge. It had peonies, pale pink roses and hydrangeas and was twice the size of my head, it was stunning. Kerry from Tineke, in Matlock, also put together the buttonholes and bridesmaids’ corsages and small bouquets. Paul’s mum and aunties grew sweet peas in their gardens for the tables – the smell was amazing as you entered the wedding breakfast room.

Table decor and favours
I made all the stationery myself, from the invitations to the place cards, and we gave all the ladies pashminas as favours and the men got Kinder eggs – they loved competing against each other about who had the best toy and the ladies’ pashminas came in handy in the evening when we had a barbecue outside on the terrace.

Entertainment
Rob Kirk, the hotel’s resident DJ, was great. I have worked with him at East Lodge for three years and he really made it personal. Everyone danced all night.

Honeymoon
We went on a mini-moon to the Feversham Arms Hotel, Helmsley, and then on to the Lake District. It was amazing. We are going to America in January. We start in Las Vegas for three nights then on to Hawaii for seven and we finish in San Francisco for four nights.

Top tip
I would always advise the bride and groom to take some time out on the day, just the two of them, as you never get time alone. So I took my own advice and we went to Froggatt Edge with Mike the photographer after the meal – we got some amazing photos, using the amazing Peak District scenery (we did get some funny looks, especially from a lady walking with her son, when Paul asked her if she had seen a wedding reception around here anywhere). It was amazing to get some fresh air and some time together. Our guests played croquet while we were gone and relaxed in the gardens so they never even noticed we were not there.