MIA & BOB'S | COLOURFUL, BRITISH, COTTAGE GARDEN WEDDING AT THE PHEASANT HOTEL, HAROME.

Joyous, authentic and surreal, is how these two described their wedding day to me later and after the general 2021 way couples have had to adapt to planning their weddings, there's no the wonder it was all of the above. They couldn't actually believe their day was here and that it was going ahead in as normal a way as possible.

Mia and Bob sneaked out for photos with me in between the rain.

When they two got engaged, Bob knew exactly where he'd like to host his wedding. Mia however, did insist in exploring countless other venues too; nevertheless, she had to admit her future husband had hit the nail on the head right away in choosing The Pheasant Hotel, in Harome.

The Pheasant from the back.

There's so many private pockets of space to enjoy.

The conservatory, all ready for the dinner party to begin.

The dinning room, all set up too.

Mia and Bob fell in love with the quirky corners The Pheasant offers.

The gardens are adorned with summer flowers and foliage

and in the evening, the patio area looks magical lit-up with fairy lights galore.

The pair had stumbled upon their venue of choice ironically by accident, after spending the weekend in Harome a few years ago, they had been enjoying the 7 course taster menu at The Star Inn the night before and woke the following morning to find they were still too full to enjoy their breakfast, which was included in the stay. To build up their appetites, they decided to have a leisurely stroll around Harome, which is when they discovered The Pheasant. Mia told me, they fell in love with the understated luxury and rural setting.

Being foodies, of course they went back to the little village to try The Pheasant out, only to be blown away by it's incredible food too.

Mia and Bob were surprised with what they chose after sampling the menu.

They went for the chicken dish, which they didn't expect to.

Another thing about the venue that struck Mia was that it comprises 16 bedrooms and given the rural setting, it was important to them both that they, along with their guests, would be able to stay on site, after the wedding. There's also the added bonus of a pool too! Plus, they also wanted the weekend to flow without too much transportation, Harome has everything... They were able to have a rehearsal dinner for their wedding party the night before at The Star Inn, and the church wedding they both dreamed of at St Saviours in the village, followed by their reception at The Pheasant. They were able walk everywhere and it gave the weekend a really relaxed feel. Their day was extremely relaxed, as hoped, despite torrential rain and a complimentary thunder storm, which they didn't even hear because they were too busy tearing up the dance floor in the well ventilated conservatory, thanks to Inner Vibe their incredible band. Mia told me how their original band pulled out, just few months before the big day. They searched high and low for a replacement. It turned out that the band cancelling was a blessing in disguise as Inner Vibe were utter perfection. Mai and Bob's words: "A fantastic blend of old school classics and modern pop with a funky soulful twist. We even asked if they could find a saxophonist to add to their line up and they didn't disappoint."

LET'S TAKE A LOOK!

This is where Mia got ready...

She was joined by close friends and family.

The wild flower ties the groomsmen wore, tied in perfectly with the flowers and overall theme of the wedding day.

Don't you just love this wall paper, here!!

Bob got ready in his brother's room with some of the boys.

Luckily, Francis, one of his groomsmen was able to knot all of the ties and then pass them along, so they were all done properly.

Mia kept her makeup as natural as possible; she wanted to look herself.

Gemma, one of the bridesmaids, hilariously, had never opened a bottle of fizz in her life before!

It was like she was holding a ticking, time-bomb! 😂

With glad rags on, the boys headed along to The Star Inn to enjoy a drink with some of the guests.

St Saviours Church, is the cutest little building if you ever get chance to go inside.

Stunning, floral displays by The Twig & Twine, in Helmsley

Final preparations...

Wedding ready!

Then the rain started!

The anticipation!

Nerves.

Then a flower girl appears 🥰

After a few more bridesmaids, Mia made her grand entrance.

Her mum walked her the last few steps.

That moment when the vicar asks if anyone knows of a reason why they may not get married...

They were meant to sing the final hymn outside, but the weather stopped play unfortunately, so everyone hummed from behind their masks. It was quite the moment.

They made it back to the venue under the cover of the umbrellas.

My word, it did rain!

It didn't spoil the fun though, everyone enjoyed the cosy spaces inside of the Pheasant.

Hannah played a set of live music on her guitar.

Canapés flowed and so did the drinks

and everyone listened and chatted and laughed.

I got "PAPPED" by one of the guests 📸😂

We managed to set up a confetti throw outside when the rain broke.

It was so colourful!

Mia dried the petals herself.

They made for great entertainment, even after they'd been thrown.

The smaller bridal party enjoyed the gardens, whilst it was nice.

Mia and Bob's cake looked amazing!

They asked for three different flavoured tiers. Sicilian lemon, double chocolate and ginger and rhubarb. Charlotte also made vegan and gluten free cupcakes for some of their guests.

Inner Vibes set up in the conservatory.

They were AMAZING!

The first dance...

The children loved listening to the band.

Mia's mum and her sister were enjoying listening to the music.

Mia tell me about the dress!! How you found it and chose it...

"Once I started looking for a wedding dress I came to the conclusion that I actually wasn't a fan of traditional wedding dresses. I was drawn to simple silk column dress dress with sleeves and managed to find my dream dress from the fantastic British designer Ghost. The dress combined clean modern lines with an understated Hollywood glamour. As we were in lockdown when I was wedding dress shopping I never got the big Say Yes to the Dress moment and simply ordered the dress online. In fact, nobody even saw the dress until a few weeks before the big day!"

Simple and stunning

with a hint of Hollywood glamour.

The prettiest of details too on the sleeves.

The Vanessa Wu shoes, they are just to die for!

Mai bought a wonderful pair of sparkly Vanessa Wu shoes and then came to her senses that they were very high and probably not the best ceremony shoes. A few days before the wedding she bought a much more sensible pair of Rainbow club shoes (with a sparkly block heel) and wore them for the start of the day. She then changed into the Vanessa Wu shoes for an hour in the evening before going barefoot by the end of the night!

Now you know the story, here are the sensible ones, I love the gold beading.

THE COUPLES MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS...

Mia: "I loved the speeches. They are such a 'wedding moment' and it was incredible to have everyone together in the same room and to thank everyone who made the day possible."

Mia delivered a touching, funny but emotional speech.

The guests gushed about it for ages afterwards.

Then it was Bob's turn

A joined bestmen's speech is always a good bet.

I love this: Bob looks like, hmmm I'm not sure if I'm happy about this and Mai is having a ball!

Bob: "Finally celebrating with all of our friends and family after lockdown."

The conservatory looked alive with life, the first time in a LONG time I guess.

The children made masks and ran around like crazy ❤️❤️

TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR DAY...

Things are always going to go wrong, whether it's the weather, a ripped wedding dress or a global pandemic. Just choose suppliers that you trust and put your faith in them. Choose people who's work you love and let them do their thing.

FOR EXAMPLE, Mia gave her florist a loose brief and told her that she wanted, colourful, British cottage garden flowers and that she wanted the bouquet to look like the flowers had just been scooped up from a meadow. She did an incredible job!

The bouquet looked amazing!

Mia really could have just scooped these up out of the meadow here.

Like my work? Interest to find out more?

Credits to the suppliers....

Photography: Anoif Photography | The Dress: Ghost | The Shoes: Vanessa Wu and Rainbow club | Veil: Blossom &Bluebird | Hair: Pauline Rudd, who is based in Ripon | MUA: Ingrid make up and brows, based in Leeds | Flowers: Twig and Twine in Helmsley | Bridesmaids dresses: Monsoon, Debenhams and ASOS. The three bridesmaids were all different shapes and sizes, each with different styles so I encouraged them to pick their own dresses in a sage green colour. | Jewellery: My mum bought me some beautiful sapphire and opal earrings that were my something blue. I also borrowed by Grandma's gold locket with a picture of my granddad in it who sadly passed away earlier this year. This was my something old and borrowed. | Suits: Bobs suit was from Antich & Sons, an incredible Tailors in Huddersfield. Bob asked his groomsmen to wear blue suits so each of his boys was able to find a suit that they were happy with that they could wear again. | Ties: The ties were a 'wild flowers' Liberty print. They added to the English County wedding styling. Bob's mum Carmel also made sashes for the flowers girls and a bow tie for our page boy in the same Liberty print. | Groom's shoes: Bob simply bought a new pair of his existing black shoes from M&S | Venue: The Pheasant. A special thanks to Nicola their events and wedding planner who was an absolute dream to work with and made the day go without a hitch | Cake: Apple Charlotte | The band: Inner Vibe