The Morritt Hotel near Barnard Castle in County Durham was the setting for this spectacular summer wedding. 

With Nick and Sam both having a long-standing affection for the great outdoors and both being keen members of The National Trust - it was only fitting that Nick got down on one knee in a quiet spot in the middle of the deer park at Fountains Abbey.

Since that day it has been a location that is exceptionally dear (no pun intended!) to this countryside loving couple.

Go Big or Go Home

With Nick’s large family and the couple’s burgeoning friendship circle it was important for them to have a venue that could accommodate a large party while feeling like a home from home.

The Morritt Hotel in Barnard Castle was the perfect fit and the couple utilised both the beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces, including the stunning gardens and outdoor areas that breathed life into their summer theme.

‘The team at the Morritt were fantastic throughout; they gave us loads of ideas of how we could use the space, suggestions for drinks and the timing of the day. Every time we spoke to them about our celebration it felt like they truly cared and listened to what we wanted.’ Sam

The Gown

Sam fell in love with a Ronald Joyce gown after trying one on in her hometown of Darlington, however the gown was too small. She eventually found another in Birmingham and had it sent to her home prior to the wedding.

‘It was such a gamble having one sent up, but it fit perfectly’ Sam

The Personal Touch

As both the bride and groom are members of the National Trust, they decided to name each table after all the places they had visited.

The top table was Fountains Abbey (as they got engaged there) and every other table had a picture of the couple at another named place including a short memoir on something they had done at that location.

Colours and styling were bold to complement the summer months and their love of the outdoors.

Food Love Stories

‘We can’t thank The Morritt enough for the delicious food they served on the day. We were allowed a tasting menu approximately two months before and it was so hard to choose as everything was so good.

We settled on beef as our main course and it was cooked to perfection.

I think many of our guests really enjoyed the dessert as it was quite a unique pudding of strawberry crumble with white chocolate ice cream –again a bespoke choice to complement our summer theme’ Sam

Sam’s Advice

‘Don’t sweat the small stuff and go with the flow! I spent a lot of time before the wedding stressing about small issues that just seemed so insignificant on the day itself.

Absorb every moment of the day and enjoy the huge bubble of love that surrounds you both, as chances are you’ll never get all of those people in the same room together again’.

For more wedding inspiration take a look at our dedicated Real Weddings section, or cast your eyes over the glossy pages of our regional magazine, now available for download from the Google Play and App Store.

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