After first meeting over 11 years ago at a mutual friend's 18^thbirthday, it wasn’t until the same friend's birthday, two years later, that Poppy and William got serious.

A couple more birthdays later and William decided to pop the question, while the pair were away celebrating their six-year anniversary. Surrounded by the beauty of Aysgarth Falls, William asked his beauty to be his wife.

I THINK I WAS TOO BUSY STARING AT THE RING TO EVEN ANSWER! IT’S A BEAUTIFUL PLACE AND IT’S LOVELY TO KNOW IT ISN’T TOO FAR AWAY SO WE CAN GO BACK AND VISIT WHENEVER WE WANT.

POPPY, BRIDE

HITCH FREE PLANNING

While for some couples wedding planning has you pulling your hair out, Poppy and Will’s laid-back approach meant this was quite the easy ride, even more impressive considering they were trying to get married in a pandemic!

IN A PANDEMIC, THE ONLY THING WE FOCUSSED ON WAS MAKING SURE WE GOT MARRIED, ANYTHING ELSE WAS AN EXTRA.

POPPY, BRIDE

KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY

Important to both Poppy and Will throughout the planning process was having a day that was elegant, timeless and most importantly traditional. Both on the same page about wanting to tie the knot in a local church, they decided on St Mary’s, where both Will’s parents and grandparents said their ‘I dos’.

While for Poppy her priorities were the cake and florals (seems only right), Will on the other hand has his eyes on the prize; transport. Like father like son, Will and Poppy arrived at their reception in the same car as his parents did on their wedding day 35 years ago – they even had the same driver!

WE TOOK A MORE RELAXED APPROACH TO THE PLANNING, THINKING THAT WHAT WILL HAPPEN, WILL HAPPEN.

POPPY, BRIDE

SNAPPER SPOTLIGHT

After first seeing Kirsty Mattsson in action three years ago at Will's cousins wedding, they witnessed her first hand capturing the beautiful moments of the day. A firm fan of her natural style it was a no brainer to have her snapping their day.

WE AREN'T BIG PHOTO PEOPLE AND WE WANTED A PHOTOGRAPHER TO CAPTURE US AND OUR GUESTS AT THEIR BEST THAT IS THEIR NATURAL SELVES HAVING A GOOD TIME. I THINK KIRSTY PERFECTLY CAPTURED THAT.

POPPY, BRIDE

Q&A

How did you decide on your venue?

We decided quite early doors we wanted a traditional wedding venue, rather than a marquee or barn. Rudding offered everything we were looking for, a beautifully traditional building, with fabulous rooms, accommodation for guests to stay, and their huge experience of conducting weddings.

What was it about your venue that gives it the WOW factor? Would you recommend this venue to other couples?

 We can’t recommend Rudding Park enough, there is a reason why the hotel has such a reputation for weddings! They really took the time to understand what we wanted from the day and made it happen. They made us feel really special, not just another couple, with regular meetings about our day, as well as additional treats on the run-up to the day, such as overnight stays, spa breaks and cinema experiences just so that we began more and more familiar with the hotel. The room at Rudding was so large that it allowed us to have our bar, tables and dancefloor all in one beautiful room.

How did you style your venue? Did your wedding day have a theme?

 I guess our theme was tradition, we wanted to do the day the traditional way, after when else can you do! From walking down the aisle to ‘here comes the bride’ and traditional morning suits, to cutting the cake prior to the wedding breakfast.

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