It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost half a year, but back just before Christmas, Ellie and Mat got married and held their wedding at Stanford Hall in Leicestershire. When I first met Ellie and Mat and they started sharing their plans with me, I knew it would be a day to remember, Ellie and put so much thought to the details and Mat was planning a visual feast to put his lighting skills to excellent use.

Despite the really wet weather and a minor dress dilemma (Ellie I will never forget how cool you were in the face of a crisis!), Ellie and Mat’s day was just incredible… I loved the subtle and elegant festive touches, the side splittingly funny speeches and the most incredible first dance lighting EVER. Here’s what Ellie and Mat had to say…

How did you meet?
Mat was the drummer in a local band and I was one of their groupies! I chased Mat for around a year before he eventually caved and agreed to go out with me!

Tell me your proposal story
It was Valentine’s Day and I’d been working all day so we did flowers, cards and presents in the morning before work. After work Mat told me we were going out for dinner so I started to get ready. I had the music on in the living room and Mat kept shutting the door so I couldn’t hear it. I kept shouting ‘can you just leave the door open?! I’m trying to listen to the music!’. Eventually, when I was finished getting ready, I headed into the living room and Mat was there in the dimly lit room, full of candles and romantic music and he talked about all of our lovely memories before getting down on one knee! It was perfect as I’m terrible for guessing surprises and spoiling them, and I had no idea about this!

Why did you choose the venue you chose for your wedding day?
We knew we wanted somewhere we could enjoy exclusively as Mat was going to be doing all of the sound and lighting. We also wanted the country house style venue so when we found Stanford Hall, with exclusivity Friday to Sunday and the most beautiful house and helpful staff, we knew it was the one for us.

What was it you loved about your outfits and accessories that made you choose them?
Ellie: I loved how my dress made me feel – I never expected to feel so beautiful in one gown! The material was gorgeous and so elegant and I really felt special. I also loved wearing a veil! It makes you feel like a princess!

Mat: Because of the time of year, we didn’t want the colour of the suits to be too dark so settled for blue. The store had just started a range of tweed waistcoats which was subtly different to other suits we had seen and really suited me and my personality! The quality was brilliant of the suits was brilliant and the staff were also really helpful.

Tell me about the vision you had for your wedding including your theme/colour scheme/styling/flowers:
We wanted the feels of a traditional wedding and didn’t want it to be too Christmassy so we chose a blush theme and neutral tones. It worked really well as it gave us the classical, elegant feel that we wanted and matched the style of the venue.

What was your first dance and why did you choose it?
We chose ‘Meaning’ by Gavin DeGraw – an American artist who we both love. It’s a really special song for us because it’s really relatable and we’ve always loved the acoustic version, so it was easy to choose as our first dance song.

What were the most wonderful parts of the day for you?
The ceremony was really special because it’s why you’ve spent all that time planning – to marry the person you love! We were both really nervous though!

Why did you choose Hannah Hall Photography as your photographer, and what was your experience of your photography on the day?
When we saw Hannah’s photographs we loved her style and when we met Hannah we knew she was the one for us! She was extremely knowledgable and really put us as ease during the whole process. On the day, other than the formal photographs, we hardly noticed she was there – sorry Hannah! She captured the day perfectly without making it feel forced or too structured.

What would be your best bit of advice to other couples planning their wedding?
Try to enjoy it – you only get to do it once (hopefully!) and it’s totally worth all the time and effort in the end! We wouldn’t change anything for the world.

Ellie + Mat’s wedding at Stanford Hall

Shout outs to…

Georgi Mabee for second shooting

Venue: Stanford Hall / Bridal gown: Naomi Neoh / Bridesmaids: Brides of Market Harborough / Grooms hire: Peter Posh

Lighting: MJN Entertainment / Flowers: By Arrangement / Make up: Kolaine’s Beauty Lounge / Hair: Hensmans /

Cake: Ellie’s mum! / Caterer: Charnia Catering / Entertainment: Vibetown