We’re firm believers that everything happens for a reason, and although Laura and Matthew were not suppose to be at The Riverbar, in Washington, on New Year’s Eve, it turned out to be the evening that changed their lives forever.

“Matty and I met officially in one of our local watering holes in Washington called The Riverbar on NYE in 2008. Although we had gone to the same school and we had crossed paths at friend’s parties and gigs we had never formally been introduced or had a conversation - although there might have been some social media stalking. That night we hit it off and the rest is history. NYE is a really special night for us, neither of us were actually meant to be there but as they say everything happens for a reason and we’ve never spent a NYE apart since.”

Laura and Matthew tied the knot in the gorgeous setting of Beamish Hall, captured by Jamie Mac. “We wanted a day which captured both of our personalities. We are very friends and family focused and we wanted to make sure that all our guests were well looked after and that the day was filled with warmth and fun. We both loved the idea of bringing the ‘outside in’. Autumn is our favorite time of year: dark nights, twinkly lights, pumpkins, beautiful leaves and hot chocolate. We wanted our guests to feel like they were in an autumn wonderland. I had to have pumpkins, as I am a Halloween baby and Matty loved the rustic elements of the decoration. Autumn is the most beautiful season because of its colors and so we didn’t hold back. Our flowers were beautiful oranges, greens and burgundy. Our table plan was a rustic stack of autumnal plant pots and our centrepieces logs and pumpkins. We even had an autumnal theme sweet stand, cider toffee, toffee apples, fudge and our favors were hot chocolate and marshmallows. It was truly magical seeing our vision come to life. It helped that our florist was incredible and the Beamish extras team really got what we wanted.”

“We had been to Beamish Hall before so I knew the service and staff were exemplary. It was really the Winter Garden room, which did it for us. The pillars with the ivy running up them, the brick wall bar and the floor to ceiling windows were the perfect setting for our theme to come to life. The room had views of the grounds and the woodland area outside so we knew it would work. It was beautiful on the evening because we could see all of the twinkly lights in the trees, which made it truly magical. Additionally, all of the bedrooms are beautifully decorated and maintained so I knew guests staying would be happy. I would highly recommend Beamish Hall and the wedding team. We could not fault one single aspect.”

How did you choose your photographer?

“We had heard of Jamie through a friend and so we had started following him online. We were blown away by his talent and his ability to capture the most beautiful pictures that were the perfect snapshots of your day. When we met Jamie we felt instantly at ease with the process. He completely got the style of photography we wanted and everyone on the day commented on how amazing he was. We will treasure our wedding photographs forever, just really above and beyond our expectations - we were blown away.”

Advice for other brides and grooms?

“Take the time as newlyweds just to step aside and take everything in on the day. We really appreciated the walks with our photographer, we could literally see our guests inside having a ball and being well looked after by the Beamish team. This allowed us to relax and have fun in those moments away from everyone while pinching ourselves that we had just become husband and wife.”

What was your highlight of the day?

“Our first dance is a moment we will both never forget. We had chosen Tom Odell's Grow Old With Me which our band sang live. We had never heard the song done like that before it was stunning - there was not a dry eye in the house. In that moment it was just us – it was perfect - even though Matty kept kicking my dress out of the way.”

For more wedding inspiration, grab our copy of the latest Belle Bridal Magazine, or visit our real wedding section. For submissions please email Sarah on sarah@bellebridalmagazine.com