At Belle Bridal we’re firm believers that everything happens for a reason, and if it wasn’t for this particular college party back in 2007 Lauren and Richard would never have met one another. Lauren said, “Richard was in the year above me, so we might not have ended up meeting if it wasn’t for that night. We both went to the same university then moved in together when we got our first jobs.”

Fast-forward more than 10 years later and the couple celebrated a gorgeous wedding at the picture-perfect setting of Healey Barn, captured by the talented From The Smiths Photography.

“Our main focus for the wedding was to have a good time with family and friends, we wanted to enjoy the planning process as much as we could, we knew from other people that it can get very stressful, and it definitely did have its stressful moments but we always tried to focus on what the day was all about – each other.

“We wanted the day to be quite chilled out, to just have all our friends and family in the same place enjoying good food and drink and having a dance.”

“It took us quite a long time to find the perfect venue. We both had quite clear ideas about what we wanted, but struggled to find somewhere that ticked all the boxes while still being in our budget. We both love eating out and we wanted the food to be one of the highlights, but also wanted something, modern, simple and paired back that had some history tying it in with the local northern landscape. It was important to us both that the venue showed off some of the wonderful landscapes we have in the North East.

“We would recommend Healey Barn to anyone - it was the perfect venue. Everyone commented on how amazing the food was and we lost count of the amount of comments about how much people loved the halloumi canapes. They made the whole process very easy!”

Lauren and Richard chose From The Smiths Photography to capture their special day. “We searched online for quite a while. We knew we didn’t really want a traditional photographer that took very scripted pictures. As soon as we stumbled upon From The Smiths Photography’s website we knew their style was just want we wanted.

“The first time we met them, they were both so lovely. It just confirmed everything we first thought. We both felt really at ease with them and we are so happy we went with them. We love the pictures and we loved having them around on the day.”

Advice for other brides and grooms?

“Just enjoy everything and keep in mind the main reason you’re getting married. It can get a bit stressful with all the planning and trying to make everyone happy, but as soon as that wedding morning arrives, there’s nothing you can change, you just have to go with it and enjoy every single moment as the day goes so quick.”

“Also go on a honeymoon. We were really glad we had a big honeymoon to look forward to, as you can feel a bit blue after the wedding is over so it’s so nice to have something else to look forward to.”

What was your highlight of the day?

“The ceremony was amazing, that moment you’re pronounced man and wife I will never forget. Seeing all our family and friends all together, smiling and happy. It was a day I will never forget. It was also nice to go into the woods to get pictures taken, it was nice to have that half an hour with just the two of us to take everything in.”

Looking for more wedding inspiration? Then check out our dedicated real wedding section, or order your copy of Belle Bridal Magazine online now.