We like to believe everything happens for a reason and for Laura and Paul things seemed to fall perfectly in to place. Laura told us, “we met at work in July 2016. I had just moved back to the North East after deciding to leave the teaching profession and my job in Sheffield. I made the decision to come home to start a new career and fingers crossed meet Mr Right! I started my new job at Northumbrian Water where I had two days of induction and then started my training. Paul had just finished a secondment in a different department and returned to the office on the Monday. On the Wednesday he began training the new starter... and like they say the rest is history!”

Laura and Paul knew they wanted a more intimate, personal celebration, which is why they looked for a venue that offered exclusive use. Bowburn Hall offered the couple everything they wanted and more for their timeless, elegant and sophisticated wedding. “We wanted personal, which is why we went exclusive hire, but classic and timeless elegance for the day. The feel of Bowburn Hall made that so easy to achieve, as well as the finishing touches by the fantastic florists.

“We decided that the style we wanted for the wedding was timeless and classy, both fitting to the winter season and with a splash of beautiful colour. We chose mainly neutral colours throughout - the bridesmaids were in taupe, boys in blue and taupe, my dress was ivory and champagne and our mams were in silvers and golds.”

“The ceremony and the ballroom set for the wedding breakfast were decorated by the amazing 5th Avenue Flowers with gorgeous gold and bronze vases, elegant glass candelabra, beautiful greenery and taupe flowers a splash of luxurious burgundy. We both adored the top table arrangement, which looked simply stunning against the white linen and the beautiful twinkle light curtains.

“We wanted the guests to be wowed when they walked into the venue and the 5th Avenue ladies achieved just that with the beautifully decorated staircase. The inclusion of herbs in the floral arrangements gave off a wonderful smell throughout and as guests entered.”

“We had a look through the internet and found Bowburn almost straight away. Before we had even been for a viewing I had a really good feeling about it and after Charlie, the manager, showed us around I knew it was the place I would marry Paul! We didn’t look at a single other venue! The fact we could have the whole venue, including the hotel rooms all to ourselves made it all the more special! We didn’t have to worry about family booking hotels and knew the whole day would be just about our family and friends having a wonderful time!”

“Our ceremony took place in the main ballroom at Bowburn. We loved the feel of the room - classic with modern touches and the view out onto the gorgeous gardens. As we had exclusive hire of the venue this meant we could go where we wanted to and use the space as we liked. The drinks reception was held in the conservatory with the live musician playing to the guests. Mingling, drinking and canapés then ventured outside for group photos and the confetti toss! The main wedding breakfast was back in the ballroom and then back out into the bar for the evening guests arriving! The first dance was held back in the ballroom, but with 172 guests at the evening reception we made full use of the other rooms for the evening celebrations.”

“The team at Bowburn were absolutely fantastic! From our very first meeting when Charlie showed us around we felt as if our wedding was actually important to them. They couldn’t do enough for us! Speedy replies to any and all email queries from Charlie, Callum, Sharon and Lucy - as much help as we needed. On the day all the staff were superb! All our guests commented on how attentive the staff were and they made the day run so smoothly! This carried on to the day after when we were checking out. A beautiful venue, which its staff are a complete credit to! We couldn’t recommend the venue enough to brides as a perfect place for a wonderful wedding!”

“Our photographer was the amazing Jamie McElderry. We didn’t want anything too stuffy or staged - natural but still capture the group shots we could treasure. We had shortlisted two - Jamie and a second photographer. I decided to make a call to both to get a better idea of their thoughts and what I could expect from the day. I only made a call to Jamie. Speaking to him I knew he was exactly what I wanted from a photographer and I couldn’t wait for the pre-shoot!

“From our first meeting at the pre-shoot Jamie put us at ease. We were both a little nervous about being in front of the camera all day, but Jamie talked us through it step-by-step and we couldn’t have felt more relaxed and comfortable on the day with him taking the lead, which I feel shows in the wonderful finished article! He is very reasonably priced for the fantastic quality he provides and we couldn’t be any happier with the final results!

“Jamie is such a likeable guy and put all the guests at ease while he was doing what he does best. He had worked at Bowburn several times before, so knew lots of great spots for the best pictures, which I thought was a massive bonus and meant less time away from the party looking for good light! A mix of pictures in the gardens, on the staircase, by the fountains and the walled garden made for a wonderful range of photos and memories to treasure.”

What was your highlight of the day?

“When Paul turned around and I saw his face as I walked down the aisle. I can honestly say I’ve never been so happy in all my life. Every single photo on the day I have the biggest smile on my face! I was on cloud nine all day! Having all our friends and family together sharing the special time with us was just perfect.”

For real wedding inspiration, visit our dedicated real wedding section, or to find out more about Bowburn Hall, take a look at our dedicated venue guide.