Kim and John has always dreamt of a traditional, white, winter wedding, and all their wedding wishes came true, as on the morning of their celebration they were greeted with a beautiful backdrop of freshly laid snow.

“The snow had such an impact on the day. We woke up at 6am and there was no snow, but by the time breakfast had started the ground was covered. It made for a very nerve-racking car journey to the church and the bridesmaids had to abandon their crystal sandals for snow boots under their dresses. It wasn’t what we were expecting, but the whole experience on the day was totally magical.”

After a gorgeous church ceremony, Kim and John were whisked away to the stunning setting of Hardwick Hall Hotel, where they celebrated their marriage with their friends and family. To complement the white wedding theme, Kim included misty blue hues and fresh white flowers, as the finishing touches for the winter scene Kim had always envisaged.

“We really wanted a romantic fairytale day full of sparkle and candlelight. The colour scheme was white and neutral tones of grey and our flowers were a very important part of the wedding. We had lots of beautiful white flowers including roses, silk hydrandea and peonies and an abundance of gypsopilia, ferns and eucalyptus in huge crystal candelabra. In the church we had big organza bows with ivy and roses decorating the pews and candles. In the reception there were candles all around the venue.

“We chose the venue as the staff are always very helpful, the food is delicious and it is close to home (we were conscious of the wedding date being in December), plus the park is beautiful for photographs.

“The staff at Hardwick Hall really went above and beyond on our wedding day. They made us feel like everything was under control when I started to panic about the snow! The general manager was even out shoveling the snow from the driveway to make sure the wedding cars and all of our guests could get to and from the church.

“I also stayed the night before the wedding and had a fantastic meal with my bridesmaids. They had dressed the table and we had a great night.”

When it came to capturing this special day Kim couldn’t give the job to anyone else, but her father, John, who is a professional photographer. “I couldn’t get anyone else to do the job – it had to be my dad!” John from Grange Photography added: “The photos are incredible. So, special. In 16 years of taking wedding photographs I have never experienced anything like this snow!”

Advice for other brides and grooms?

“Take some time together, you will never realise how fast the day will fly over.”

What was your highlight of the day?

“I honestly loved every minute, but travelling to the church with my dad in our wedding car in the blizzard and arriving at the church where everyone was playing snowballs and sledging was magical.”

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