Kayleigh and Andrew first met on a night out back in 2011, and fast-forward to August 3rd and the couple tied the knot in the gorgeous setting of South Causey Inn. “We met on a night out back in 2011. My friend and his friend were interested in each other and we were meant to be the wing woman and wingman for the evening. Well, let’s just say we weren’t very good at that and we ended up being the ones dating each other. After a few dates, we made it official and the rest is history.”

“We always knew we would have quite a large wedding because both of us are from large families and we wanted the day to be quite relaxed, cosy and rustic. The South Causey Inn was perfect for what we envisioned as it has so many quirky features and that all important rustic vibe. The Old Barn venue has cosy fireplaces, blossom trees draping from the wooden beams and breathtaking views of the countryside.

“Both of us are really laid-back so we didn’t have a rigid image in mind about how we wanted the day to run – all we knew was that we wanted to make sure we both spent plenty of time together enjoying the day and we wanted our guests to feel comfortable and have a fun time. We tried to make our guests our priority, so we were thrilled with the fact that the South Causey allowed everyone to have four choices per course, along with wine choices (and there really was plenty of wine served)."

“I spent quite a bit of time in the few days before the wedding putting together a ‘Pimp my Drink’ station as I knew that a lot of our guests like to drink in style. It contained; jars of fruit; bottles of various cordials; Prosecco shimmer and gin botanicals, which many of the guests were thrilled with. Styling the room was easy as this was provided as part of the brilliant platinum package that the venue offers. To complement our theme, and The Old Barn reception room, we opted for the log slices, mason jars containing floral arrangements and tea lights.

“When we stopped for a moment to look around the room and soak it all in, we realised that our wedding was everything we had hoped and planned for as our friends and family were laughing and having fun - whether this was in the photo booth dressed up in crazy props, experimenting at the drink station, dancing to their choice of music on the dance floor or trying their luck at the casino table. Also, more importantly WE were having the best day ever. What more could you

ask for?”

“I attended a wedding fair at the South Causey Inn with some of my friends and loved the rustic, cosy feel of the venue. After tasting their food, I knew this was the perfect venue for us. I returned that same weekend with Andrew and my parents, who are also foodies, and we all agreed that this was the perfect venue. I would highly recommend this venue to any bride and groom as they have a range of stunning venues and a range of packages, which can help making the planning a little less daunting. Their wedding team are brilliant! They were so helpful from start to finish, offering advice about styling the venue, making menu choices and more importantly they made us feel at ease big day.”

How did you choose your photographer?

“Choosing a photographer was something that we were both quite anxious about as we weren’t sure how confident we would be in front of a camera and we didn’t want to spend much of our day away from our guests having photographs taken. We had spoken to quite a few photographers at various wedding fairs but when we met Chris from Chocolate Chip Photography at a wedding fair at the Metro Radio Arena, we instantly fell in love with his work. A colleague of mine had used Chris to photograph her wedding a couple of years prior and she had recommended him, so I had heard of him before. As soon as we met Chris at the fair, we just knew we wanted him to photograph our day. Because he is so friendly and chatty, we felt at ease in his company and knew that his laid-back style of working would suit us. The main things that drew us in, was how natural the photographs were in his portfolio and he assured us that he would be able to do his job and get what he needed without pulling us away for long. After meeting up for a coffee and a further chat, we booked him straight away and we are thrilled with the way his images tell a story and capture the whole day perfectly.”

Advice for other brides and grooms?

“I would advise brides to have quite an open mind when starting their wedding dress shopping experiences as I was quite surprised by the dress I selected and I couldn’t have been happier with my choice.

“Our advice to other couples would be to try and stop at various points during the day and just soak it all up as the whole day goes by so quickly. Also, to try and not worry the night before the big day - just relax and trust that all of your planning and hard work will pay off and you will have the day you dreamed of.”

What was your highlight of the day?

“The whole day was spectacular from start to finish so it is really hard to pick a special highlight, but for me, it was that moment during the evening celebrations where we stopped and made a conscious effort to look around the room together and take it all in. Words can’t describe that feeling you get when you’re so happy and all of your friends and family are around you having fun and celebrating with you.”

For more real wedding inspiration, take a look at our dedicated real wedding section, or take a look at the glossy pages of our magazine.