Erin and Andy’s relationship started like all modern romances do; online. “We started chatting and kept in touch with each other for a few months. We decided to meet in March 2008 and Andy (who lived in Birmingham at the time) came to Newcastle for the weekend. We got on straight away. We went for a meal and had a walk down to the quayside. We had our first kiss on the Millennium Bridge. We started seeing each other and a job swap opportunity came up in the August, so Andy moved to the North East.”

Fast-forward to June 2018 and the couple tied the knot in the picture-perfect setting of Woodhill Hall. “We really wanted a day that was relaxed, quirky and fun, with all our favorite people. We wanted somewhere that all of Andy’s friends and family to travel up from Birmingham to spend the whole weekend celebrating with us. That’s why Woodhill Hall appealed to us so much; with their fantastic bedrooms and having the run of the venue for the whole weekend. It was the first venue we looked at and although we booked visits at a few more, we knew really that Woodhill Hall was the perfect venue for us, so we called off the search."

“I knew that I wanted a relaxed and whimsical enchanted style wedding that went with the whole vibe of Woodhill Hall. Andy and I spent lots of time making sure the day felt personalised, so we wrote our own vows with funny promises and chose readings for the ceremony. My bridesmaid and two man maids delivered a speech at the wedding breakfast as well as my dad, Andy and his brother, Paul (the best man). We has a biscuit bar, for the tea and coffee service after the wedding breakfast, with all our favorite biscuits. We named the tables after landmarks in New York, which was where we were heading to as part of our honeymoon trip, Boston, New York and then Mexico.”

“Being an events coordinator I am used to having lists and being super organised so the wedding was no different. Andy and I made all of the table names from wood; it was nice working on a project together in the run up to the big day. I really enjoyed the whole experience, researching, making Pinterest boards and making my ideas come to life. I really wanted unusual flowers and Hollie at Fleur Cloture definitely delivered. My bridal bouquet was amazing, better than I could have even imagined. I asked a friend of mine, Urban Alchemists to do the designs on our chalkboards, table plan and the wedding time line pallet. Another friend of mine (editdirect.co.uk) offered to do our wedding video as a gift, it was amazing we were so impressed with it he captured everything.”

Erin wore a gorgeous Stella York gown from The Blue Bow Bridal Company. “I visited quite a few shops to search for my perfect dress. Everyone got the same brief; I wanted something that looked like I could run through the fields in it. Relaxed, soft and floaty. I loved going around the bridal shops with my mam, it was lovely to share the experience with her. The girls at The Blue Bow Bridal Company were brilliant; they listened to exactly what I wanted. I really felt I could have a good look through the dresses. I was able to relax and try on as many as I wanted without feeling under pressure. When I chose my dress, the Stella York in the gorgeous moscato colour, it just really stood out to me. It was gorgeous with the French lace detailing on the top and the floaty French tulle on the bottom. It was light floaty and made me feel like a fairy. I loved it; it was definitely the perfect choice for me.”

How did you choose your photographer?

“David West was recommended to me from a friend. We hadn’t come across him, but when we looked him up and I just fell in love with his atmospheric pictures. I really love how he is able to capture the emotion of the day through his images. We got in touch, and arranged to meet and I knew from then he was the man for us. David actually went beyond our expectations on the day. He was brilliant as was Paige who assisted him. The whole morning experience was fantastic both Cheryl and Alice (hair and Mmke-up) were so relaxed and friendly. Charlotte my bridesmaid and I had such a lovely morning getting ready it was perfect.

“When I received the pictures beautifully presented in personalised wooden keepsake box, we were blown away. There are so many that we didn’t realise he had taken. He just captured the whole vibe perfectly; there was so much fun and laughter on the day it just oozes from the images.

“People always advise that as the bride and groom you should always sneak away to share time with each other as the day flies by so quickly. Because we felt so at ease with David, we really felt like those times when we were having pictures taken of just the two of us, were times that we could just chat, laugh and talk about the amazing day we had together. They are some of my favorite memories from the day as a whole.”

What was your highlight of the day?

"My dad’s face when he saw me for the first time, he made me cry. Then him walking me over to the ceremony, which was our favorite part of the day, it was funny relaxed and perfect. We had written our own vows with funny promises, such as Andy's, 'I promise not question the amount of ASOS parcels that turn up at the door, or complain when I have to send them back at the post office.' As well as mine, 'I promise to never use the voice activation to switch off the x box without at least two prior warnings.' We chose readings for the ceremony too so it felt personal. It was so special to have all of our loved ones in one room celebrating with us."

Advice for other brides and grooms?

"If you want to make your wedding feel personal then spend time choosing your readings and writing your vows. We found some of the ones you can choose from are old fashioned, and a bit soppy. However, we very nearly did not bother writing our own as we were running out of time and still felt like we had lots to do, but I’m so pleased that we did. It made it funny, personalised and The registrar commented on how nice it was to get an idea of who we actually were through the readings and vows. As the day nears the end you just feel like you want to bottle all the happiness up and save it forever, enjoy every second and take it all in."

Love the look of Woodhill Hall, then find out more about this amazing venue in our dedicated venue directory. For real wedding inspiration, take a look at the pretty pages of our brand new magazine, available online now.