Heaton House Farm was home to Sally and Andy’s friends and family for their big day, and they truly made it their own. The couple managed to make every aspect of their day personal, with individual poems for each guests, and a table of family weddings photos of those who were missed on the day. With gorgeous purple and aubergine autumn accents and plenty of fun, these photos show a fun and memorable event.
The couple: Sally, a secondary school teacher, and Andy, a civil engineer
Length of engagement: 10 months
Wedding date: 28th October 2011
Wedding ceremony & reception: Heaton House Farm
Wedding photographer: Daniel Killoran, Hale, Cheshire
We met… on a night out in Manchester at One Central Club.
Your first impressions of Andy… good looking, intriguing and slightly shy.
Andy’s first impressions of you… beautiful, intelligent and determined!
Our proposal… We were on a snowboarding holiday in Breckenridge, USA, for Christmas and New Year 2010. On Christmas morning he gave me my presents then we hit the mountain. At the top of a black diamond run, the rest of our group disappeared. I wanted to go after them but Andy stopped me saying he wanted me to look at the view – I nearly went down after them and left him at the top ! Luckily he persuaded me to go look, and out of his backpack he then produced an ‘extra’ Christmas present all wrapped up. I had no idea he was going to do it – I opened the box still not cottoning on then inside the box was a sparkling ring ! He tried to get down on one knee but it was kind of hard in deep snow ! It was completely magical and of course I said yes – so glad I didn’t follow the others down the run now!
My favourite part of the day… Seeing Andy’s reaction as I walked down the aisle and feeling like I was floating on air all day!
Our ceremony… We had a civil ceremony at Heaton, – no one told me how nervous I would be when the music started playing – my knees went to complete jelly! It was magical and having friends and family there to watch us make our vows was perfect. We had friends do readings and the ceremony was filled with laughs as well as the serious side.
My dress… I knew I wanted simple but stunning. It had a sweetheart neckline, the detail was in the material and the train was at the side and back. It was simple and classic, I loved it and loved wearing it!
Our wedding colours and inspiration… Our colours were purples and aubergines, it was very autumnal. I used Confetti to look at past weddings and gain inspiration for our special day. I used the links on the website to help with ideas I had to see if they could be achieved – it was a fantastic source of inspiration to me.
We chose our venue because… we loved Heaton House Farm from the very first time we saw it. The setting was perfect, the views absolutely stunning and the staff so welcoming and happy to help in any way they could – it was the first place we looked at and we booked it on the day we went to see it. Having the venue exclusively was one of the selling points and having a blank canvas to work with was fantastic too – we just knew it would be absolutely perfect and it was, it was absolutely magical!
Our first dance song… Depeche Mode Just Can’t Get Enough!
My advice to other brides… Go with your ‘gut’ instinct. We did this with the venue, photographer, florist and caterers and they were all absolutely out of this world and did much more than we expected. We worked with people we liked and I think this helps a lot.
Keep a spreadsheet – Andy laughs that me and Excel organised the wedding !
Add in personal touches to the day – our favours were personal poems about each of our guests – they went down really well and show how much you care about the people there sharing your day with you. We had pictures of past generations in our families on show and named the tables after them for an extra special feel.
You may have two dresses you like – go away think about it – I walked around Waitrose for half an hour with an empty trolley worrying about it! I went back with a fresh mind the next week, tried both on, and instantly knew which one I wanted!
No one tells you just how emotional hearing the music to walk down the aisle to will make you feel – my poor dad nearly lost circulation in his arm!
Enjoy absolutely every minute of the planning and the day – enjoy all your friends and family been in one place celebrating with you. It’s your day – do it your way!
Exclusively yours for the day, Heaton House Farm is set in 165 acres of scenic undulating countryside with breath-taking views across three shires. The venue is cunningly disguised behind a farming facade to surprise and impress the couple and the guests. The venue offers bespoke service, they listen to the couple’s wishes and requirements and work with them to create the wedding of their dreams, instead of offering a set package.
