A fairy tale day, brought to life for Gemma and Dave at The Pumping House.
Why did you choose The Pumping House for your special day?
I’d had remembered seeing pictures on Facebook even before we got engaged. The Pumping House must have stood out, and it was the first venue we visited. Jo made us feel very welcome and at ease. I knew straight away that it would be perfect for us. Although we did still go onto see 4 other venues our hearts remained set on The Pumping House.
We loved the parquet flooring as it works with any colour scheme. The Engine Hall lets in lots of natural light and is large enough that you don’t have to clear away any tables to make room for the dance floor.
We loved all the quirky rooms upstairs and the second bar in the conservatory. We knew there would be plenty of photo opportunities, even if the weather wasn’t great, however we were very lucky with the weather on the day! The Venue is stunning enough even without adding your own touches.
The icing on the cake was the fact the The Quarters (accommodation) was ready just in time for our wedding, so once arriving at the venue we could relax in the stunning bridal suite.
Every love story is unique – tell us yours?!
We met online and after a few weeks of sending messages had our first date at crazy golf! I didn’t know at this point just how much Dave loves his golf! We got engaged just over 3 years later on Christmas day, 2016.
Did you have a specific theme in mind when planning your wedding?
The first thing we did was to pick a colour scheme, from here everything from the invites to decorations could tie in and complement the venue. I envisaged a very classic look and wanted to make sure to inject some subtle colour with the flowers.
Describe your table/room decorations?
Most of the decorations were bought and modified to tie in with the look we wanted. I handmade all the name places, reservation signs, table plan etc and we painted the easel and frame for the table plan to match.
The plinths outside were adorned with two box hedges in aged planters, complete with fairy lights for the evening guests to see. The entrance had the table plan which was on an easel with some flowers and foliage across the top. At the foot of the easel we had some pots filled with gypsophilia and a welcome sign.
I was after an elegant look so wanted nothing too fussy on the tables. We decided upon wreaths of flowers to surround candle lit jars. The table numbers were spray painted so that they were the right shade of gold to tone in. We collected lots of glass candle holders from charity shops to nestle in amongst the flowers for the top table and create impact.
Mum didn’t a fantastic job making the cake and spent hours practicing to get the sleek edges I’d asked for! It was set off using some gold leaf and a and Mr and Mrs Turton cake topper as a finishing touch!
I couldn’t wait to see all the decorations in place with the flowers to complete the look.
Your favourite part of the day? Were there any stand out moments?
There were so many but the moment that sticks out is walking down the aisle and seeing Dave’s reaction to how I looked. My heart was thumping as over a year’s worth of planning and anticipation was finally here.
What music was the centre of your day – first dance? Walking down the aisle?
Hard to choose, probably walking down the aisle, we chose Adele – Make You Feel My Love. We’d chosen this song from the start.
Describe your wedding day in 5 words?
Amazing, beautiful, stunning, perfect, happy……………….over too quickly!
What was your must-have wedding day accessory?
I loved my hair piece and earrings! The finishing touches really stood out.
Tell us a little about your outfits?
My dress was by Mori Lee from The Dress Place in Nottingham. It was the first appointment I’d made to try on dresses and my mind was made up straight away once I’d tried it on. I also had a lace bolero, which I wore for the ceremony and took off for the evening do to create a different look.
My bridesmaids also had Mori Lee dresses from The Dress Place in a beautiful slate colour. My sister’s dress was slightly different to my two other bridesmaids as she was Maid of Honour. They looked stunning!
My hair was done by Sarah at Rock ‘n Roller and my make up by Josephine Way.
The Groom and Groom’s Men had Blue suits with a lilac tie and handkerchief to match the colour scheme.
What was on the menu?
Starter:
Smoked Haddock Fishcake with Tartare Sauce
Chicken Liver & Brandy Pate, Cranberry Sauce, Granary Bread
Garlic Mushrooms with Sourdough Bread
Main:
Pan Fried Chicken Breast with a White Wine, Cream & Tarragon Sauce
Roast Sirloin of Locally Reared Beef, Yorkshire Puddings, Rich Red Wine Gravy
Mushroom & Squash Wellington
Dessert:
Tiramisu (My favourite!)
Cheese & Biscuits (Dave’s favourite!)
In the evening we opted for the Street Food, which we went down very well!
Following your wedding day – what advice would you now give to newly engaged couples planning their wedding day?
We made sure to book everything early so it was just a case of filling in the gaps along the way, without getting too stressed. I spent a lot of time on Pinterest and had endless lists! It helped having a colour theme to work to.
