A note from us…
Millie and Pete – what a wedding! We have absolutely loved working with this wonderful couple over the last year or so and to watch them get married back in March, truly was a joy. Their team of suppliers (listed below) were a pleasure for us to work with and as Millie explains below, captured their vision perfectly. A massive thank you to Millie and Pete for letting us share their day and to the ever lovely Sam Hook for sending over yet another gorgeous album for us to swoon over – now let’s hand over to the newlyweds…
*Naked flames are not permitted at the venue however can be lit for a photograph opportunity.
Why did you choose the Pumping House for your special day?
After weeks of searching for possible wedding venues in the midlands The Pumping House was the first wedding venue we visited, and during the visit we knew it was the one. We absolutely loved the architecture of the building, how iconic it was, and the forest setting which it is laid is so idyllic and naturally beautiful. It had the WOW factor! The venue had such a good feel to it and caused such a mixed range of emotions. We got emotional at many points during our first visit such as, in the ceremony room at the thought of us getting married there, looking over the mezzanine at all of our family and friends, and imagining our guests greeting us into the Engine Room for the wedding reception as husband and wife. We also really loved the fact that the Pumping House had so much accommodation available. Due to the amount of accommodation available at the Pumping House we were able to have a number of our friends staying at the venue which ensured the dancefloor was full until the very end!
Every love story is unique – tell us yours?
Our eyes first met during McDonald’s new employee inductions in 2010 but it wasn’t until around 2 years later that we started to get to know each other and then realising that we were meant for each other. Our love began to blossom during nights out in Melton Mowbray dancing to our favourite artist, Pitbull. During the period of us getting to know each other Pete dislocated his shoulder, which meant he could no longer drive himself around. Some say Pete did this on purpose so that he would have to get a lift to college with Millie everyday, and had more time to work his charm. We then shared a few dates most of which were to Nandos, because that’s all we could afford back then, and then Pete asked Millie to be his girlfriend on 25/03/2012. In September 2018, Pete proposed. Pete arranged a surprise 3 night trip within our holiday taking us to Ronda and then on to Saville. Whilst in Ronda we stayed in a hotel suite with a balcony overlooking the El Tajo gorge. After a day of sight-seeing, drinking Spanish wine, and enjoying the local cuisine Pete proposed to me in the hotel suite before heading out for our evening meal. Pete had hoped some magical words would come to him during the proposal like in the movies but it didn’t. He was nervous, I started crying in joy, it was a magical moment. We then headed off to Saville to enjoy more sight-seeing, Spanish wine and tapas!
What was your highlight of the day?
The highlight of the day was our guests. Given that the majority of our family and friends are from Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire and that we’re now living it Winchester, it was absolutely amazing to see all of our favourite people in the same place, and for such a joyous occasion. In terms of the specific moment, our favourite bit was being welcomed by our guests into the Engine Hall for the first time as Mr and Mrs Thorpe.
What advice would you give to couple planning their special day?
There are a lot of suppliers out there so our best advice would be to carry out a lot of research on potential suppliers even before making contact with them. Use Google, Facebook, their website, etc. to look at their previous work and their couples feedback. Furthermore after selecting suppliers be sure to be in frequent contact with them and build up a good relationship with them. These are very much a part of your big day, as much so as members of your bride and groom’s parties. When you start to get to know them you will begin to know if they’re right for your wedding or not. Despite most suppliers doing weddings each week they should still be passionate and motivated to make your dream day come to life. We loved all of the suppliers in our dream team and are sad that all of our meetings and wedding day is over!
What was on the menu?
Starters
Chicken and brandy liver pate, port and cranberry sauce and toasted granary bread
Mushrooms in a cream, tarragon and white wine sauce with crusty bread
Mains
‘Host a Roast Style’ Leg of lamb with roasted vegetables and dauphinoise potatoes
Roast vegetable lasagne
Dessert
A bespoke assiette of: Eton mess, chocolate brownie and a blackberry, elderflower jelly
We chose the ‘Host a Roast’ leg of lamb because we loved the theatre it would bring with having someone at each table being the designated carver. Lamb is also our go to meat whenever we are celebrating a special occasion. We go to Spain frequently and always visit a restaurant called Los Abanicos in Benahavis who do this amazing slow cooked leg of lamb dish. For the rest of the menu we chose dishes that we personally love to eat too. Millie is a lover of puddings, especially chocolate brownies, so having 3 different puddings per person was the only option!
What was your inspiration for the day?
Our inspiration for our wedding styling was largely influenced by the character and setting of the venue, and also by the fact we had chosen to get married in Spring. We wanted all of the styling to compliment this. Inspired by my love of Disney and all things magical, I had the idea of using as much candle lighting as possible throughout the venue, in particular making use of floating candles. Our florists, Marc and Keith of Vaas, were absolutely amazing in developing our ideas and turning them into a reality.
Our ceremony room included an aisle completely lined with cylinder vases which included a mixture of pillar and floating candles. We had originally wanted to go with an arch decorated with flowers as a centre piece for the ceremony, however during discussions with our florists we decided to come up with something more unique. We decided to go with two 8 foot pillars that would be decorated with seasonal foliage that would be position either side of the registrars table at the front.
In the Engine Hall our table layout consisted of 3 round tables in the centre along with 2 long tables either side of those, and a sweetheart table at the front. We wanted to make use of the height available in the Engine Hall so wanted the table decorations on the centre tables to have some height to them. Marc and Keith created the most amazing design for our centre tables which consisted of 4ft tall glass vases exploding with foliage at the top, then surrounded by an array of floating candles. Our long tables were decorated with a range of mosses and miniature conifer trees that then had a range of pillar and dinner candles positioned throughout.
We are so pleased how it all came together and would like to especially thank Marc and Keith at Vaas Florists, and Ellie and the team at the Pumping House for making the venue look amazing for the day.
The Dream Team…
Photographer – Sam Hook https://samanthahook.co.uk
Videographer – Visions of Grace https://www.visionsofgrace.co.uk
Florist – Vaas https://www.vaas.co.uk
Live Music – Mark Elliot https://www.markjohnwedding.com
Cake and Favours – Lara (Maid of Honour) Insta Handle – @pineappleandflamingo_
Hair – Helen Sutcliffe http://www.helensutcliffehair.co.uk
Make-Up – Rochelle O’Brien http://rochelleobrien.co.uk
Millie’s Dress – Justin Alexander from Confetti and Lace https://www.confettiandlace.com
Pete’s Suit – Moss Bros https://www.moss.co.uk
Bridesmaid Dresses – Adrianna Papell from John Lewis https://www.johnlewis.com
Groomsmen Suits – Astares Menswear https://astares.co.uk
Welcome Signs – Instagram Handle @Meeanddesdesigns
Seating Plan, Place Cards and Promises – Wild Calligraphy https://www.wildcalligraphygb.com
Peacock Chairs, Top Table and Postbox – Save the Date Event Stylists https://www.savethedateeventstylist.com
Doughnut Wall – Doughnotts https://www.doughnottsofficial.com
Pyjamas and Dressing Gowns – Jean Alice Robes and Design https://www.jeanalice.com
Confetti and Tissue Packets – Dollz Confetti http://dollzconfetti.co.uk
