A note from us…
Where to start with Hannah and Adam?! Hannah beamed from ear to ear all day – she looked AMAZING! As cliché as it may sound, their day was filled with so much love and laughter and we feel so honoured to have been a part of it. They were an absolute delight to work with from the very first time we met them and they really do hold such a special place in our hearts. Thank you to the lovely Anna from Pear & Bear Photography for the beautiful images below and to Hannah and Adam for being an absolute dream…
Why did you choose the Pumping House for your special day?
For our special day, we really wanted a venue which combined an industrial look with the feel of ‘being in the middle of nowhere’. For some time, we had viewed other venues to find they weren’t right for us, and had almost admitted defeat because we seemingly were never going to find something we loved. So, we decided to go back to the drawing board, and booked a viewing for The Pumping House. Perhaps cliche, but as soon as we arrived, we knew it was the venue for us. The stunning exterior was exactly what we had pictured, but the sheer size of the building and surrounding area blew us away. Then, once we walked through the double doors and explored the amazing spaces within, it only further confirmed to us that this was where we would become Mr and Mrs Willert.
The venue offered us the opportunity to customise all aspects of our wedding from start to finish, meaning it truly was right for us. In particular, The Quarters at The Pumping House are absolutely stunning and incredibly spacious and comfortable – this was perfect as we really wanted a venue that could accommodate our bridal preparations.
Every love story is unique – tell us yours?
We are both teachers at the same school. We had been together for 4 years when Adam proposed in early December 2017. In our 4 years prior to engagement, we had been fortunate to have visited 12 countries together. Although we love ‘everyday life’, our mutual passion for travelling and exploring new things in each others company is something we have done from the day we met and continue to do.
The story of our relationship, like all, is not always seamless. About 4 months after we had booked The Pumping House, we received the news that Adam would need to have major spinal surgery due to a severe compression on his spinal cord. This compression caused Adam to begin losing balance and feeling in his legs. So, at the start of the year of our wedding, Adam had major surgery, taking 9 hours which carried the risk of paralysis. Thankfully, Adam responded well with the support of Hannah from his release from hospital, and throughout his recovery and rehabilitation. Going through this chapter in our story put wedding planning and more into perspective for us; and in truth, more ready for married life than anything in the wonderful years we’d spent together prior to becoming Mr and Mrs Willert.
We can’t thank Adam’s parents, our family, friends, Ellie and The Pumping House team enough for their support and understanding.
What was your highlight of the day?
Following our wedding ceremony as the nerves were gradually dying down and the most indescribable crazy-happy feeling was taking over, we had our first drink and private moment as husband and wife in the Bridal Boutique. Amongst everything that happened on the best day of our lives, we remember and cherish every detail of the 10 minutes we took to be just the two of us in a beautiful space, prior to the remainder of the day with our wonderful family and friends.
What advice would you give to couples planning their special day?
There is heaps of ‘wedding advice’ out there and it can be overwhelming. For us, taking your time and remembering that the day is about you as a couple and gaining your own perspective from this would be the only advice we would offer. At present, there are many couples who have had to put their wedding plans on hold – be assured that like all good things, it will be worth the wait.
What was on the menu?
Gail Dandy and her catering team were incredible. We chose to have tapas as our ‘wedding breakfast’ as we’re fans of informal dining and wanted something our guests would remember. To start, we went for a sociable anti-pasti board. This was followed by a range of tapas dishes including gambas pil-pil, patatas bravas and pinchitos. We concluded the meal with a trio of desserts; profiteroles, sorbet and biscotti.
In the evening, we opted for street food crates. Guests enjoyed our customised stonebaked pizzas, along with burgers, wedges and chicken. A member of The Pumping House staff kindly delivered a pizza to our Bridal Suite for us to enjoy.
Our beautiful wedding cake was also served in the evening. Local cake maker Dawn Dunn had created 3 scrumptious tiers; strawberries and champagne, lemon and white chocolate and chocolate orange.
What was your inspiration for the day?
The Pumping House is such a beautiful yet diverse venue; we honestly used this as our inspiration. For us, we knew that we wanted a relaxed atmosphere and to make our day as unique and true to us as possible. The Pumping House perfectly complimented our attitude towards how we wanted to feel on our wedding day.
The Dream Team…
Everyone was outstanding and played a huge part in ensuring our day came together as we’d hoped.
Florist – Peonies and Plumes. Danielle was incredible! We arrived to meet her with so many ideas and she was able to create exactly what we described to her. My bridal bouquet was an absolute dream, I wanted it to be big and full, whilst having delicate roses at the same time. We got married under an arch of the most beautiful greenery…Everything else, from the buttonholes to the flower girls embroidery hoop provided the most stunning detail for our big day.
Make-Up – Beauty by LD. Laura is my cousin, and I felt so lucky that she was able to work with me to achieve the look I wanted on my wedding day.
Photography – Pear and Bear. The Pumping House is such a stunning location, the big windows and luscious grounds create the most stunning lighting. Anna captured our day beautifully, we are over the moon with our photographs. The day goes so quickly, but we have images of every detail that we spent so long planning for and putting together.
Ellie and The Pumping House team – we honestly could not have wished for a more professional, friendly and experienced team throughout the preparation for our wedding and on the day itself. Ellie thank you so much for always being able to answer the most obscure of questions, and always being understanding and reassuring.
