There’s a special kind of excitement when a wedding we’ve played a small part in creating pops up in our inbox. It’s so wonderful to see how our beloved paper inventions have been interpreted and collated into seriously stunning celebrations as a whole. Today’s celebration may be the epitome of the perfect English country pile wedding, with dapper chaps in morning suits, glorious pastel hues and a beautiful lace gown with detail almost too delicate to believe.
Blenheim is without question considered to be one of England’s finest backdrops to host a wedding reception, with elegant grandeur oozing from every facade, every gilded corner and each expertly conserved artefact that graces its endless walls.
A true masterpiece in Baroque architecture and perfectly situated in its own 2000 acres of expertly manicured parklands and formal gardens, we’ve been so very lucky to see several of our gorgeous couples choose this special location as their wedding and reception venue.
Emily and James’ big day took place on 14th April this year, with hazy Spring sunshine and smiles in abundance, with their ceremony taking place in a village close to their hearts. After a chance taken at online dating, Emily and James’ romance flourished to the classically beautiful celebration you see before you today!
“James and I met online – he was my first ever online date!” smiles Emily.
“We decided to get married in the church near to my parents village in the Cotswolds so we were looking for a reception venue local to the village. I had visited Blenheim many times before but didn’t know you could book it for a wedding until it came up in an online search.
I was so excited before I’d even arrived and walking around with James I fell in love. I love the light in the Orangery and seeing some of the images from previous weddings I could really envisage how gorgeous it could look.
“The staff at Blenheim Palace deserve a mention – Jo our events planner was just a joy and the chef and waiting staff were brilliant – lots of our guests commented on the yummy food!”
The couple truly focused on creating an incredible backdrop for their big day to wow guests and allow for the perfect atmosphere for an unforgettable party! You can only imagine the amount of time and care that went into curating such an classic yet stylish day, using Blenheim’s truly magnificent rooms to frame each detail the couple chose to perfection.
“For me it was all about creating a beautiful, impactful aesthetic – I wanted to take our guests breath away when they walked in the room. It wasn’t about one individual detail but the overall impression that all the combined elements made together – which is greater than the sum of the parts”, explains Emily.
“All the various pieces which contributed to the look were important to me and required time and thought – furniture, tableware, flowers, decoration and stationery. It took a lot of effort but it was worth it in the end.”
When it comes to finding suppliers for a venue such as Blenheim, it always helps to seek inspiration from previous weddings, to know that your suppliers truly understand the unique and often quirky aspects of working with a stately home.
“I used a combination of Blenheim’s own supplier list plus ones that I’d discovered myself through wedding magazines, websites and Pinterest. I took inspiration from previous weddings at Blenheim and wanted to use suppliers who knew the venue already”, states Emily.
This is often a really sensible and stress-reducing way of wedding planning, as these suppliers will know what works within the space, and how to best show off the features of the venue using elements such as colour, lighting and decor.
Emily and James’ choice of stationery was utterly perfect for the feel of their day (even if we do say so ourselves) and stands as a true testament to something we hold very dear; working in tandem with our couples to create a bespoke collection which clearly and honestly reflects both their wedding and their personalities.
“I found images of some amazing wedding stationery designed specifically for Blenheim and discovered the creator was EYI Love. My initials are EY – my stationer already loved me – I knew it was destiny!
I wanted something bespoke for our wedding so I worked with Jack to interweave elements of Blenheim and our initials – the end result was elegant and beautiful. EYI Love were amazing – Jack was so patient and helpful whilst I worked through my designs and I was thrilled with the results.”
Having a great bond with your suppliers is crucial, and a key element in creating both a beautiful and ultimately an enjoyable and stress-free big day. The photos, supplied by the incredible Kate Hopewell-Smith, are a gorgeous reminder of how working with your suppliers and sharing your vision can culminate in a breathtaking, elegant day filled with joy, romance and sheer beauty.
“All my suppliers were so wonderful. My photographer Kate Hopewell-Smith was a massive highlight – I felt quite privileged to work with her and her fiance – the photos from the day are just so beautiful. My florist Emma Walker was a special highlight – she is such a lovely person and she did so much more than just flowers.”
Using Emily’s chosen subtle palette, with soft hues of blush and ivory with classic foliage and quintessentially English roses, Emma used her amazing talents to add height and depth, creating uniquely beautiful arrangements to suit the couple’s requirements.
“As well as creating bouquets and buttonholes, she created table centrepieces of different heights, candelabras and tealights which created a beautiful atmosphere after dinner, filled vases with little flowers on the table, petal strewn steps as guests walked in, giant urns spilling over with flowers at the entrances and so much more. Both she and her work were a delight.”
“My make up artist Gemma Sutton and her team were also a big part of my day – she is so lovely and talented – it felt strange having to leave her at the hotel! Those 3 ladies really made my day – I basically want to be best friends with them!”
Other special suppliers on the day included Nick, from The Private Collection, who supplied the gorgeous car, as well of plenty of friendly reassurance and lots of champagne on the drive to Blenheim for the happy couple!
The couple also enlisted the help of Virtual Events, who supplied their photo booth which went down a storm with guests, providing plenty of laughs.
“It was a really fun part of the day – they even kindly made sure all the photos made it into the guest book on the night!”
It was an absolute pleasure to work alongside Emily and James to create their stationery suite for their stunning big day! We’d like to thank Emily for telling us all about their celebrations and hope that they had a wonderful time on the surprise honeymoon James planned for them. All the luck and love in the world to the new Mr & Mrs Hosford!
