Winter wonderland

A candle-lit room filled with white f lowers and the scent of pine brought the spirit of the season to James and Laura’s wedding

James Stamp and Laura Neilson

Where: Ceremony and reception at Carlton Towers, Goole

Photography: Richard Wynn-Davies

We decided right away that we wanted a winter wedding and although we live in London, Yorkshire was the obvious choice as we both have so much family here. We instantly fell in love with Carlton Towers. Not only was the beautiful old gothic building the perfect setting for a winter wedding, but we could have proper beer which was high on the list of priorities for James.

I had a fair idea of what I wanted for my dress, but I was determined to try on an array of styles. I left the first shop having put a deposit down on exactly the style I wanted – an elegant, fitted, lace gown with a slight vintage feel. With such a classic style we went for long dresses for the bridesmaids and morning coats for James and the boys.

I spent the night before the wedding at Carlton Towers with my close family and bridesmaids and James spent the night in the local pub with his parents and best men. It was so exciting to wake up in the wedding venue itself and it meant me and the girls could have a lovely relaxing morning getting our hair and make-up done.

We wanted a relaxed, informal feel to the ceremony and searched for weeks for a reading that was sweet, humorous and unique and finally we found Love Monkey by Edward Monkton which was delivered perfectly by James’s sister, Karen Dawson.

After the ceremony we headed straight outside to make the most of the late afternoon light for the photographs.

My dad, Alastair, has played the bagpipes at many weddings so it was wonderful to have him pipe us into the wedding breakfast. The room looked absolutely stunning, full of white flowers, pine and candles, creating the perfect winter setting we were after. We had the speeches after the starters so the boys could relax and enjoy their dinner. After dinner we cut the cake made by my godmother, Christine Rowbottom, before moving on to the first dance.

WHO DID WHAT

Photography: Richard Wynn-Davies, 07762 132361, www.richardwynndavies.co.uk

Venue: Carlton Towers, Carlton, Goole, 01405 861662, www.carltontowers.co.uk

Dress: Justin Alexander, www.justinalexanderbridal.com

Accessories: Diane Hassall shoes, www.rainbowshoes.co.uk

Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alfred Angelo, www.alfredangelo.com

Hair: Chloe Wilson, Blonde Fury, 07816 221295, www.blondefury.co.uk

Make-up: Natalie Willingham, 07772 887004, www.nataliewillingham.co.uk

Groom’s outfit: Moss Bros, www.moss.co.uk

Flowers: Chrissie Wright, Horti-couture, Huddersfield, 07932 488943, www.horti-couture.co.uk

Cake: Christine Rowbottom (bride’s godmother)

Catering: Carlton Towers; Buckles Catering, Selby, 01757 704845, www.bucklescatering.co.uk

Venue Dresser: Horti-couture

Entertainment: The Endymion String Quartet, Manchester, 07515 460745, www.endymionstringquartet.com; DJ Harvey Westwood, D2.djs, 07973 803456, www.djharveywestwood.co.uk