Stephanie & Tim married with us at the very end of December between Christmas & New Year and generously agreed to share the details of their beautifully festive wedding day at Great Fosters, which even included a christening too!

How long have you been together and how was the proposal?

We have been together for five years and Tim popped the question on Christmas Day 2022 over a game of Articulate.

How did you start planning your wedding? What were your first steps?

We started planning in January 2023 and our first decision was to choose a venue and our second on whether we wanted our ceremony in a church or the same venue as the reception.

A big open space/converted barn type set up was critical for us. We didn’t actually visit any other venues as we saw the Tithe Barn and were sold straight away. We saw it in all its glory laid up with lights and tables etc at a showcase.

Describe the 1st time you visited Great Fosters.

Driving up to the venue was unreal, very grand and immaculate. The smell through the front door, the old but well-kept interior. Amazing!

How long did you take between becoming engaged and tying the knot?

One year and five days!

What was your colour scheme / theme? Where did you find the inspiration for your wedding day?

We decided on gold, black and white.  We used Etsy a lot for stationery but our invitations were designed by Rachel at Ivy White (one of our recommended suppliers) and she assisted us a great deal.

What cultures, traditions, quirks or unusual ideas did you incorporate into your day?

We didn’t do wedding favours, instead we ran a sweepstake to guess the length of time for the speeches, and awarded a bottle of Champagne to the winner! It went down well!

Also, the Singing Waiters were brilliant (as you can see from the photos below!)!

How did you find the perfect dresses? How many shops did you need to visit / dresses did you try on before you found The One?

Steph visited three local shops. She tried on 5-6 dresses then was lucky enough to find the one!  The bridesmaids wore floaty burgundy floor length dresses with white fur wraps.

Tell us what the Groom & Groomsmen wore.

Tim wore a black velvet blazer with silk lapels, black velvet bowtie with black silk cummerbund and black dress trousers.
Groomsmen – black velvet blazer with silk lapels, black velvet bowtie with black double-breasted waistcoat. Black dress trousers.

What menu did you choose?

After our menu tasting we chose:

Starter – Artichoke Soup with Crispy Egg and Rapeseed Oil
Main – Slow Cooked Beef Cheek with Smoked Potato, Bacon and Mushrooms
Dessert – Milk Chocolate Ganache with Peanut and Salted Caramel

What was your favourite moment of the day?

The church ceremony, our wedding breakfast and the party!

What was your first dance?

Little things by One Direction

Any top tips that you’d like to share for future Great Fosters couples?

Enjoy every moment as within a blink of an eye, it’s over!

Looking back, is there anything you’d do differently?

Nothing at all!

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

Thank you to a great team of people that made our day fabulous.

Our suppliers that helped us to create our day were:

Photographer – Simon Pope at BeUnveiled
Rolls Royce Hire – David Emin at Connect Limos
Toastmaster – Dominic Ingram
The Best Singing Waiters

And finally…… three words that best describe your day?

Perfect. Incredible. Love.

Steph & Tim, thank you for sharing your festive wedding with us.

Take a look if you are thinking of planning your own wedding at Great Fosters.