On 28 May 2022 we were delighted to host the gorgeously romantic wedding of Laura and Lee. Navy blue, white, gold and lots of greenery were the inspiration for their late spring wedding, which took place in the historic barn here at Healing Manor Hotel. Switching it up from the traditional wedding the couple, who met on Tinder in 2017, included a two hour laser clay pigeon shoot after their wedding breakfast.
“When I first walked into the barn at Healing Manor I knew that it was our wedding venue. I always imagined getting married in a barn and this venue was perfect – I just fell in love with Healing Manor. Not only are the grounds gorgeous, it has a great on-site pub, plenty of accommodation and all of the rooms are decorated in a lovely style – we couldn’t have asked for more.”
Laura and Lee made a weekend out of their wedding, staying with us in the Manor the night before.
“We made a weekend of it and a number of us stayed at Healing Manor the night before the wedding. We had a meal in the restaurant and a few drinks in the bar. It extended the celebrations and made it feel even more special.”
The couple opted for a civil ceremony in the barn followed by a sit down, three course wedding breakfast. To plan their day, Laura and Lee worked with our in-house wedding team and stylists Love In The Limelight to dress the ceremony and reception areas.
“The planning of our wedding was quite straightforward but the key is to choosing the right suppliers. We wanted to use local suppliers and we were really lucky. Not only were they all lovely but made everything effortless too. On the day, everything ran so smoothly. I had nothing to think about and I know a lot of that is down to the staff at Healing Manor – I cannot thank them enough.”
“I wanted to keep everything quite natural. I am a plain Jane so knew I didn’t want bold colours or anything flamboyant. We chose a colour scheme that included navy blue, white, gold and lots of greenery. I worked closely with Jess at Love In The Limelight to incorporate these colours into the décor. Having looked at the décor of previous weddings at Healing Manor I decided on a navy chiffon drape from the beams at the end of the aisle, which on the day looked incredible. As we had an intimate wedding, I chose a U-shaped table set-up for the wedding breakfast, again dressed with navy chiffon, ruscus and gold candles and lanterns which was lovely.”
Lee and Laura run their own business, LB Lasering, so made all of their place names, drinks tokens and reserved signs.
“This is where we incorporated the gold colour – they were all made from gold mirrored acrylic which really made the place settings stand out.”
The florist was Julie at Julip Freelance Floristry.
“I knew I wanted lots of greenery in my bouquet and for it to look quite wild but Julie also managed to source a rose that matched the base colour of my dress. I absolutely adored my bouquet – it far exceeded my expectations. As an extra touch she attached two rings. They are rings from family members who couldn’t join us on our wedding day as they have passed but mean a lot to Lee and I.”
The day was captured so beautifully by photographer Rachel London Photography.
“After a lot of research, we booked Rachel to cover our wedding. Not only is she lovely but her photos are out of this world. We didn’t want many posed pictures and we knew that she would capture our day in a relaxed style. I will never tire of looking at her images. On the day, Rachel felt like a guest instead of a supplier. She got on with everyone and hopefully had a laugh with us.”
The bride wore a romantic, off-the-shoulder gown by Martina Liana via Jaynes Bridalwear in Lincoln.
“I chose this dress as it was so far from what I imagined I would wear on the big day. I always thought I would go for something plain with a high neck, but I went for completely the opposite!
“When I first tried the dress on I was unsure. It was lovely but I didn’t think it was me. When I looked back at the photos my mum had taken during the appointment, I couldn’t imagine not wearing it so bought it instantly.”
“To continue with the gold theme, I wore a pair of gold heels. I have had them for a number of years and never worn them so instead of buying anything new, I decided to wear them.”
“As my dress was so detailed I didn’t need many accessories. I wore a pair of gold and pearl drop earrings and a matching thumb ring, along with an anklet that mum had gifted me as my ‘something blue’.”
Laura’s elegant hair and make-up were styled by Hayley at Belle Beauty.
“I cannot thank her enough! She made me look and feel the best I ever have.”
“I have short hair and always wear it down and straight so decided for the wedding to change it up a little and surprise everyone. I knew I didn’t want to go too drastic or have it up; I still wanted to feel like me, so I had it wavy. For my make-up, I let Hayley do what she thought was best. It was quite natural with flawless skin, stand-out eyes and a lip stain.”
Lee, along with his best man and the father of the bride, wore three-piece navy blue Marc Darcy suits from Gere Menswear in Lincoln.
“With it being a spring wedding, we wanted to bring in a little colour so they wore mustard ties and pocket squares which worked really well with their tan shoes.”
Laura and Lee’s civil ceremony was held in our barn, and the bride walked in with her dad to ‘The One’ by Kodaline, sung by Ben Haynes.
“It was a song Lee and I loved when we first heard it, and Ben sang it beautifully.”
The newly-weds and their guests sat down to an exquisite three-course meal, starting with a choice of bruschetta or pate, moving on to lamb shank or chicken and ending with sticky toffee pudding or cheesecake for dessert.
“Everyone commented on how good the food was and how large the portion sizes were. Thankfully, we only had a couple of dietary requirements but these were handled without any issues.”
“We strayed from tradition and decided against a wedding cake. Instead, we went for a dessert cart from The Confectionery Lounge. Our dessert cart included brownies, blondies, cookies and donuts. It was such a hit, so much so that when I went for something towards the end of the night it was almost all gone! April set up the cart between 6-7pm and it looked amazing. She even decorated it with some greenery, in keeping with our scheme.”
“Lee’s hobby is shooting so after the wedding breakfast we did two hours of laser clay pigeon shooting. This was set up and run by Clayzer. Everyone loved it and got involved; was so much fun and made the day flow really well.
For the evening party, the couple hosted a dance party complete with a posh dog food station.
“We used Healing Manor’s DJ. He did a great job at trying to get people on the dance floor. Our first dance was to ‘The One’ by Kodaline – the original version instead of the acoustic version we had during the ceremony. At the end of the dance we set off four confetti canons.”
“We had the posh dog station. I didn’t eat anything as I was still full from the wedding breakfast but those that did complimented the fish.”
“I enjoyed the whole day, from start to finish. We wanted a really relaxed day with our nearest and dearest and we got that x1000.”
Advice for other couples
“Go for it. You will not regret getting married here.”
Laura and Lee, congratulations and thank you so much for sharing your Healing Manor Wedding with us.
Suppliers
- Photography – Rachel London Photography
- Florist – Julip Freelance Floristry
- Stylist – Love In The Limelight
- Caterers – Healing Manor Hotel
- Dessert Cart – The Confectionery Lounge
- Decor elements – LB Lasering
- Dress – Martina Liana via Jaynes Bridalwear, Lincoln
- Groom’s outfit – Marc Darcy via Gere Menswear, Lincoln
- Hair & Makeup – Belle Beauty
- Entertainment – Ben Haynes + Clayzer
