The grounds of Healing Manor Hotel are so gorgeously fresh and green in May, and therefore made the most beautiful backdrop for Max and Samantha’s simple and elegant wedding. Held on 27 May 2023, the couple hosted a group of 46 guests for their day ceremony in the Barn, before dancing the night away with a larger evening party.
The couple, who live in Healing, selected a rustic theme for the day, with traditional white flowers, log slices and lots of handmade touches, inspired by the bride’s crafty streak. Samantha and Max met through friends in 2018, who they asked to be their maid of honour and best man on the day.
“We became close over time and eventually became a couple in January 2019. We got engaged in August 2021, a few months after we moved into our lovely new home in Healing. Samantha had just passed her university qualification with a First Class honours and we had a joint celebration and house warming party. Max made a little speech, where he popped the question.”
“The Manor suited our simple and rustic theme perfectly. The wedding was quite intimate with only 46 day guests but also had plenty of room to hold our 100 evening guests. We looked around a handful of places but were always drawn to the Barn at Healing Manor. We had a civil ceremony and barn reception, all held together at the Manor with a three-course dinner and evening buffet.”
The bride indulged her talent for DIY and crafting, with the help of HappyCakies Venue Styling to help with larger items.
“Samantha is very good with crafts so made a lot herself and I helped choose designs, ideas and themes from Pinterest. TikTok also gave us a couple of ideas, such as getting everyone to take a photo with sunglasses with “The Cottos Est. 27.05.23”, using a Polaroid camera for our photo album. We had Happycakies Venue Styling to dress the venue and help with any decorations that Sammy couldn’t create such as backdrops, outdoor games, drapes and table centres.”
A gorgeous addition to the hand-made elements were the. beautiful flowers by Gina at The Enchanted Garden.
“Her flowers are amazing and we loved them, from bouquets to button holes and table sprays. They were inspired by our traditional, simple and elegant theme.”
Both Samantha and Max headed to Coates Couture for their wedding outfits. Max blended tradition with style in his pairing of black suit and shirt.
“The ladies at Coates Couture were very helpful and we both were left very happy.”
“Max rented suits for him and the groomsmen, best man and fathers. It felt very traditional with black suits for himself and the guys, but he made a modern and alternate twist with a black shirt to be different from the rest. The suits were high quality and fitted perfectly from our fittings.”
Max wore shoes from Next and a bangle/ring/rope bracelet from Daniella Draper. His Breitling watch was a gifted present that used to belong to his father as a wedding present. Samantha gifted her groom a Daniella Draper bangle as a wedding present. He opened it on the morning of their wedding, to find its engraving ‘Look At The Stars’, from the lyrics of their first dance song.
Samantha chose an A-line dress from Enchanting by Mon Cheri.
“She made the choice with the help of my mum and maid of honour (as well as the help of the girls at Coates Couture) during her first and only appointment to try on dresses. She knew this was the one when she wore it and was instantly emotional. She loved the simple, elegant design yet beautiful style and detail with lace on the back. This, paired with her cathedral veil, made for a stunning look. She was made to feel beautiful.”
Samantha added a pair of ivory block heels from Quiz and her jewellery was from Beaverbrooks.
“My earrings and necklace were a matching teardrop set and my tennis bracelet was also from Beaverbrooks. They were a gift from my mum and dad for the wedding.”
The bride’s hair was styled by Alice, one of her bridesmaids who is also a hairdresser. Make-up was done by Alicia Taylor of Taylor Made Beauty.
“Alicia was amazing. We had trials previously in which they slightly altered to achieve the perfect look Samantha wanted.”
Emma Jane from Mirror Mirror Cleethorpes did a great job at styling the mothers’ hair.
The wedding ceremony was held in the chapel area of the wedding barn, and Samantha walked down the aisle with her father, Pete, to ‘Biblical’ by Calum Scott.
“Everyone loved it and gets emotional listening to it. This was timed by practising with Hannah the night before which was very helpful so that Samantha came out at the right point of the song.”
The couple were married by a local registrar, and exchanged rings from Beaverbrooks.
“The ceremony was our favourite part as this is when we dedicated our lives to one another. However, getting to spend our day together with family and friends was amazing and we loved every part of it. We would love to do it all again!”
After the wedding ceremony, the couple and their guests gathered for photographs by Jonathan of PM Photography.
“PM Photography photographed a wedding we had been to previously and their work was of very high standard. It was very easy and relaxed to talk to and have pictures with. On the day, they were great.”
“PRH Films did a wedding we had been to previously and their work was of very high standard. He was very easy and relaxed to talk to, and have videos with.”
The wedding breakfast was held in the barn, and the guests and a choice of two items for their starters, mains and desserts.
“We had a choice of Broccoli & Leek Soup or Prawn Cocktail for starters. The main course was a choice of roast chicken with vegetables, potato and gravy or fish goujons and chips, and for desserts, sticky toffee pudding or vanilla cheesecake.”
The wedding cake was a gorgeous and simply-decorated, tiered cake from Helen’s Cake Boutique.
“We chose a large, two-tier cake with a salted caramel tier and a cherry Bakewell tier. It had a naked frosting/icing style on the outside for a rustic look and it tasted amazing. We had a sample of large cupcakes from Helen when we originally chose the cake and these were all great too!”
The couple kicked off their evening reception with a first dance to Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’ and their guests enjoyed a buffet from the Healing Manor kitchens.
“The buffet consisted of five choices with additional coleslaw, greens, etc. All of the food was absolutely amazing and many guests commented on how good it was. The sausage rolls are to die for! All allergies and dietary requirements were catered for such as vegan, gluten-free and a nut allergy.”
Advice for other couples
“Relax and enjoy it: the minor things you think are important do not matter on the day. As long as you have fun, enjoy time with family and friends (and more importantly each other) that’s what matters.”
“Try to take it all in as the day really does fly by.”
– Photography – PM Photography
– Videographer – PRH Films
– Venue – The Wedding Barn at Healing Manor Hotel
– Styling – HappyCakies Venue Styling
– Florist – The Enchanted Garden
– Caterers – Healing Manor Hotel
– Wedding cake – Helen’s Cake Boutique
– Dress + veil – Enchanting by Mon Cheri via Coates Couture
– Jewellery + Wedding Rings – Beaverbrooks
– Groom – Coates Couture, Next, Breitling + Daniella Draper
– Hair & MakeUp – Alice (hairdresser and bridesmaid), Alicia Taylor of Taylor Made Beauty + Emma Jane at Mirror Mirror Cleethorpes
– Entertainment – Sweet on Sax
