A backdrop of the rich, red Virginia creeper, a curtain of twinkling fairy lights and opulent roses were the perfect décor for Simone and James’ autumn wedding, which we had the privilege of hosting on 4 November 2023, bonfire weekend.
Please meet Simone and James, who were keen to host a dog-friendly autumn wedding and include their two family dogs, Tilly and Buddy, in their beautiful celebration. Healing Manor, where we love to welcome dogs, was a wonderful choice for the autumn wedding and the couple dressed the wedding Barn with the help of Amy Brown of Jack Loves Jill. The result was a rich, warm and romantic colour palette, a relaxed and dog-oriented vibe, and the most beautiful bride, too.
“We really wanted a dog-friendly venue: not one that would just allow Tilly and Buddy for the ceremony but for them to be included in the full day. Healing Manor not only provided this, but also offered a dog-friendly menu for Tilly and Buddy to choose from so they ate with us. It was everything we wanted to have them with us on the day.”
Simone and James met at work and the anniversary of their first date fell on a Saturday, so they just had to secure the November date for their autumn wedding.
“We got engaged at home after spending the day with Tilly at the beach. James said he felt it was the right moment and couldn’t hang onto the ring any longer!”
“Autumn is one of our favourite times of the year as it holds very special memories for us. We wanted the aisle to be lit by candles, and have a cosy feeling to the barn and reception room with fairy lights. The gorgeous colours of dusky pink and burgundy gave a warm feel to the aesthetics.”
“We had Jack Loves Jill provide the décor, along with some added personal bits from ourselves. Amy absolutely nailed the theme and included our colours of dusky pink and burgundy, creating a cosy, warm and romantic autumnal vibe. We went for toffee apples and lottery tickets as favours.”
Simone had her heart set on a princess-style dress, and found the perfect gown for her autumn wedding at The White Boutique in Leamington Spa.
“My dress, ‘Lina’, was designed by Allure Bridals from their Abella range. It had a plunge front and a low back with the most gorgeous 3D flowers all over the sleeves and skirt. I am a true romantic at heart and wanted a princess dress which complimented my figure and that I could dance in all night long. I saw the Lina online and had tried on so many dresses before her and just hadn’t got that feeling. I drove all the way to Leamington Spa to try on the Lina and knew instantly that she was THE ONE!”
“My veil was from Aurora Bridal and I bought this from Etsy. So many people asked if the veil matched the dress so I was so pleased how well the veil complimented the dress as that was totally my aim!”
“It was ivory tulle and had flowers scattered all over the mid-section, getting fuller towards the end of the veil. It was absolutely beautiful and for such a long veil, so comfy to wear! I didn’t want to take it off!”
“My gorgeous shoes were the ‘Harriet’ from Emmy London, which I put my lucky sixpence in before walking down the aisle. I wore my new diamond earrings – a wedding gift on the morning of the wedding from James – and my hair accessories were gorgeous flowers in dusky pink and burgundy from Etsy seller Madgicks Weddings.”
The bride asked Estera Sutton of Kokoshka to create her romantic, smoky eye look with blush lips.
“Estera worked her magic as I’d only had one hours’ sleep the night before! My hair stylist was Charlotte Heather Bridal Hair and my request was for a romantic, loose braided up do with height and volume. Charlotte absolutely nailed this in one at my trial and recreated it perfectly on the day! The morning of the wedding was so much fun getting ready.”
Groom James wore a Ted Baker suit in grey, hired from Moss Bros in Peterborough. His tie and pocket square from from Swagger & Swoon and his shoes were Oxford Black Shoes from Next.
Simone and James chose to carry and wear artificial flowers on their autumn wedding day.
“The button holes, my bouquet and my maid of honour’s bouquet was an absolute find on Etsy from seller BloomsNBrooches. Now, I can keep my bouquet as perfect as it was on our big day.”
The couple asked an old friend, Captured by Roxy, to photograph their autumn wedding day.
“My photographer is AMAZING! Roxy has been a friend of mine for a long time and although we had not seen each other for a while, it was like we had never been apart when she walked in on the morning of the wedding. Roxy captured the day so well, creating a romantic relaxed theme with the photographs.”
The couple wed in the Chapel area of the wedding barn, with Dawn Kemp Celebrant performing the autumn wedding ceremony.
“We wanted to keep the format fairly traditional but have the opportunity to say our own vows and have the ceremony more personal to us. Dawn made this happen and we will be forever grateful that we were able to share our love story with our closest friends and family.”
“As I lost my Dad when I was 14 years old, my Mum walked me down the aisle and gave me away which was a very special moment. I walked down the aisle to Pachelbel’s ‘Canon in D’. It always reminds me of the film ‘Father of the Bride’ which I loved watching when I was little!”
“If we had to choose a favourite part of the day we both have agreed it would be the moment we first saw each other as I walked down the aisle. There were so many mixed emotions at that point and it was such a beautiful moment we will never forget.”
“Dawn, our Celebrant, started by telling our Love Story to our family and friends and this was followed by a reading from Mitchell (my brother) of the Opening Scene of ‘Love Actually’. We played rock, paper, scissors to see who would read their vows first. We exchanged our rings with personalised words and went on to sign our certificate which was witnessed by our Maid of Honour, Tia and James’ friend Daniel with a special paw print on the certificate from Tilly giving her seal of approval! We finished the ceremony by walking down the aisle to a confetti shower and the song ‘Kiss Me’ by Sixpence None the Richer.”
After the ceremony, the couple found a rare break in that day’s wet weather to have some magical outdoor shots.
“Before the party kicked off we found a dry spell in the weather and managed to get outside to light sparklers.”
The reception was held inside the barn, with food, dancing, karaoke and a whole lot of love.
“We went mad on food! Being real foodies we opted for all our favourite things! Our beautiful cake with the most gorgeous ganache was provided by Steph of Patacake Cakes. We went for a two-tier gold-leaf cake with one tier vanilla, jam and buttercream and the other chocolate and chocolate buttercream. It went down very well as we hardly brought any home with us. The flowers for the cake were by Etsy seller SisterSister Bouquets.”
Come evening, the lights were lowered to create a fun, intimate dance-floor.
“We had the resident DJ at Healing Manor, along with Karaoke which proved to be very popular. We asked our guests to request a song on their RSVP and included these as part of the playlist for the day. This really included our guests and added a personal touch from them on the day.”
“Nothing could have made it more perfect. We first met Charlotte when we looked around the venue and fell in love with the barn. We were looked after by Hannah through the lead-up to the wedding and we cannot thank her enough for her kindness, patience and hands on assistance to make our day the most special day we could have wished for. From the moment we arrived at Healing Manor and checked into our room to the moment we left, we were treated like VIPs. The staff are the most friendly, kind and attentive people we have ever met, and nothing was too much.”
“The suite that we stayed in had dog bowls for Tilly when we arrived and it was lovely, warm and cosy. The barn and reception room were the most beautiful venue for our romantic autumnal wedding. The food was INCREDIBLE! So many of our guests commented on the food and venue and said it was the best wedding they had ever been to. We stayed for a Sunday Roast the following day and really didn’t want to leave. We will be back for every anniversary and more”
Advice for other couples
“Do not worry about the weather. It absolutely teamed it down on the day but the venue was so perfect inside we still got so many amazing photos.”
“The food is incredible! If you have the same guests throughout the day I think you could skip evening food and just go with canapés and the main wedding breakfast as the portions are huge. You will not be disappointed!”
“If you want to include your fur babies, we 100% recommend it! We did not regret one moment of having Tilly and Buddy there.”
“Most of all, enjoy every moment as it does go so quickly. We had a sweetheart table for the wedding breakfast and it’s the perfect opportunity to soak in the whole of the atmosphere and moment with your new wife/husband before the celebrations begin. We definitely recommend this.”
In loving memory of Buddy
- Photography – Captured by Roxy
- Venue – The Wedding Barn at Healing Manor Hotel
- Celebrant – Dawn Kemp
- Styling – Jack Loves Jill
- Florist – BloomsNBrooches
- Caterers – Healing Manor Hotel
- Wedding cake – Patacake Cakes + SisterSister Bouquets
- Dress – ‘Lina’ by Abella at Allure Bridals via The White Boutique, Leamington Spa
- Veil – Aurora Bridal via Etsy
- Shoes – Emmy London ‘Harriet’
- Hair accessories – Madgicks Weddings via Etsy
- Jewellery – Diamond earrings
- Groom – Ted Baker suit via Moss Bros, Swagger & Swoon tie + pocket square, Next shoes
- Hair – Charlotte Heather Bridal Hair
- MakeUp – Estera Sutton of Kokoshka
