An Ethereal English Garden Wedding at Wildhive Callow Hall in the Heart of Jane Austen Country

[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”]

Wedgewood Blue, Sage Green, Creams

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[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]

The minute we got engaged, we knew we wanted to get married in the English countryside. We wanted the wedding vibe to feel light and airy, delicate, and ethereal. The wedding theme was English Garden, but there were also elements of ancient woodlands, wildflowers, meadows, natural beauty, and preservation. The location, Derbyshire, is where Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice took place. After a few months of searching for the perfect English countryside venue, we came across Wildhive Callow Hall, a beautifully restored Victorian country house nestled in ancient woodland. Not only were the views of the rolling hills from the glass windows of Wildhive breathtaking, but the property also had treehouses and woodland hives that our more adventurous guests could stay in, and we were sold. We were so excited about finding the perfect location.

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[field title=”Proposal Story”]

After 5 years of dating, Eric proposed to me in Greenough, Montana. He proposed in February 2023 on a horse-drawn carriage in the snow! We drank champagne and took pictures as it started to snow, and it was magical!

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]

Right after we were engaged, I saw a beautiful high-neck floral lace dress on a Costarellos model, and I knew I had to have the dress. However, I emailed the company, and they said no boutique stores in the U.S. carried the sample. Costarellos is based in Greece. I was so disappointed, but then I found a boutique in Los Angeles, LOHO Bride, which said they would ship the dress sample from Greece to their store for me to try on. As soon as I tried it on, I knew it was THE ONE! I was so excited. It was the only dress I tried on and looked at. Costarellos handmade the dress for me in my size. My dress for the welcome dinner, evening reception dress, and my brunch dress for the day after the wedding were all by Zimmermann.

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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]

The wedding was very small, so I chose not to have bridesmaids, but I told my girlfriends to dress in an English Garden theme, and they nailed the assignment!

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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]

Eric wore a bespoke suit from Johnathan Behr. It was a beautiful suit with a hint of blue. He wore a Wedgewood blue colored tie with a matching pocket square.

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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]

Guests arrived the day before the wedding on Friday. There was a beautiful classic afternoon tea waiting for them with traditional sandwiches, scones, desserts, and tea. For the Welcome Dinner on Friday night, we had an elevated BBQ with celeriac shawarma, Scottish scallops, jumbo prawns, home-cured chorizo skewers, rib-eye steak, Barnsley chop, and veggies. On the Wedding Day, after the wedding ceremony, canapes and drinks were served in Wildhive’s Secret Garden. Canapes included goat cheese and red onion tarts with basil pesto, pig paddock chorizo croquettes, and mini Yorkshire puddings. The drinks included a his and hers drink named after our two dogs. The Groom’s drink was called The Momo-a Whiskey Sour Bourbon. The Bride’s drink was The Frannie Seasonal Collins, based on products grown in the kitchen garden, such as rosemary. The Wedding Dinner was featured in the beautiful Garden Room restaurant at Wildhive overlooking the rolling hills of the Peak District. To start, guests enjoyed king scallop ceviche and grilled English peaches with burrata and honey made from Wildhive’s very own bee hives. The main courses included stuffed chicken with pancetta, pan-fried North Atlantic hake fillet with chili king prawns, and courgette flower with vegan ricotta. For dessert, we had a delicious sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel ice cream, and blueberry tea yogurt panna cotta. The Thelate-nightt reception started at 9 PM and we had wood-fired pizzas, truffle and Parmesan fries, and Cannoli.

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]

For the flowers and decor, we wanted blooms locally sourced in the English countryside, and we wanted a whimsical, romantic, elegant, and quintessential English Garden look. We did beautiful Wedgewood blue delphiniums, white roses, larkspur, Canterbury bells, hydrangea, and my absolute favorite-Queen Anne’s lace. My favorite part of the florals was the way the florist, Meadows and Mulberry Weddings, dressed the staircase inside Wildhive. As guests returned to their rooms, they were greeted by a beautifully decorated floral staircase with lanterns. It was magical. Also, we gave dried white larkspur petals to the guests to throw when Eric and I walked back down the aisle, and it made for some really beautiful wedding pictures. For the decor, we did a lot of baskets filled with lush flowers to really make our English Garden vision come to life. For our table decor, we had William Morris printed napkins, rattan floral placemats, and tapered candles in a variety of green hues that helped create an elegant and romantic look. Village Green Events, our event designers, helped source all of these elements. My favorite part of the decor was the hand-painted place cards my mother painted for each guest’s seat. These place cards had each guest’s name with a beautiful botanical floral design. These were the final touches!

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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]

Our Wedding Cake was made by London-based Caroline Debonnaire, who specializes in sugar flowers. We did a 3-tier Carrot cake with a light vanilla buttercream filling with salted caramel. She used the same flowers our florist was using for the wedding to create sugar flowers that adorned the cake. She also made sugar cookies with a beautiful floral design for each guest. These sugar cookies were delivered to our guests’ rooms as a sweet surprise for when they returned after the wedding.

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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]

We hired a string quartet to play during our wedding ceremony and canapé hour. The string quartet focused on current pop hits and Bridgerton string covers. I walked down the aisle to the string quartet version of Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You,” the same version they play in Bridgerton. After we said “I do,” the string quartet played “Riptide” by Vance Joy. For the rest of the canapé hour, the string quartet focused on pop hits and Taylor Swift songs.

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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]Our wedding was a destination wedding and our guests traveled from all over to celebrate Eric and I’s special wedding weekend in the U.K. We had guests fly in from Africa, Portugal, Switzerland, and from all over the United States including Alaska.[/field]
[field title=”Special Detail #2″]

My mother is a botanical artist, and she hand-painted more than 50 place cards for each guest. This was so special to both Eric and me and made our place a one-of-a-kind bespoke piece of art that guests could take home and frame if they chose to.

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[field title=”Special Detail #3″]

What made the wedding so special to Eric and me and our guests was the location at Wildhive. Since our guests were traveling so far to celebrate with us, we wanted them to enjoy a beautiful and tranquil setting where they could relax and unwind, take in the beautiful views of the Peak District, and watch their little ones run around. Wildhive is tucked away in 35 acres of picturesque gardens, wild meadows, and woodlands. It was truly the perfect setting for our wedding! Also, after dinner and dancing, we had a fireworks show. We cut our wedding cake outside as the fireworks went off, surrounded by our family and friends. It was an unforgettable experience!

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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Weekend Events”]

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