Mr & Mrs Lear’s Perfect Day

“It was Sunday the 25th December 2011, it was a chilly but a perfect morning. The candles were lit the turkey was cooking, Christmas songs were on in the background, it was exactly how Christmas should be.

Waking up on Christmas day is just magical in itself, however, what was to come was just unexpected! My now husband (oh my god!) seemed rather shifty when we got out of bed. I thought something was up but never imagined a proposal.
We were excited to exchange presents just like anyone else. We had finished opening our gifts and Matt tells me I’ve missed one. Obviously, I was excited, it was an extra present, who wouldn’t be? I slowly unwrapped the gift paper and was presented with a box. My initial thought was that he had bought me earrings that I had wanted for a while. He then took the box off me and said that he needed to check something. I’m thinking there’s a price tag left on it or somewhere.
Out of nowhere, everything was silent, he bent down on one knee and presented me with an elegant ring. I literally thought I was dreaming. Of course, I then heard the words “will you marry me?” 

Obviously, I said yes! Our proposal wasn’t like others that you read about. We are a rather private couple and don’t feel like everything has to be captured in a photograph, to be put online or to have a massive audience.

It was honestly the most intimate moment, just us.”

That was where this story began… What a perfect moment for Fallon and Matt to share!

With that all-important question having been asked, it was on to planning their special day together. Besides deciding on how much to spend, the venue (that’s us!) is the first thing to sort.

“The first step for us really was finding the perfect venue, however, of course, a budget needed to be discussed. To be honest though, Matt and I were so caught up in the moment and so overwhelmed with what we’d seen at Gosfield Hall, we booked the venue on the exact same day as we viewed it.
We then had all these ideas swirling around in our heads, so the first wedding item purchased was a wedding organizer. Best decision ever made. If you haven’t got one ladies… Go and get one! It’s the one place where all your ideas, bookings, pictures etc can be kept safe and in one place. Simple!”

Venue booked… On to the next bit… Suppliers, theme and all the bits in-between! This is where our blogs come in handy, you can get so much help from what people have done before and you can then also see that it works well too.

“The Gosfield Hall blogs are fantastic! It’s really reassuring reading blogs from other married couples. It’s great to read where they purchased certain items, the pros and cons, what they found worked and did not and to just be able to read their experiences.

Really puts your mind at ease.”

With inspiration firmly under Fallon’s belt, it was on to making those decisions that would mould the shape of their perfect day.

With the finer details all underway, the only thing that was left to do was to get excited about the day itself!

Fallon and the girls arrived the night before to the Lady’s Chambers Cottage to relax and unwind before the big day!

On the morning of the wedding, it was straight to business… Hair and Makeup!

With the girls busy and unbeknown to Fallon, those all-important touches she had been planning had started to take form down in the main house.

“We had an oak theme around the house too. Every board around the house was oak as well as our ornaments/plaques/light up letters and post box.
We gave our guests wooden fans as favours. So, it all coincided really well.”

“Our cake was four tiers, we had chocolate, lemon, Victoria sponge and angel cake and had ivory and pink sugar flowers placed around the bottom of the cake.”

The boys then arrived and had beers and bacon baps waiting for them at the bar. Once they had filled their bellies, it was off to get ready in their suits, ready for guests to arrive!

“Matthew wore a blue French shark skin tailored Ted Baker suit, as well as tan coloured shoes. He had a pale pink tie to go with the bridesmaid dresses. He really did scrub up well in a suit. He couldn’t have been anymore handsome. He also wore his Rolex which was my wedding gift to him.
He had personalised cufflinks that had our initials on, the date of the wedding, and a clock with the hands pointing to 2pm.”

With the boys all ready and downstairs chatting, the girls were having their finishing touches done and Fallon was putting on that all-important dress!

“I had the most beautiful pearls to wear with my dress. They were a wedding present from my husband. I had earrings, a necklace and a bracelet. They complimented my dress brilliantly. My dress had pearls mixed in with the jewelled beads so they suited perfectly. The husband did good! I wore Rachel Simpson shoes as my something blue. Gorgeous shoes!”

“We were about to leave the shop and my dad pulls out a big ballgown. I nearly cried as it’s something I was adamant that I didn’t want. I always felt because I’m quite short I’d look like a big meringue in a ballgown. My dad turns and says to me “this is gorgeous.” I’m looking at him all freaked out. He says why don’t you just try it, you never know you may surprise yourself. His idea was that at least we can say we’ve tried all styles.
To my amazement, I put the ballgown on and almost cried happy tears. It was beautiful!
It was a sweetheart neckline, the train was long, so stunning, so much material. The top part of the back was done up with ribbon as if you were doing up a corset. The front of the dress (top part) was completely full of jewelled beads and pearls the detail was stunning. The lower part of the dress was completely plain, that suited me down to the ground. With that much detail on the top part of the dress, the bottom half didn’t need anything at all. I’m a believer in little can sometimes be more.”

Fallon was now ready to become Mrs Lear!

“Our ceremony was really traditional. We decided against readings. We had the string quartet playing on our guests’ arrival. They played all the music throughout the ceremony They were fabulous and really set the scene and the atmosphere. My dad walked me down the aisle. That I believe was a real proud moment for him.”

Meet the new Mr and Mrs Lear!

After the ceremony, it was back downstairs for their drinks reception and canapes

Welcome Drinks

Mojito, Pimms & Lemonade & Strawberry Daiquiri.

Canapes

Basil Crostini

 Roast Peppadews

Rare Roast Beef

Brie & Red Onion Crouton

Mini Chocolate Brownies

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

“We had 4 bridesmaids and 2 flower girls. My maid of honour was my sister Nikki and then there was my step sister Kayley and best friends Tina & Lisa. They wore stunning pink dresses with a lace train. Our two flower girls were Alena (our stunning daughter) and gorgeous niece Isabelle. Their dresses were ivory ballgowns with pretty embellishments on the top part of the dress.”

“Matthew had two best men. His best friend Chris and his dad Tony. His two ushers were son Jake and good friend Kevin which left our nephew Oliver as our page boy. They all wore the same attire as the groom and had their ivory buttonholes and pink ties.”

“I had set up an account online where you state what you’re looking for and somebody within that profession gets back to you.
That’s where I found Matthew Harrison at Visions of View.
Matthew contacted me and was very professional, very friendly, answered all questions that I had and nothing seemed too much trouble for him. Of course, I then looked at his work up online and saw some spectacular work. The thing that captured me the most with Matthew’s work is the night time photography. He made time to meet us both and answer any other questions we may have. He makes pictures come alive and because of him, I have some wonderful shots. Always do your research though and make sure the photographer can definitely give you what you want. I swear by reading reviews first.”

It was time for dinner! Fallon and Matt stood at the top of the Grand Staircase and greeted all their guests into the Ballroom.

“The wedding was always going to be something of a fairy tale and it was. The colour scheme we chose was ivory, blue and pale pink. We, of course, interpreted the ivory & pink into the flower arrangements. Our flower centrepieces in the ballroom were based around the colour scheme. We picked name tags that went with our invitations that we sent out. These were ivory and pink.”

 

Starter

Mozzarella and Rocket Salad with Tomato and Chilli Salsa (V)
Toasted garlic bruschetta, topped with rocket salad and slices of creamy mozzarella, garnished with tomato, red onion and chilli salsa

Prawn and Crayfish Tian
Prawns and Crayfish bound in Marie Rose sauce served with sliced Avocado, dressed leaves and Lemon Dressing

Main Course

Pan Fried Chicken with Chargrilled Asparagus
Served on Wilted Spinach with Roasted Shallots and Thyme Jus

Traditional Roast Topside of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding
Served on a bed of Horseradish Mash with a Red Wine Jus

Dessert

Lemon Tart
Handmade crisp butter pastry with a rich lemon filling served with clotted cream, raspberries and caramelised lemon zest

Eton Mess
Strawberries & cream simply irresistible

During dinner, Fallon and Matt arranged for a magician to entertain their guests;

Then after dinner, it was on to speeches!

After dinner was finished and the speeches concluded, it was time for their guests to make their way on to the evening reception and have a few more family pictures done together.

After catching the last of the summer sun, it was into the Grand Hall and Grand Salon for Fallon and Matt’s first dance and cutting of the cake.

“We didn’t have a set routine, we decided to just blag it and go with the flow. We chose to have our first dance in the Grand Salon. We really thought that the rooms décor was stunning. With the black and white chequered floor, it really did set the scene. Giving people plenty of room to gather round and share our special moment. We danced to Marie McKee’s ‘Show Me Heaven’ This song means an awful lot to both of us so it was just the perfect choice.”

Now the party could get started! With all the formalities done and dusted, it was time to relax and reflect on the events of the day.

Wedding suppliers: how did you choose your suppliers?
“We actually got a lot of recommendations from the ‘Gosfield Hall Family’ Facebook page. What better way to get feedback/recommendations from past, present and future brides and grooms?”

 What was your biggest wedding saving?
“I’d say the biggest saving was the bridesmaid dresses. I think so many people feel pressured into getting the dresses from a bridesmaid shop. There are tons of high-street shops which do long dresses. Don’t pay out all that money for something equally as nice for half the price.”

 Based on your own experience, give us some top tips:
“Remember that this is your special day, don’t be influenced by what other people want. Stay true to yourselves and what you believe, do what you want to do. The people that want to be there will be there and should fully support any decisions you make. Unnecessary stress is simply just not needed. Cherish every single second because it really is over in a flash. It’s so important for the bride and groom to take 5 minutes out every now and then just to process what’s really happened. Look on at your guests and see how much fun they are having and know that each one of them is there rooting for you.”

  “If we could do it all again, we would not change a single thing.”

Credits;

Wedding attire:  Nell’amore Bridal Wear

The accessories: Shoes – Rachel Simpson, Jewellery – Ernest Jones

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Quiz Clothing

Other outfits: Groom/ Groomsmen – Ted Baker Ties – Swagger & Swoon Cufflinks – The Little Keepsake Company

Wedding cake: Sweetcheeks cupcakes

Invitations:  Pure Invitation

Photographer:  Matt Harrison – Visions of View

Wedding favours: Mini cakes in a box – Sweetcheeks cupcakes, Fans – Handfan.co.uk

String Quartet: Oakwood String Quartet

Welcome board/Table plan/Order of the day: Love signage

Caricature: Steve Hearn

Magician: Toby magic close up magician

Hair: Gail Gardener

Make-up: Chelsea Chapman

Flowers: Amber Rose Flowers

To get in touch with a member of the team, please email or call us via the contact details below. Alternatively, if you'd like to request a brochure or enquire about date availability, please click 'request a brochure' in the menu at the top of this page.

Linda

T: 01787 472 914
E: info@gosfield-hall.co.uk

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