After covid lockdowns postponed their original spring wedding, Abi & Rob managed to celebrate their festive winter wedding just a week before Christmas last year. Using a sage green and rose gold colour theme, they adapted their wedding to create a sumptuously warm atmosphere which perfectly matched the season. Read on to hear more about their charming celebration, with a lovely emphasis on family and togetherness.
Why We Chose Pynes House…
Abi Says
We had visited many venues over the course of a few months and had a vision for what we wanted, but none of them ticked every box. The moment we drove down the driveway at Pynes House, we just knew that this venue was going to be the one. It was in the perfect location for us and our family. It had plenty of charm and character and was the ideal size for the number of guests we planned to invite – spacious yet intimate.
A Festive Take On Our Wedding Style…
I am not the traditional kind of bride who wanted everything a certain way. We actually planned our theme around Rob’s suit, as he had his eye on a beautiful sage herringbone three-piece which we found at our first wedding fair. We originally wanted our bridesmaids in a dusty blue, to pay compliment to the spring season we planned to get married in. However, we decided on something a bit more glitzy and warm after having to postpone and move the date to a week before Christmas due to Covid. So I guess you would say our theme was sage green and rose gold.
I wore: Sophia Tolli, Clarissa. The bridesmaids wore: Maya Duluxe, Maya Taupe Blush V Neckline Maxi. The groomsmen wore: Moss Bros, Sage Herringbone Tweed Suit. They also wore matching James Bond socks from The London Sock Exchange.
A December Celebration To Remember…
Our wedding day was every bit as magical as we had hoped. We love the festive period, so shifting from spring to the festive season turned out to be a blessing. The crisp December air and soft winter light made the whole day feel like a scene from a classic film. Our close family and bridal party stayed with us at Pynes House for the whole weekend. It was so nice to spend time with everyone at the venue on the Friday night, where we played games and had light food. It was just the perfect way to calm the nerves and enjoy ourselves before the big day.
Saturday began with a quiet buzz of anticipation – staggered breakfast times, closed doors, and that special energy as the bridal party prepared for the day ahead. Our day guests arrived at midday and all congregated inside and on the front gravel, ready to be seated in the Drawing Room. The photographers were amazing. They kept themselves seamless and discreet whilst capturing the special moments of our friends and family’s excitement for the big day.
The ceremony was beautiful. We’re so glad we chose to have it in the Drawing Room. The Drawing Room brought everything together – its warmth, intimacy, and timeless charm gave our ceremony the atmosphere we had been dreaming of. Our niece and nephew also gave a reading, which was lovely. After the ceremony, we went straight into photo mode. Again, Clare and her assistant Mel did such a brilliant job of getting all the group photos we wanted (we have a big family), as well as some one-on-one photos of us around the venue.
After the food, we had the wedding speeches. They were just the right mix of laughter and emotion. We ended the breakfast by asking all our guests to join us outside, to light sparklers on behalf of our brother. This was a really touching moment for all of us.
“Weddings move fast, but we made time to step away briefly and just breathe. That quiet pause was one of the most grounding and memorable parts of the day.”
Simple, Seasonal & Full of Charm…
With the elegance of Pynes House doing most of the talking, we chose to complement rather than compete. A few well-placed florals and festive touches were all it needed to feel magical and personal to us. Our florist (Dartmoor Flowers) provided beautiful flower arrangements along the bottom few steps, which we used as part of our aisle. Inside the Drawing Room we kept it very minimal, with a small memorial table to the side of the room, which was a nice touch.
We used the flowers from the stairs to help to form the floral garlands that ran the length of our trestle tables. As it was Christmas, Pynes also had a magnificent christmas tree in the corridor, which was just perfect. Other than that, we kept it simple. The house and grounds already had enough wow factor on their own.
For the seating layout in the reception, we decided on two long trestle tables and a head table. The ballroom is a perfect space for this type of setup – it made the breakfast feel nice and intimate for all our guests. We also had lovely garland arrangements along the tables courtesy of Dartmoor Flowers, with some fairy lights intertwined.
Winter Warmth, Good Food & Great Company…
Pickle Shack served our traditional three-course wedding breakfast. We had already attended a taster session with Pickle Shack in order to choose our dishes (we gave the guests three options per course), so we knew the food was amazing already. The wedding breakfast was absolutely incredible, and our guests were blown away by the quality. After such a long, emotional morning, it was so nice for us to all sit down and eat some really top notch food.
The Entertainment…
We had an amazing two-person band for the evening, called Double A and the Bay. These guys are absolutely amazing. They play up-tempo renditions of all the best tracks for a wedding, and were so good at keeping everyone on their feet. They were definitely the right choice of band and complemented the mood of our wedding really well.
We also had a selfie mirror which was great fun!
Little Moments, Big Feelings…
It’s difficult to choose just one moment. As a wedding guest, you have the time to take everything in and explore the day from a different perspective. But when it’s your own day, it does seem to go by in a flash. It’s only when the day is done that you actually get to breathe and take it all in.
One memory that sticks with us to this day is just how special it was having all our family together in one place, after such a long time apart due to the pandemic. It just made the whole day that bit more special knowing that everyone was seeing and hugging each other for the first time in so long. It was like the whole day was extra special for everyone.
What We Learned (and Loved) Along The Way…
You can spend hours, if not days, going over every fine detail in your head about the day. But for us (and especially when planning a wedding during a pandemic), we learned to not stress over the little things. Instead, focus on the bits that matter and everything else will fall into place.
We have a big family, so one of our main priorities was having the right photographer to capture our day – we struck gold with Clare. In comparison, we weren’t overly fussed on things like guest gifts and decor for the dining table, so we chose to keep this simple and stress free. This meant that we could focus on the things that mattered more to us. It’s a wedding day – you can’t control the weather and there are bound to be some last-minute issues that you didn’t foresee. Just don’t let them get to you.
Lastly, our Pynes House wedding co-ordinator, Jo, made an extra effort to take us upstairs (away from everyone) before the wedding breakfast and just gave us a few minutes by ourselves to breathe. We didn’t realise at the time, but it was so useful.
If you’re after some more real wedding inspiration, head over to our blog – Olivia and James’ Classic English Wedding and Ben and Charlotte’s Celebration of Understated Elegance are sure to provide some beautiful and unique wedding ideas for your big day. Or, head over to Facebook and Instagram to see more of Pynes House.
Suppliers
Venue – Pynes House
Caterer – Pickle Shack
Photographer – Claire Kinchin Photography
Florist – Dartmoor Flowers
Band – Double A & The Bay