Ruthin Castle Wedding Photographer | North Wales Wedding Photography
Olivia & Jack's Wedding Story
Olivia and Jack married at the stunning Ruthin Castle in North Wales. This is the story of their day, in their own words...
How long did it take you to choose your Wedding Venue?
We researched a fair bit on the internet before narrowing down our favourites to a list of venues to visit. We'd heard of Ruthin Castle from my nan and decided to take a look at the place after looking it up. It was the first place we’d booked into see and, as soon as we arrived, we both felt that it was the right place for us! So, research took a few weeks and it was about half an hour into visiting Ruthin that we decided!
You picked Ruthin Castle to get married, what about it made this the ideal Wedding Venue for you?
Ruthin Castle was entirely perfect. As Olivia was finishing up a PhD in medieval literature, and I’m a huge history nerd (Anything Witcher, Viking or pirate related really), the allure of being wed in a castle was too good an opportunity to let slip by. The pricing and services they offered definitely helped with the decision, too! We've always been up to visit Wales and castles on holiday trips beforehand, so it felt only natural that this would be our place.
Please tell me a bit about the proposal.
I knew for a long time that I wanted to marry Olivia, but wasn't sure how. I don't mean to sound cocky either, but I also knew the answer. The only problem now was how to ask the question. I ordered a ring in rose gold with an opal setting, Olivia's favourite metal and gem, respectively, in the style of The Elder Scrolls' Amulet of Mara. Another nerdy, medieval reference that we bonded over. Then I booked a table at the same Greek restaurant we went to for our first date. The last thing I did was Google which knee I was supposed to go down on before I flubbed it a bit and asked her "Will you be my Baba forever?" (She said yes, surprise, and to this day I can't remember which knee it was).
Who supplied the men’s suits and was there a particular style you were looking for?
I knew I wanted something that fit our autumnal theme, and I wanted something that was brown, three-piece (I like waistcoats with lapels usally) and rustic. We searched for a while before coming upon a website that sold tweed suits that suited the setting, and me, perfectly called Abitto. I didn't think I'd go with tweed, as I'd found some styles uncomfortable before but the one I settled on fitted perfectly and felt fantastic!
Who did you have as your Bridesmaids and what did they wear?
I knew straight away that I wanted my best friend of 17 years (now 19 years!) to be my one and only bridesmaid. Charlie has been there through a lot, good memories and tough times, so of course I wanted her to be by my side on the special day. She was terrific on the run-up to the wedding and throughout the day. In terms of dresses, my main priority was that Charlie felt happy and comfortable. As long as the dress came in burnt orange (to match our autumnal theme), she could have free reign. We went to Bridesmaids of Liverpool and she picked a gorgeous Bill Levkoff dress.
A beautiful bridesmaid!
Saying yes to the dress, how long did it take to find “THE ONE”?
As with the venues, I did a lot of online research to find some styles that I liked. I’d never wanted white or ivory and loved the warmth of pale gold satin. I still tried on a couple of different styles, just to experiment and keep an open mind. To be honest, though, I only ended up going to 2 different shops - it was the first dress that I tried on at Always and Forever Bridal that ended up being ‘the one’. The women there were fantastic and really put me at ease. I also had a bit of freedom with fabrics and colours! I got my pale gold satin dress and felt amazing.
Please tell me about your wedding flowers and the floral arrangements on your wedding day, what did you choose and why did?
We decided early on that we wanted to DIY quite a bit of the wedding. I went to a flower warehouse in Tyldesley with my mum and filled a trolley with little vases and various artificial flowers and garlands. Thanks to a combination of Etsy and Hobbycraft, we added some dried flowers, mini pumpkins, acorns, leaves, and candles to the mix, plus some lovely wood slices that my dad sorted. My MoH, mum, Jack, and I set to work making our autumnal table arrangements one summer afternoon. It was a real team effort!
The bouquets, corsages, and hair accessories were all supplied by Florence and Flowers. We selected an arrangement that we liked from their website and discussed some additional colour/flower preferences with them via email. We couldn’t have been happier with the flowers - and with them all being dried, we get to hold onto them as a beautiful keepsake!
Was there a particular theme you wanted for your wedding and how did you incorporate it on the day?
Autumnal and rustic, with medieval twists. As I mentioned, Olivia studies medieval literature and I share a fascination with history with her. We are both creative and wanted to incorporate these passions into our wedding, sharing our interests with, and declaring who we are to our guests.
Wedding days often contain little personal touches and they are not always obvious to everyone, please tell me about how you made the wedding personal to just the two you both.
We tried to have a hand-fastening ceremony that would more closely embody how, as individuals, we were coming together to build something anew between us. Whilst it didn't go quite as planned, the readings we had chosen for our officiated ceremony and the people we had involved with both made it very personal for us. Besides making our own wedding rings, decorations and so on!
What song did you choose for your first dance and why that one?
'As You Are' by Rag'n'Bone man. We felt the lyrics encompassed the difficulties we had faced over our relationship: moving in and out of places, being in and out of work, struggling through personal issues as well as mental and physical health, yet being stronger for it and being there for one another. We wanted a song that we could identify with, and the song fit us perfectly.
From your gallery, which photograph made you smile the most and do you have a favourite from the day?
I mean, some of those of me and Olivia dancing from the reception can't help but bring a smile to my face! On a more serious note, we both get a bit choked up at the photos of us seeing each other at the altar and standing on the bridge outside. Those were the moments where the rest of the world seemed to blur a little around us - it was just me and Liv. But so many wonderful moments of all of our loved ones were also captured - the moment the Father-of-the-Bride saw Olivia, our mums and my nan doing their readings, and the smiles, tears, and laughter of the speeches, to name a few!
We smile at each and everyone one of them.
Every wedding day has those unforgettable moments, what were your favourite and best memories?
For me, the song and moment of seeing Olivia walk down the aisle still brings me to tears. However, I still remember so vividly gazing into her eyes and the feel of her waist in my hands as we took our first dance. There were so many moments that became a blur with how quickly the day went by but those two stick with me.
How did you go about finding your suppliers for the day?
Thankfully, the venue were able to provide both excellent catering and managerial support throughout the day. They made the day magical, and everything ran so smoothly with their help, I can't recommend them enough. They were able to supply and assist in setting up decorations that both we and they, themselves, procured. Ruthin also recommended Lowri’s Cake Box, who was fantastic! She was so helpful with coming up with the design for the cake and provided delicious samples of different flavours to choose from. Wholly recommend her. Our other main supplier was Stuart, photographer extraordinaire! We were immediately drawn to his natural approach to photography, capturing special moments in a way that doesn’t take over your day. He had an excellent portfolio and only glowing reviews. When he came to our house to share his work and discuss our wedding, Stuart was just a perfect fit for the kind of people we are and the kind of day we wanted to have.
AND FINALLY...
What advice or tips would you give couples planning their wedding?
Take time to plan things out in advance and to enjoy being engaged. There's no real need to hurry into the marriage day, because whilst it can be wonderful and potentially the best day of the rest of your new lives together, it can be over all too quickly. Time flies, as they say, and it's very true!
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