Sean and Claire are a classic lockdown love story. After meeting online during the pandemic, and having their relationship accelerated by lockdowns, once Claire moved in with Sean she never moved back out, and the rest is history!
About You
Please tell us a little bit about your relationship. How did you meet?
Sean and I are a lockdown love story. We met online in August 2020 when restrictions were beginning to lift but there was a 10pm evening curfew and you could only keep your social bubbles small, not ideal for the start of a new relationship! We took the plunge and made it official as we both knew that we had both found someone special. Safe to say that the pandemic accelerated our relationship, we went back into lockdown in November 2020, so I ‘temporarily’ moved in with Sean as a trial and never moved out!
About You
Where, when and how was the marriage proposal?
We were enjoying a holiday in Rome, Italy in August 2021. We had just been for an amazing evening meal and were walking through St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City on our way back to our hotel. As I was busy taking snaps on my camera, I turned around to find Sean on one knee with a lovely sparkling aquamarine ring in the middle of the square. I had absolutely no idea he was even planning on proposing and had been secretly carrying the ring around with him since we left the UK. We both had a little cry and of course I said yes!
Your Venue
What made you choose Mitton Hall?
We had already viewed a few places before visiting Mitton Hall and had a rough idea of what we were looking for. As cliché as it sounds, we both knew it was the venue for us as soon as we walked into the breathtaking historic reception area. The huge roaring fire and warm and inviting atmosphere, just had something special about it. Once we heard that the residents bar was 24hr if required, this sold the deal for the big party we were planning.
Your Venue
How was your experience with your Wedding Coordinator?
Absolutely fantastic! The whole team were incredible. Our wedding coordinator, Beccy Lamb oversaw our wedding from our initial first meeting, and she was brilliant. Very organized, professional, and passionate about bringing our vision to life. Nothing was too much trouble and Beccy ensured that everything we asked for was made possible. I’d seen friends of mine be stressed preparing for their big day, but I can honestly say that I absolutely loved planning our wedding from start to finish. It wasn’t stressful at all, just enjoyable. Such a shame we can’t do it all again!
Your Day
Who helped plan your wedding? Did anyone in particular bring your wedding to life?
Beccy Lamb was our wedding coordinator at Mitton Hall and was incredible. Charlotte Bailey from Ribble Valley Weddings who was our florist was also fantastic, she just knew exactly the look we were trying to create and offered some really useful advice throughout the process.
Your Day
How did your event run on the day? Was there anybody who stood out?
Like clockwork! Everything ran perfectly to time and our guests had commented on how well planned and organized the day was. Jen Porteous was our host on the day. She was fantastic! Always on hand to look after Sean and myself. She was lovely and a great addition to the team on the day.
Your Theme
Did you have a theme or colour scheme for your wedding?
I’d describe the theme as a ‘subtle autumnal’ we took hints of autumn colour palettes such as rusty orange and gold but teamed with blush and champagne beige to soften the overall look. We had lots of foliage, candlelight and fairy lights to create a warm, rustic but hints of modern style.
Your Theme
Were there any extra special unique touches that you included in your day?
We said our own vows to each other during the ceremony. Whilst we had prepared them, we hadn’t read them aloud to one another until the day, so it was a lovely personal and emotional touch. We offered ‘drinks tokens’ to our guests as wedding favours, allowing them £5 towards a drink of their choice at the bar which went down very well. Sean is known for enjoying a shot or two so we incorporated that into his speech and gave everyone a shot of Lemoncello to celebrate us getting engaged in Italy. For our evening reception music, we split the evening into music genres and it was varied to say the least. From boy bands, to dance, from RnB to power ballads. Amazingly the DJ was able to move quite seamlessly from one to another.
Entertainment
What song did you walk down the aisle to?
Shania Twain, From This Moment On.
Entertainment
Tell us about your entertainment on the day?
We had a fantastic musician, James Junior, play during our drink’s reception, he’s a super talented piano player and singer. His repertoire includes modern day soul classics like John Legend, Adele, to RnB and Hip Hop which our guests loved. After our first dance we surprised our guests with a Kylie Minogue tribute artist called Miss Kylie who is a firm favourite in Manchester’s Canal Street scene. She covered all Kylie’s classic hits in a 45-minute set dressed in the iconic Show Girl get up. None of our guests knew about this so it was a fantastic way to kick start the party. Wes from Exceed Events was our DJ then for the evening and did a fantastic job of playing a variety of different genres across the night. There were people on the dancefloor for the entire evening which is exactly what we wanted. Wes was great!
Photography
Who was your photographer and why did you choose them?
Nick English. We chose him as he was a preferred supplier from Mitton Hall so this put our mind at ease in the first instance. But more importantly, we loved his style and he knew the venue and grounds so well. Given we were getting married in October, the weather could have been horrendous so knowing that Nick knew tricks to still create some fantastic memories in our photography.
Photography
What's your favourite moment that was captured on camera and where was it taken?
This is difficult to choose just one, but I would have to say capturing my Dad’s reaction when he first saw me in my wedding dress. Those will be photographers I will cherish for the rest of my life. I absolutely love all the pictures from our wedding ceremony too, particularly as I am walking down the aisle. Nick has managed to capture the happiness and emotion that was in the room perfectly, we are delighted with them.
