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Ellie and Kevin Manor House Wedding in Wiltshire

Ellie and Kevin - Stunning Manor House Wedding Venue in Wiltshire


Cat Arnott
Cat Arnott Updated:
7th of July 2022

Three years after meeting on a night out, Ellie and Kevin became engaged. Then, after 14 months of difficult planning due to COVID-19, the couple finally tied the knot in a stunning manor house wedding venue on September 12th 2020 at Grittleton House. The whole day was captured beautifully by Joab Smith Photography.

Coronavirus Complications

Ellie and Kevin experienced many problems with their wedding planning due to the pandemic. The couple originally planned to get married in Spain. A few months before they were due to fly out, it was given a travel corridor which thrilled the couple. However, this was short-lived as it was soon put back on the government red list. Ellie and Kevin knew no one could quarantine for 2 weeks when coming back to the UK, so they made the difficult decision not to go ahead with their Spanish wedding. 

Ellie and Kevin then had just 3 weeks to plan a new wedding. Luckily, friends and family, especially Ellie’s mum and sister, were on hand to help! The couple found a new venue and all their suppliers worked hard to get everything ready in 3 weeks. However, Ellie and Kevin were not able to legally marry at Grittleton House due to lack of time and not enough time to give notice. The couple were due to sign everything on New Year’s Eve 2020 but the latest lockdown stopped those plans too. So, they have booked in for August 2021 at the registry office instead - fingers crossed!

The Venue

After having the original Spanish plans cancelled, neither Ellie nor Kevin initially wanted to get married in the UK. However, the pandemic forced the couple to change their mind, deciding that they just wanted to marry each other, no matter where. So, finding somewhere in the UK that had a connection become was important to Ellie. Grittleton House is where Ellie went to school before it closed to become a permanent wedding venue. So, it had a special place in her heart. 

The ‘Orangery’ where they celebrated the day used to be an outdoor swimming pool, whilst the preparation room was the staff room and the bride’s bedroom for the night was one of her classrooms! This made it even more nostalgic. Grittleton House provided the couple with a day they will never forget. They worked tirelessly to make sure the bride and groom could have the wedding of their dreams with 3 weeks’ notice. They were excellent and took real pride in their jobs. The couple had big ‘welcome’ bags to be delivered to everyone's room, (which were not light) and this was no trouble for them.

Colour Schemes and Fashion

Ellie and Kevin chose their colour scheme, blush pink and greens because it originally perfectly complemented their Spanish wedding. As the couple had already had to make so many changes, they didn’t want to change their colours now it was in the UK. Keeping the colour scheme the same was also a nice tribute to the wedding they were supposed to have.

Luckily, despite having their wedding in September, the bride and groom were lucky with the sunny weather so the colour scheme still fitted really well! Having the blush pink and greens also didn’t overpower the room which was already occupied by such a small number of people.  

The colour scheme could also be seen in the wedding party outfits. The three bridesmaids had blush pink dresses which complimented the four groomsmen’s ties and pocket squares which accessorised their grey suits. The bride wore a gorgeous dress by Watters which was purchased from Willoughby & Wolf in Marlborough. The dress was detailed with an intricately beaded bodice and enchanting flowing skirt, complemented by a bouquet of white and green flowers from Foxy Buds.

Ellie's hair and make-up looked incredible. Her gorgeous updo was put together by Goldworthys Swindon and her delicate, sophisticated make-up look was created by Jade Johnson.

The Wedding

Grittleton House really made the day memorable for this happy couple. A highlight of the ceremony was Ellie’s sister reading out a poem she had written which made everyone laugh and cry! But Ellie’s favourite part of the day would have to be after the ceremony. Then, she was able to relax and finally enjoy herself. After the stress of having their Spanish wedding cancelled, she didn’t believe she would be getting married until she walked down the aisle!

Then it was time for food! For a starter, there was wild mushrooms and chicken ballotine, spiced lentil salad with red wine sauce. Next, the main dish was a 14 hour cooked blade of beef, roast root vegetable and curly Kale, caramelised onion and potato gratin with red wine sauce. Then, a trio of desserts; apples and rhubarb crumble tart with vanilla ice cream, lemon posset with raspberry jelly and macerated raspberries and chocolate brownie with roast peanut brittle and clotted cream. Finally, there were cheese boards and pieces of wedding cake, which had been beautifully crafted by Cakes by Mrs F.

As favours, the couple gave charity pin badges for Lung Cancer and Gallbladder Cancer, two charities very close to their hearts, and scratch cards. The newlyweds had to sacrifice having a musician so not to use up their limited numbers so they used a speaker and phone for their first dance. As they were lucky with the weather, this meant the restrictions could be eased slightly due to being outside. Everyone was having a drink, enjoying the sunshine and smiling all around. Many gorgeous photographs were taken by Joab Smith Photography, including those with Ellie’s aunt who sadly passed away recently. So, these photographs are now memories that Ellie is fortunate to have in a different way. After the special day, the couple were able to go to London and stay at Claridge’s for 3 nights. We wish them very many happy returns for the future.

Guides for Brides Suppliers 

SPOTLIGHT

stunning Grittleton House Country House Cotswolds Wedding Venue

70 reviews

Grittleton House Wedding Venue

Cotswolds Country House, Grittleton House exclusive Wiltshire wedding venue, onsite accommodation

Wiltshire, Chippenham

Special Offer

£POA

Venues

Joab Smith Photography Photographers in Gloucestershire
Joab Smith Photography

Stunning, natural reportage wedding photography!

Gloucestershire, Stonehouse

£1,700 - £2,150

Photographers

Foxy Buds

Wiltshire, Bradford on Avon

£POA

Florists

& Wolf Bridal

Modern Wedding Gowns for Today's Brides

Wiltshire, Marlborough

£1,300 - £3,500

Bridal Wear

Other Suppliers 

  • Cake: Cakes by Mrs F
  • Hair: Goldsworthys Swindon 
  • Makeup: Jade Johnson Makeup Artist

Cat Arnott

About the author


Cat Arnott

With a Masters degree in History, Cat is the best person to consult if you need wedding facts and information fast. Her passion for weddings has led to her having a broad and up to date knowledge of trends and traditions and she is here to research on your behalf to find the answer to any wedding related problem.

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