When it came to the most important day of her life Danielle Walsh ensured that everything was planned perfectly and that her wedding would include all the things that she and her partner Richard really loved. The fairy-tale white Georgian Grade II* mansion, Hylands House in Essex was chosen for the wedding venue. Drinks were served in the exquisite red and gold Banqueting Room as well as on the Terrace for the 116 day guests. The party had free rein of the house as the couple wanted everyone to see inside the immaculately restored interior.
A wedding venue fit for purpose
The main meal and dancing for 200 evening guests was held in the adjacent contemporary Grand Pavilion, which is ideal for partying and for live music.
Music is very important to Danielle and Richard and as a complete surprise for all those present Danielle arranged for one of their favourite artists, Shola Ama, the R&B and Garage star to perform live in the Pavilion.
To add to this she also arranged for a Luther Vandross tribute act to play as well as a club saxophonist. Another sweet moment was that Danielle sang a song herself – ‘Giving myself over to you’ by Jennifer Hudson.
The wedding breakfast plan was designed with tables being artist’s names and the table numbers being CD-style covers.
“The evening was phenomenal – I planned it to a T. I loved the fact that Hylands House was so full of history and that the Grand Pavilion was really modern, so that we got the best of both worlds”, said Danielle.
A large wedding, the bride was accompanied by six bridesmaids, all dressed in beautiful magenta dresses, styled individually for them, so all slightly different. There were two best men including Richard’s twin brother Martin and three ushers. Completing the line-up was a pretty little flower girl and two page boys whose stylish navy suits matched the groom’s.
The bride and bridesmaids made good use of the Hylands Bridal Room to dress and get ready for the wedding. This serene and calming space has floor to ceiling windows that let natural daylight stream in: perfect for applying make-up, getting dressed and adding those final touches.
Danielle planned all the details herself, from making the invitation cards, arranging the two vintage white Rolls Royce wedding cars and ensuring that the couples’ guests would have everything they needed. She even made up little baskets in the washrooms to include hairbrushes, safety pins, moisturisers and sewing kits.
Sister-in-law Jodie made heart-shaped truffles and together with Danielle and her mum and Richard’s mum, they put together 75 boxes of these with eight chocolates in each one as favours for the guests. Jodie and her company Sweet Tooth also made the stunning wedding cake.
The wedding venue was decorated with red roses by Sophie one of the bridesmaids who owns Flowers by Sophie.. Danielle ensured that the Grand Pavilion looked absolutely beautiful with gorgeous flower displays on each table to tone in with the bride’s rich purple and magenta bouquet.
Name charms were attached to each wine glass. Selfie sticks were given to guests for all to record the event. Danielle made a funky corner in the Pavilion with a silver photo background and plenty of amusing props and wigs for people to take fun photos.
The couple now both aged 31, first met when they were only 11 years old and date after their 10 year school reunion. So another thoughtful touch was a memory table, showing pictures of them and friends and family over the years. They created a memory tree with photos of their younger selves and also poignantly showing picture of those who are no longer with us.
Danielle was so absorbed with making sure that everything went perfectly for her guests, that when she left her house on the wedding day she had a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something. Luckily she had only got to the corner of her street, when she realised it was her wedding dress!
Following such a lovely day, the couple took their honeymoon in Jamaica.
If you would like to have Hylands House as your wedding venue than please get in touch.
Photography: D&T Images
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