Your Yorkshire Wedding - May/June 2020 (Issue 42)

26 F rances and James were both out in Northallerton’s infamous Bongo nightclub when they met. “I just thought he wasn’t bad looking,” Frances laughs. It must have been more than that, as the couple’s relationship blossomed and James was soon planning how to pop the question. After working away for two weeks, James returned home and the couple decided to go for dinner at their favourite pub, The Black Horse Inn, Kirkby Fleetham. “Before we left he called me into the kitchen,” Frances tells us. “He had lit tealights in a heart that said “Marry me” – badly burning his thumb in the process! It was a total surprise.” The couple set the date for 6 th July, 2019, with a church ceremony at St John’s, Sharow, and they knew exactly where they wanted to hold the reception… SETTING THE SCENE “I grew up on a farm and always wanted a marquee wedding,” Frances says. “What better venue is there than in the front paddock at home?” The pair opted for a blush, cream and green palette with a rustic country theme running throughout. “The florals had a relaxed vibe with lots of blush and white blooms and greenery,” Frances tells us. “The centrepieces were trees with hanging glass tealight holders.” For their cake, they kept the design beautifully simple and informal. The marquee was brimming with pretty and personal touches, such as blush chair covers dressed with sprigs of eucalyptus, floral hoops, huge potted plants for outside and a fairy-lit chiffon backdrop for the top table. Fitting in with the country theme, they had their table plan hand-painted with a meadow feel. “I wanted the top table to be a wagon to represent my family’s haulage business,” Frances explains. “The other tables were motocross bikes as this has been James’ hobby from a young age.” Each guest was given a Macmillan Cancer Support pin badge as a favour. “I lost my gran to cancer five years ago, so this was something I really wanted to do,” the bride says. Frances arrived in style at the church. “I rode in my dad’s 1950s Morris Commercial Wagon,” she says. “We came back from the church in it too, sitting on straw bales.” A