Honeysuckle & Castle

If you’ve ever dreamed of marrying in the stunning Tuscan countryside, surrounded by the exposed brick walls of old Italian buildings and twinkling fairy lights, but travelling abroad for your nuptials just isn’t an option, then this is the blog post for you! At our most recent Open Day at The Riding School, Calke Abbey, we were lucky enough to have a super talented team of suppliers completely transform the venue into an Italian countryside dream. We’re so delighted to share these gorgeous images from our recent open day, where the theme was focussed on a Tuscan wedding; think rustic romance; a neutral palette with lashings of greenery, olive branches and lemons for colour. The Riding School at Calke Abbey with its exposed brick really lent itself to this theme and was the perfect backdrop for the decor, with the brickwork reminiscent of old Italian estates.

You may also wish to add a few extras just to cover you for any mistakes you may make during the writing process – and one to keep as a reminder of the day, of course… “Rosemood offers free samples of wedding stationery to give customers a feel for the high-quality of our paper and printing,” say the Rosemood team. RSVP cards & envelopes, thank you cards & envelopes, place names, table numbers, menu’s and even an order of service – all of which have you covered. Your wedding date, time and place – remember to make a note of your reception venue if this differs to your ceremony venue Yours and your partners full names – some people also wish to include their parent’s names if they’re the hosts, i.e. “Mr & Mrs Smith invite you to the wedding of their daughter “Atelier Rosemood is a French stationery company based in Nantes – just two hours from Paris, with an in-house printing studio, meaning that all wedding stationery from Rosemood is made in France!

Making the Most of the Outdoors for your Wedding British Summertime is well and truly on its way, and along with these warmer months comes those typical British traditions: barbecues at the first sign of anything over 10 degrees, finding the closest beer garden and claiming it as your home for the day, and exposing yourself to every second of sunshine possible. We’re extremely proud that all of our wedding venues – Calke Abbey, Clumber Park and The Kedleston Country House – have beautiful grounds that make for some truly stunning photos. If the weather is on your side at Clumber Park, you’ll be able to enjoy drinks and canapes in the stunning rose gardens; likewise at Calke Abbey, the courtyard just outside the Riding School is the perfect place for guests to sit out in the sunshine and enjoy a drink or two. We all love garden games in summer – and having garden games on your wedding day is the perfect opportunity to get truly inventive.

We’re so delighted to be sharing Bryan & Kirstie’s gorgeous wedding at The Glasshouse, Clumber Park on the blog today. The Glasshouse itself offers panoramic views over the walled gardens, featuring lots of incredible greenery and exotic plants lovingly cared for by the National Trust gardening team. So when these incredible images from Bryan & Kirstie’s ceremony landed in our inbox last week, they had everyone in the H&C office swooning! Photographer Joshua Thursby captured every moment of this special occasion so beautifully, making the Glasshouse look like a botanical dream, also taking advantage of the gorgeous areas of woodland surrounding the venue too.