Laura Lewis

Frosty Elegance: Stylish Winter Wedding Venues

February 1, 2024 by Laura Lewis Leave a Comment

In winter there’s a certain enchantment in the air that lends itself to creating magical moments, especially when it comes to weddings. In January and February winter weddings take centre stage, capturing the season’s beauty and creating a cosy charm for celebration. Join us on a tour of stylish winter wedding venues, where each venue becomes a testament to the union of love and the enchanting ambience of winter.

Berwick Lodge, Bristol

It’s that time of year when visions of cosy evenings by the fire come to mind. As one of the most special wedding venues in the Bristol area, why not think about hosting your winter wedding at Berwick Lodge. The on-site team can help you bring this special wintry ambience to your big day by choosing to host a cosy and intimate winter gathering at the Lodge. This sophisticated venue is one of few Bristol venues that combine elegance and warmth, perfect for an intimate winter wedding.

Whether you want a lavish winter celebration of up to 150, or you are thinking about an Elopement package, or a small gathering of family and friends to come along and celebrate in cosy style with you, you won’t want to go much further when you find us Berwick Lodge. You’ll find original wood panelling and open fires, a sweeping staircase and sparkling chandeliers, a cosy lounge and a wonderfully bright restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the gardens and out towards the twinkly lights of Wales and beyond. It’s truly a Wedding Winter Wonderland for you and your loved ones to savour!

Holkham Hall, Norfolk

Set in the expansively beautiful North Norfolk coastline, Holkham Hall is one of the most magnificent wedding venues in the UK. Its winter wonderland beauty is unrivalled as you enter via its frosty parkland and frozen lakes. This crisp and chilly entrance makes it all the more cosy and inviting upon your entry into the Hall’s warm yet grand exterior.

Weddings can be held in any four of the staterooms within the Hall which are magnificently decorated for the winter months, or in the newly refurbished Lady Elizabeth Wing. The Marble Hall is an incredible wedding space with huge vaulted ceilings and marble pillars which have been inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. Add a little festive sparkle, and you’ve just created a winter wedding to remember.

Cambo Estate, Scotland

For even further afield, why not try a truly wintry experience? The Cambo estate in Scotland offers winter weddings of all shapes and sizes in a variety of different spaces. All weddings at Cambo include the use of the house and grounds, meaning you can really make use of the space however your heart desires. In addition, they can try to accommodate all of your guests on-site with their fantastic array of rooms. So for a classic country house wedding with an extra wintry and festive feel, look no further than Cambo Estate.

Say “I Do” by the Fire in Bristol

Closer to home, Bristol offers no shortage of venues graced with gorgeous fireplaces that lend an air of sophistication perfect for winter weddings. From the mediaeval grandeur of Clifton College to the refined charm of The Lord Mayor’s Mansion House, couples can find the ideal setting to exchange wintry vows and celebrate their union in timeless style. Contact your favourite venues to inquire about availability and make your winter wedding dreams come true.

Real Wedding: Louise & Adam’s New Year’s Eve Wedding

March 8, 2022 by Laura Lewis Leave a Comment

Louise & Adam came to us in May 2019 to book their Wedding for New Year’s Eve 2020. Due to Covid restrictions they had to postpone until New Year’s Eve 2021, but the excitement, sheer joy and relief they both felt to finally be doing it was sensational.

“The staff at Berwick Lodge and our wedding planner Simone made the day so incredible and were honestly the absolute best. They went above and beyond what we even expected from them. It was like having additional friends there with you organising, calming and guiding you through the day. Their input meant that our bridesmaid and best man could just enjoy their experience and limited any stress and demands on them. We genuinely cannot thank them enough for how they helped us. ” – Louise & Adam

MEETING & PROPOSAL

Louise and Adam met in a nightclub in their early 20’s, after Louise moved to Worcester to train as a nurse. Adam was on a night out with his rugby team. What has kept them close over the last 10 years is their great friendship and sharing the same sense of humour. Adam and Louise both also have a love of adventure and travel with more plans currently in the pipeline. Lastly alongside all of this is also our mutual obsession with food!

Adam proposed to Louise on their last day of a long weekend in Valencia in 2019, it was a complete and absolute surprise as they had never planned to get married.

EMOTIONS

For both Adam and Louise, the ceremony was very memorable and the most important element of the day. Louise said that walking down the aisle was the most incredible feeling that she could do again and again.

“The stress of the morning all fell away when I was stood waiting to walk in and see Adam. I remember feeling so elated, focused and completely ready to do it! Adam was emotional to see me and we both were just so focused on each other and what we were about to do”

CEREMONY MUSIC

They chose music by Sam Cooke and Al Green for the ceremony room with Jackie Wilson singing them out after their vows. The first dance was by a singer called Tom Baxter “Better”. It’s not a well-known song but the words are so simple and meaningful to Adam and Louise, and capture perfectly how they feel about each other.

FLOWERS

Louise’s bouquet was a mixture of whites, plums and also black flowers. It was arranged naturally with ivy and tied with a blush ribbon. The two large urns provided by florist Wizz & Wild, were brought in from the ceremony room and placed either side of the top table which framed the top table throughout the wedding breakfast beautifully. Table centrepieces were small posies in the style of my bouquet which initially lined the aisle and then were brought in and placed on the tables.

DECORATIONS & STYLE

Place cards were printed with a green wreath/eucalyptus theme that sat in little wooden log slices.

Adam and Louise loved the style and era of the building straight away. The open fires and the lay out with the cosiness of the snugs was perfect for their guests to be able to relax and chat. “The whole venue is so wonderfully decorated and furnished that it made us feel the space was beautiful enough already without too much decoration from us. And we loved the Christmas tree!”

CAKE

There were two cakes as a family member kindly surprised them on the day with one she had kindly made. Our wedding cake we had made by Beaus Bakehouse was a hummingbird cake which is a completely delicious pineapple and banana cake with cream cheese. The cake was decorated with two items from Etsy which were dried flowers and Mr & Mrs Green laser cut out of wood.

THREADS

Adam and his Best Man wore the same suit by Marc Darcy with his Dad and Brother in similar but plainer dark navy. “Adam chose the suit himself with some strong nudging from me! With his dark hair and eyes he looked really sharp and handsome” says Louise.

Adam’s Best Man really liked his suit and all the outfits needed minimal tailoring which was fantastic and made things so easy.

THE DRESS

Louise wore a Bardot fit and flare gown by Ellis Bridal London. “It was the third dress I tried on and it was my absolute favourite. In my mind I wanted to capture in myself the feeling of old Hollywood. Also because of the ornateness of the venue and our NYE date I felt I could up the glamour and also go for a long veil. I figured you only do this once so why not!”

Louise also had an outfit change for the evening which she kept as a surprise even from Adam. “I wanted to feel free to relax and get into the party and so chose a full sequin kimono sleeve gown to see in the new year. My bridesmaid Faye helped me into it after the first dance and I came down the stairs and straight on to the dancefloor to surprise everyone”

BRIDESMAIDS

Faye, the Bridesmaid, wore a navy gown by Biba with silver shoes from Whistle’s. It was important to the couple that their wedding party also felt great and their best selves. With this in mind, the Bridesmaid chose her own gown and she felt incredible in it.

FAMILY FROM OVERSEAS

A video link was set up, for loved ones who could not be there due to Covid, including Louise’s brother in Australia. It was such a nice touch and they are so pleased they did it.

“Being able to see their faces on the day was wonderful and meant a lot. We had a cardboard cut out of my brother and his partner made so they could physically be there as they were stuck over in Australia. Seeing him pop up around the venue was fun and he also got involved in the photo booth!”

ENTERTAINMENT

Louise & Adam entertained their guests with a live band, magic mirror photo booth and sparklers from Berwick Lodge. The band, Lazy Marmalade, played all day and the guys were fantastic. They played acoustically whilst the guests had their reception drinks and then performed 2 live covers in the evening followed by a DJ set

“The guys were so talented and brought such a great energy with them. Our friends and family have all said since how fantastic they were.”

PHOTOGRAPHY

“We wanted to keep it fun and relaxed which is one of the reasons we chose our photographers, Steel & Oak, as they have a fun and informal style. One of the things we chose to do was a formula 1 style bubbly shake up in the garden which was so fun and really set the tone for a grown-up’s only NYE wedding!”

We’d like to say a very big thank you to Steel & Oak and Louise & Adam, for letting us share these wonderful photos.

Real Weddings: Rozanne & Joe’s Summer Wedding

October 6, 2021 by Laura Lewis Leave a Comment

Rozanne & Joe booked their Summer wedding with us after taking a virtual online tour of Berwick during lockdown..

“We wanted a venue that was a little bit different with plenty of character and with beautiful grounds. We particularly liked the layout of the building at Berwick as it meant we could have some outdoor time during the day for G&Ts but then have everyone together for the evening party. After a virtual tour with the team at Berwick we were sold. Everyone was going through such difficult times during the pandemic but service was always with a smile and they were flexible to our plans. The support on the day from Magdalena was great. She was very calm but very attentive and fixed the small last-minute issues for us, such as no flowers left for the cake! ” – Rozanne & Joe

MEETING

Rozanne & Joe met through a mutual friend in early 2019 and after finding out that Rozanne was in the process of buying a new flat, Joe used this as a good excuse to learn more about the block she was buying in. Obviously this had to happen over a drink! 9 months later they were engaged!

PROPOSAL

On the first night of their holiday in Bali in December 2019, Joe booked a private dinner in the jungle in Ubud for the two of them and totally surprised Rozanne by getting down on one knee!