We absolutely LOVE hosting your weddings here at The Gamekeeper's Inn and creating a day that's perfect for you is a wonderful feeling. So we've asked some of our brides to relive their special day with us by filling out a little questionnaire so we could share a little bit of the magic with you too!

Please tell us yours and your husbands names Georgina & Darrell

The date of your wedding with us? 14th September 2019

Tell us how you met? We were both at university, me at Lancaster and Darrell at Sheffield. We met online and chatted for a few months before going on a date while Darrell was home from uni after Christmas. We got on so well we saw each other every day for the following week!

How did he or she propose? Darrell made a treasure hunt around the house. I had to collect all the clues and put them together to form a cryptic crossword on the back - the answers were: proposal, marry, me, please. When I eventually got the answer, he pulled out a ring!

What was the theme for your day, and did you have a colour scheme? We had a cool pastel colour scheme of pinks, blues and purples, with a geometric theme.

Where did you hold your ceremony? St Andrew's Church in Aysgarth, by the Falls.

Why did you choose The Gamekeeper’s Inn as your reception venue? It's such a lovely place, with the right size space to be light and airy but still intimate, plenty of outdoor space, great food, and of course fantastic people!

When did you know you had found THE dress? I got my dress in a sample sale, and it needed some adjustments, so I made some additions as well. So it didn't really feel like "the" dress until a few weeks before the wedding, but it was the style I liked and I could see that I could make it what I wanted.

Who were your bridesmaids and what did they wear? My sister, Claire, was the maid of honour, with my niece, Olivia, and Darrell's niece, Amelia, also bridesmaids, all in pastel blue. My other nieces, Elsie and Josie, were flower girls.

Tell us about your floral arrangements We had paper bouquets and buttonholes, made by Ali at Paper Jackdaw. We kept flowers to a minimum, with just a few pastel orchids in our centrepieces.

Tell us about the personal touches you added to the day We did a lot of DIY decoration, making signs, favours, a "guest book", and seating plan ourselves. We also decorated the church ourselves with homemade decorations. Throughout the reception we had a carefully curated playlist of our favourite songs in the background. One thing we had that we haven't seen at many weddings was a large balloon arch surrounding the cake table.

How did you feel as you walked down the aisle? It's a very surreal experience! The whole ceremony goes much more quickly than you expect, and you don't necessarily have a chance to process what's happening. Also, I was in fits of laughter once I saw the surprise Darrell had for me: personalised hand-painted shoes, with our names and wedding date!

What was the most memorable moment of your day? Probably the impromptu rendition of "Lean on Me" during the meal, with all the guests swaying as they sang in unison.

Which song did you choose for your first dance and why? "You're My Best Friend" by Queen - because it's true.

Which food and drinks did you choose to provide for your guests on the day? We had Prosecco on arrival with canapes of mini Yorkshire puddings, halloumi skewers, and fish goujons. For the meal we had duck salad or fishcakes, chicken wrapped in bacon or roast pork, and sticky toffee pudding or assiettes. There was a buffet of sandwiches, quiche, pies and chips to keep us fuelled up to dance through the night.

Tell us about your wedding cake We had a three-tier cake in pastel colours, with a hexagonal middle tier and tiles, flavoured with chocolate, salted caramel, and raspberry and white chocolate.

What music and entertainment did you have on the day? We had so many children at the wedding that we all more or less made our own entertainment! They spent much of the day outside on the lawn or in the play area. We just plugged in a tablet with our own music during the day, but we had a DJ in the evening. We also had a glitter artist to glam up all the guests.

Where did you go on your honeymoon? We went to Mauritius, stopping for a few days on the way out in Dubai.

What was the most challenging aspect of planning your wedding? Finding the right venue was the hardest part for us - we knew we wanted to marry in the church so we were looking for a venue in the Dales but nothing seemed quite right in our first round of searching. It was only when we revisited and chanced upon an open day at the Gamekeeper's that we seriously considered it - and as soon as we looked round and met Angela we were so sure about it that we booked there and then.

Was there anything you wish you had known before? Not really, we generally enjoyed the planning experience and learning as we went along.

Do you have any advice for couples planning their wedding? Make the most of it. It's over so quickly!

A short review... "The Gamekeeper's Inn is a beautiful wedding venue in a lovely peaceful setting. The whole team are wonderful, friendly, and very accommodating and hard-working. The wedding coordinator, Angela, kept us updated throughout and gave us reassurance that everything was going to go as smoothly as it did. The quality (and quantity) of the food is excellent, so good that most of the guests came back for the carvery the day after the wedding! The hotel rooms are outstanding and the facilities are a great bonus."

WEDDING SUPPLIERS

Dress - Ava Rose Hamilton: https://avarosehamilton.co.uk/yorkshire/

Bridesmaids - Goddiva, eBay

Suits - Swarbricks

Photographer - Martin Newton Photography: https://www.martinnewtonphotography.com/

DJ - Josh Westwood

Hair & Make-up - Nicky Selvidge

Glitter Make-up - Wish Upon A Sparkle: https://wishuponasparkle.co.uk/

Flowers - Paper Jackdaw: https://www.paperjackdaw.co.uk/

Venue Styling - Elegant Venue Dressing

Cake - Tiers and Sprinkles: https://tiersandsprinkles.co.uk/

From your first visit, through all your planning, right up to your wedding celebrations, our wedding planner Angela will be by your side. Angela has been organising weddings at The Gamekeeper's Inn since The Netherside Suite opened and has overseen many happy couples tie the knot. She will answer any questions you might have and help you set out your perfect wedding.

So why not choose The Gamekeeper’s Inn as your perfect wedding venue? We have everything you need to plan your wedding and we’ll help you through every step. Please check out our 'Weddings' page for more information, or get in touch with Angela directly to start discussing your special day today.