Featured Gamekeeper's Wedding - Becky & Matt

We love making your dream weddings a reality at The Gamekeeper's Inn. It's always an honour to be part of such a special day. Recently, we had the pleasure of reconnecting with some of our happy couples and reminiscing about their unforgettable experiences with them, and now we're excited to share their stories with you.

Could you tell us your names? Becky and Matt

How did you both meet? We’ve been together 8 years (and a bit), but we met a year or so before that, at work. We both worked for an online training provider, and Matt was managing a bespoke project for a customer that involved live-action videos.

I’ve done a bit of amateur dramatics before, so he asked me to appear in them. We hadn’t really spoken before that, and Matt still feels a bit embarrassed about the day he asked me to do this, because I was on my way out for lunch and, unbeknownst to Matt, I had my earbuds in, so he ended up chasing me through the office and out into the street, calling my name, while I remained blissfully unaware! When he came back in, one of the customer support team told him ‘I don’t think she heard you’.

After the filming was complete, and we’d spent a bit more time together, we had a project meeting and he asked me to stay behind after everyone else left, and that’s when he asked me to go out for a drink with him.

How did Matt propose?

On 8th August 2023, a couple of days after my 40th birthday, Matt had arranged a surprise night away, which turned out to be a walk up Pen-y-Ghent and a night at the Falcon Manor in Settle. It was a lovely sunny day and, after our picnic lunch at the summit, a bigger surprise was waiting for me! It’s all a bit of a blur, but he got down on one knee and I said yes. It was the perfect proposal.

We walked back down the hill in a happy daze, and rang our parents from the car park, all of whom were over the moon. and the next day we went ring shopping together. It was so exciting and I couldn’t wait to tell everyone the news!

What did you do for your stag & hen celebrations?

For my hen, we had a big night out in Leeds with all my female relatives, friends and bridesmaids. We went to Lost & Found on Greek Street for food and cocktails, and then on to Box for karaoke. It was so much fun!

Matt didn’t really have a big stag night, but he did have an evening at my parents’ local pub (The Swan in Addingham) with my dad, my brother and one of my cousins, and they welcomed him into the family.

What was the date of your wedding? Saturday 14th March 2026.

What made The Gamekeeper's Inn stand out to you as your perfect wedding venue?

We chose The Gamekeeper’s Inn firstly because we were looking for somewhere that could accommodate a lot of guests for the weekend, as a lot of Matt’s family would be travelling from the Midlands and further afield, and I also wanted to be able to stay the night before with my bridal party.

As soon as we visited The Gamekeeper’s Inn, we loved it. It’s a beautiful venue and, just as importantly, the friendly, welcoming and relaxed atmosphere made us feel at home. In the planning stages we visited a few times for food and drinks. The food was always incredible and the service second to none, so we knew we’d made the right choice.

I would wholeheartedly recommend the venue to other couples. The team were incredibly supportive and helpful at every stage of our wedding planning.

Angela, the wedding coordinator, took all of our questions, worries and preferences on board and put our minds at ease on every point. She’s supremely competent, but wears it lightly. In the final weeks and days before the wedding, we bombarded her with emails, which she handled with ease and continually reassured us. We always felt that what mattered to us mattered just as much to her.

Chris, the Master of Ceremonies, was also involved in the planning. He and Angela met with us to go through all the details for the day, and they even ran a rehearsal the day before, which really helped calm our nerves. Chris was fab on the day – he’s full of charisma, and he elevated the atmosphere and made us feel incredibly special.

I must also mention Dan, the venue manager. He was there throughout the whole weekend and was so friendly and approachable with us and all our guests, making everyone feel at home. He leads a really great team – everyone was brilliant and everything ran smoothly.

The team did a fantastic job of bringing our dream day to life – the room looked gorgeous, the food was delicious and the whole day felt truly magical. Many of our guests commented on the relaxed atmosphere and what a lovely day they’d had. It was a perfect weekend and I honestly couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Tell us all about the morning of your wedding!

I woke up at 4am, as did several members of my bridal party (including my mum, who saw a shooting star)! The nerves were very real. My mum and all my bridesmaids arrived at my room (Lovely Seat, which is the venue’s beautiful honeymoon suite) at 7:15am ready for Brittany, our wonderful hair and makeup artist, to get to work, and we all piled onto the enormous queen-sized bed with cups of tea to wait our turn.

All of the prep and organisation downstairs wasn’t visible to us at all, so the morning actually felt very relaxed and fun, like we were just hanging out together, and we were able to enjoy every moment. We had breakfast delivered to the room, which we ended up eating on the floor because there were so many of us. For some reason this felt very nostalgic and reminded my friends and I of our days in university halls.

It was a lovely sunny morning and, from the balcony, we could see some of what was happening out front – some of the bridesmaids saw Matt and Percy (Matt’s 12-year-old son and best man) arriving later in the morning. I also used the balcony to give my mum a thank you card and gift, which was a very emotional moment and a fond memory for us both, and then my dad coming in for his first look is a lovely memory as well.

What was the theme for your wedding?

We went for a bit of a rustic theme. We had fairly lights and lanterns for the ceremony, our stationery was on brown kraft card and we used jam jars for some of our floral arrangements. I think this complemented the venue, with its gorgeous beams and soft lighting.

Our colour scheme was dark teal and copper, although we didn’t end up bringing in too much of the copper colour in the end – just the ribbons around the bouquets and other subtle touches.

We had a pretty clear idea of what we wanted from the start. The colour scheme came first, and everything else sort of grew from there, and we took inspiration from the room and the whole vibe of the venue.

Who were your groomsmen and bridesmaids, and what did they wear?

I chose my sister Laura as my maid of honour, and for my bridesmaids I had Matt's daughter Molly, and my friends Kirsty and Kana. The bridesmaids' dresses were from JJ's House.

Matt just had a best man: his 12-year-old son, Percy, who did a fantastic job. They did a joint speech, which was a standout moment of the day, and one that a lot of guests were very impressed with! Matt and Percy both wore suits by Paul Andrews, which they bought from Bridgewater Menswear in Colne. Their accessories (including ties, cufflinks and pocket squares) were Victory & Innsbruck, and Matt’s ring was by The Beautiful Company.

Becky, you looked beautiful - tell us about your wedding look!

The dress was by Stella York, and I bought it from Ava Rose Hamilton in Silsden, where I also got my veil. My shoes were Paradox, from John Lewis, and my faux fur jacket was from Lace and Favour. All of my jewellery was from Azendi in Skipton. I also had a little ring with a blue stone that I borrowed from my now mother-in-law, Denise. It’s old, borrowed and blue!

How did you know you had found "the" dress?

It wasn’t anything like what I thought I wanted – I was convinced I needed sleeves and was planning on going for something quite demure! This one was pulled out by Kirsty, one of my bridesmaids, as a ‘wild card’ – after all, how many opportunities do you get to try on a full-on princess ballgown? But when I put it on, I think we all just knew it was the one.

I’d like to give a little shout-out here to the team at Ava Rose Hamilton, who were brilliant and gave us a really amazing ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ experience, which was just what I’d always dreamed of!

Who did your hair and makeup? How did you choose them, and what style did you go for?

Brittany Jae did my hair and makeup as well as all of my bridesmaids. I found her online and was impressed by the gallery on her website.

I went for a sort of soft-glam with a smoky eye and a bit of shimmer, and I had my hair down, with beachy waves, but softly clipped back at either side. I felt really beautiful on the day, and that’s all down to Brittany! The bridesmaids looked gorgeous too. She was such a calming, lovely presence on the wedding morning and even finished ahead of schedule, so there was no last-minute panic.

How did you feel walking down the aisle?

I felt very nervous, and extremely emotional, but as I stepped into the room, I caught the eye of a few close friends and family members, which made me feel more grounded and confident, because everyone looked so happy for us. I felt really lovely to see all my family and friends in one place. And having my dad walk me down the aisle and then seeing Matt’s smiley face at the end of it just felt like a dream. I managed to tune into the music and feel present in the moment, and, in the end, it was probably one of my favourite moments of the day!

What songs did you walk down the aisle to, and our of your ceremony as Mr & Mrs to?

The song that I walked down the aisle to was In My Life, by The Beatles. It felt really appropriate for a later-in-life marriage. We’ve both had full lives and other relationships in the past so the lyrics seemed really meaningful to us:

‘But of all these friends and lovers, there is no one compares with you, and these memories lose their meaning when I think of love as something new. Though I know I'll never lose affection for people and things that went before, I know I'll often stop and think about them, in my life, I love you more’.

We walked out of the ceremony to Dreams by The Cranberries. Just a nice uplifting song that’s really nostalgic for both of us, as 90s teens!

We loved your flower arrangements. Who was your florist and what was your theme?

Our flowers were by The Hedgerow in Threshfield, and they did a wonderful job. We went for cream, ivory and neutral tones, with silvery eucalyptus. My one stipulation for the flowers was ‘not neat’. I didn’t want them to look too formal or ‘shaped’.

I thought they looked absolutely beautiful, especially my flower crown, which made me gasp when they brought it in – it was exactly what I wanted and had always imagined myself wearing on my wedding day.

Did you arrange transport for your guests?

We did lay on a coach for guests travelling from Ilkley, Addingham and Skipton. This was provided by Hargreaves Coaches, and they were great – we had lots of last-minute changes that they handled swiftly and cheerfully, and everything went very smoothly on the day.

We loved your table settings and room decor! Tell us more about them.

Create A Look Decor did all of our decorations, including the tables, and they did a fantastic job, with help from the Gamekeeper’s team. Jon Starkey at Exclusive Entertainments did the lighting. All of our guests commented on how beautiful the room looked.

What did you have as favours?

We put together our own little gift bags for all the children under 16.

How many guests did you have?

We had 98 day guests and another 17 for the evening celebrations.

Your food looked delicious and it was a pleasure to cater your wedding day. Tell us all about your choices!

For canapes we chose sweet potato wedges with a sour cream and chive dip, halloumi and red pepperr skewers, and assorted quiche tarts.

For our wedding breakfast starters, we had a choice of bloody mary prawn and crayfish cocktail, dressed leaves and brown bread, poached pear and goat's cheese tart, red onion marmalade and dressed leaves. The main course was a choice of fillet of sea bass, crushed new potatoes, wilted spinach and hollandaise sauce, or toffee glazed gammon, apple sauce, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and a rich jus. Dessert was a choice of dark chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream, or vanilla creme brulee served with Scottish shortbread.

In the evening, we had sausage sandwiches with hand-cut chunky chips.

Your wedding cake was beautiful. Who made it?

Our cake was from Three Little Birds Bakery in Keighley. The base was lemon, with lemon curd & Swiss meringue buttercream, and the middle and top layers were sticky toffee with French buttercream and caramel. It was decorated with buttercream in neutral colours with accents of teal and copper. It was SO good.

We visited the bakery for their tasting service - they were so friendly and made it really easy for us to choose exactly what we wanted for our big day. Matt chose the lemon and I went for the sticky toffee. The French buttercream is out of this world!

What song did you choose for the first dance, and what does this song mean to you?

We chose Into My Arms by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The song is very emotional for us because of the COVID lockdown. Matt and I didn’t live together, so we had to stay apart once the lockdown rules kicked in, and for some reason this song was playing as we said our goodbyes. We didn’t see each other in person again for three months, which was tough, but the song always reminds me of the absolute joy I felt when we could come back together afterwards. It’s a beautiful song.

Did you choreograph your dance, or just wing it?

We didn’t plan our dance – neither of us is much of a dancer, so we just went for the good old ‘hug and sway’!

Who was your DJ?

We had Rich Leuce from Hi-Life Entertainment. The company was recommended by The Gamekeeper’s Inn, and Rich was matched to us based on our music choices. He was fantastic – really friendly and approachable, and was really willing and keen to take requests from our guests.

Who was your photographer?

Gemma Suckley. We did a lot of research online and came across Gemma’s portfolio. I really loved her style, and we noticed she’d photographed weddings at The Gamekeeper’s Inn before, and it honestly looked even better in her photos than in some of the others we saw!

Then we met with Gemma and immediately liked her. She’s so friendly, enthusiastic, and brilliant at putting people at ease. We had an engagement shoot on Ilkley Moor, and she made it such a fun experience, which gave me complete confidence that she’d be amazing on the day.

Everyone in our wedding party loved her; she really brought people out of themselves. Some of my most enjoyable moments of the day were posing for silly photos with my bridesmaids, at Gemma’s instigation!

Which is your favourite photo of the day and why?

This is such a difficult question because there are so many lovely ones! I really like this one (below) of us coming into the wedding breakfast – we both just look so happy and excited!

I also love the final photo, of me and my bridesmaids outside, swishing our dresses around in front of a backlight – very dramatic!

What is your favourite memory of the day?

It’s so difficult to choose, but I think it was probably walking down the aisle! I was very nervous and excited, and I felt really emotional seeing all my family and friends in one place. And having my dad walk me down the aisle and then seeing Matt’s face at the end of it just felt like a dream.

If you could re-live your wedding day all over again, is there anything you would do differently?

The whole day was pretty near perfect, but I think the one thing I might try and do differently is talk to people more at the reception. I think I spoke to everyone at some point during the day, but I probably could have had more conversations later on – I was just too busy dancing!

I would also try and wear my veil for longer! It was so beautiful and sparkly, but it just wouldn’t stay in place, sadly, so it came off shortly after the ceremony.

What are your honeymoon plans?

We had a night away straight after the wedding at Aynsome Manor in Cartmel, which was incredible. We had dinner at The Cavendish Arms in the village, and the following day we had lunch in Grange-over-Sands. The best bit was that we were brought champagne on arrival at the hotel and even had a chauffer to drive us to and from our dinner reservations, so we got to carry on feeling special even after the big day was over.

In May, we’re heading off to Switzerland for our honeymoon, which is a place we’ve both always wanted to visit. We’ll start in Zurich with a trip to Lucerne, then down to Thun to stay in a beautiful castle, with trips to Grindelwald, Wengen, and the dramatic Lauterbrunnen valley. Our plan is simple: walking, eating, and soaking up as much of the scenery as we can.

Inspired by Becky & Matt's Special Day?

At The Gamekeeper’s Inn, every couple is our priority. We take pride in bringing your vision to life, going above and beyond to create the perfect wedding day just for you.

To learn more and arrange a personal tour of our stunning venue, get in touch with our wedding team at events@gamekeeperinn.co.uk.

You can also download our wedding brochure here for more details.

We can't wait to welcome you and start planning your special day.

Becky & Matt's Suppliers

WEDDING DRESS AND VEIL: Ava Rose Hamilton | info@avarosehamilton.co.uk | 01535 653331

SHOES: Paradox via John Lewis

JACKET: Lace and Favour | sales@laceandfavour.com | 01892 667571

JEWELLERY: Azendi | 01756 790534

HAIR AND MAKEUP: Juno Salon by Brittany Jae | brittanyjaemua@outlook.com | 07775 334425

BRIDESMAIDS' DRESSES: JJ's House

GROOM & GROOMSMEN'S SUITS: Bridgewater Menswear | bridgewater1881@gmail.com | 07759 657151

GROOM & GROOMSMEN'S ACCESSORIES: Victory & Innsbruck

GROOM'S WEDDING BAND: The Beautiful Company | info@thebeautifulcompany.com | 07487 585657

TRANSPORT: Hargreaves Coaches | info@hargreavescoaches.co.uk | 01756 752567

FLOWERS: The Hedgerow | hello@the-hedgerow.co.uk | 01756 752293

CAKE: Three Little Birds Bakery | info@threelittlebirdsbakery.co.uk | 07975 847065

DECORATIONS: Create A Look Decor | info@createalook.co.uk | 07824 512867

ENTERTAINMENT: Hi-Life Entertainment | mark@thehi-lifeco.uk | 07828 688144

PHOTOGRAPHER: Gemma Suckley Photography | gemma@gemmasuckleyphotography.co.uk | 07952 937129