From their first visit to Thicket Priory on the 5th of February 2023, to booking Thicket Priory on the 13th of February, 2023…we had exactly 18 months to plan the perfect wedding day for Jess & Adam. Now just over 3 months on from the wedding day and Mr & Mrs Wright have relived their wedding day through the powers of the Thicket Priory Blog ! Let’s take it back to the beginning of their love story…
So how did you meet?
“We met on Tinder, the online dating App. We matched on the early bank holiday weekend in May 2021, just after Jess had made the move back from London to Yorkshire. At the time, Adam was living in Sheffield and Jess was living in York, however the ‘radius’ distances that we had set on Tinder must have meant that we were at our parents houses when we ‘swiped right and matched’. We like to think of it as being ‘meant to be’ and that we were in the right places at the right time to have matched!”
When did you know they were ‘the one’/ how did they pop the question?
“Jess’ response to this question is in July 2021, the first Monday of her teacher summer holidays, she met Adam in Sheffield after he had finished work. We grabbed some food and then went to sit on the edge of a cliff in the Peak District to watch the sunset. It was one of the nicest things ever and Jess remembers thinking how much she really liked Adam and how he had planned such a nice thing to do. But Jess remembers telling herself that she needed to play it cool as we hadn’t been seeing each other for very long and she didn’t want to scare him off by being too full on!
Adam’s response to the question is in August 2021 we went on a week’s holiday to Wales. We walked up Snowdon and then went to Pembrokeshire. We spent a whole week together, whereas up to this point we had only seen each other at weekends or for odd days. Adam remembers just absolutely loving being in Jess’ company for the whole week.
We think it was from this point that we kept forgetting that we hadn’t been together for ever. We were starting to forget what life was like before having each other in our lives and we didn’t want life to ever be without each other.
We got engaged in Thailand on 22nd December 2022. It was the most perfect day. We didn’t do Christmas presents for each other, but each bought an ‘experience’ to do in Thailand. On that day we had done the experience that Adam had booked – a private speed boat tour around some Thai islands in the Phi Phi area. Adam then said he’d booked us in the hotel for food that night as we might be tired after the day. He had booked a romantic table for 2 on the beach in a beautiful gazebo watching the sun set. There was a band playing just over from where we were sitting and after the main course we were sat looking out to the sea and the band starting playing Dido, Thank You. Adam got down on one knee and proposed! Adam had also taken his GoPro to dinner to get a time-lapse of the sunset but whilst Jess was away from the table he had turned it around so it captured our engagement. We laughed after the engagement that Adam had picked Dido to get engaged to as the next song the bang sang was Britney Spears ‘Hit me baby one more time’, which wouldn’t have had the same romantic feel. Adam seemed so calm and relaxed for the proposal; he says this was because he knew Jess was going to say yes!”
What was the biggest MUST HAVE for your wedding?
“Our friends and family are hugely important to both of us so one of the most important things was to have everyone there celebrating our wedding with us. Thicket Priory was perfect for this as having it exclusively for our use only for the whole weekend meant we got even more time to spend together, even more important as our family and friends live all over the country and world! The informal feel of Friday night helped people to get to know each other as we played games and enjoyed conversations sitting outside in the sun. I don’t think anybody wanted to leave when Sunday morning came!
It was also extremely important to us for the whole wedding weekend to be as personal as possible. Every detail we picked, from our celebrant led service and our first dance song, to the favour bags we left in everyone’s bedroom was very personal and had special meanings to us.”
Jess & Adam, A.K.A. Mr & Mrs Wright ! 10th August 2024
“We went to 2 wedding fairs but really only because it was part of the ‘wedding’ experience! We already had clear ideas of what we wanted our wedding to be after looking at ideas online and speaking to the wonderful Anna, our wedding co-ordinator at our venue, Thicket Priory, who also shared their ‘friends of Thicket’ supplier list with us. It was great to go to the wedding fairs for more ideas and just to see what was out there, as well as it being a fun day out with lots of freebies! At one of the wedding fairs we did find one of our suppliers, Focusing Events who provided archery for us and our guests during the wedding canapés and drinks reception. Our guests absolutely loved this and the team were so friendly and professional. They felt more like an extension of our friends and family group.”
How did you choose your perfect outfit to say ‘I do’ in?
“Jess’ friend Ellie had got married the December before us and she had recommended the bridal shop that she had got her dress from, Frances Day Bridal. The whole process with them from start to finish was pure perfection. The team were amazing and made Jess feel so welcome, calm and well cared for. Jess only tried on about 5 dresses from the one shop before finding ‘the one’, a beautiful Suzanne Neville, which was then custom made. Jess also chose a beautiful veil from Frances Day Bridal.
Adam had a bespoke suit made by Gieves and Hawkes in Chester which fitted him perfectly.”
How did you pick the perfect photographer/videographer to capture your day?
“We started looking online quite early on in our wedding planning process. It was important for us to find a photographer and videographer who would fit right in with our day, as we are 2 people who don’t really like our photos being taken! Adam is a hobby photographer so it was important to him to find a photographer who could offer more creativity through his shots. We couldn’t have asked for anything more from John and Daniel. They both made us feel relaxed and natural and we almost forgot they were there, in the nicest of ways! We will certainly treasure the photographs and video that captured our special day.”
Other than saying ‘I do’ what is the most unforgettable moment from the day?
“There are just too many to choose from! However, we both think that one of the most unforgettable moments came just after our celebrant led service. We led out of the chapel first and had some time to ourselves with a glass of prosecco as all of our guests led out onto the beautiful Thicket Priory grounds to form the confetti line up.We were then announced to our guests as a newly married couple and were led out with our very own brass band entourage, Backstage Brass! This is a part of the wedding we had kept secret from our friends and family and it was the most wonderful feeling, walking out to all of our nearest and dearest as a newly married couple with the brass band playing some of our favourite dance tunes and seeing all of their surprised faces. It felt like a real Love Actually moment and we must have watched a video of this back 100 times!”
Who gets the gold medal in the wedding olympics for helping make your day amazing?
“One word, Anna!
Anna was our amazing wedding co-ordinator at Thicket Priory and really did go above and beyond to make our wedding weekend the best it could be. She is an absolutely incredible, kind, smiley, positive and talented person and we cannot say enough about how grateful we were for being able to plan everything with her and having her there every step of the way. We were in safe hands from day one and she really did help us make the weekend the most magical and special time for us. Anna literally thought of every tiny detail on the day, some that we had never considered! Led by Anna for our wedding weekend, the whole Thicket Team were amazing from start to finish and for that we are so grateful.”
Which supplier was a real stand out for you? The unsung star who deserves a special mention.
“All of our suppliers were absolutely amazing and our wedding wouldn’t have been the same without any of them there! We would absolutely recommend them all to any future couples who are getting married. They were all so professional, kind, caring and so attentive to all of our needs. They never made us feel like we were asking daft questions or nagging too much and they all contributed to our wedding of dreams. A personal stand out for me, Jess, are Emma and Rachel, my amazing make up artist and hair stylist. I have never felt so lovely before and don’t think I ever will again! They made the getting ready morning so calm and peaceful, whilst also making Jess and her bridal party look and feel a million dollars. They are truly talented and just such kind and genuine people.”
Out of 10, how involved was your partner in the planning process? Did this help with your planning process?
“I, Jess, would say Adam was 10/10! We planned the whole wedding together and the decisions were jointly made, however he also knew when to just say yes to me!”
What was it about your venue that gives it the WOW factor? Would you recommend this venue to other couples?
“Thicket Priory is the venue of dreams. From first stepping into the venue, we knew it was the one for us. From arriving at the start of the wedding celebrations, it felt like our home for the weekend. The venue is stunning, inside and outside, and the team really have thought of everything. The little details make it even more special and magical and having all of your friends and family under one roof was perfection for us. We would recommend the venue to any couple and only wish we could relive our wedding weekend there again!”
How did you style your venue? Did your wedding day have a theme?
“As well as the Thicket team, we were so lucky to work with the amazing Laura and Melissa, our florist and stylist. Between them they made our vision come to life. Laura made the staircase a real statement with flowers and foliage and Melissa’s signage added many personalised touches. Their work together made the ballroom everything we could have asked for. We then made personalised favour bags and wedding newspapers for all of our guests bedrooms.”
What’s your funniest memory from the day?
“I, Jess, have horses and since early on in our relationship, Adam has been dragged to the stables at Jess’ parent’s house early on Saturday mornings to help muck out the horses. As a ‘welcome to the family’ gift, Jess’ Dad presented Adam with his own personal ‘poop a scoop’ during his speech. That’s no lie-ins for Adam now on the weekends!”
Finally, what’s your best advice you could give to couples who are about to tie the knot?
« Make sure your wedding is a celebration of you and everything you, as a couple, want it to be. Relax, enjoy it and make sure to find times in the day to stop, be present and look around you at everyone who is there to be part of the happiest day of your lives.”
Safe to say it’s a true love story and a gorgeous wedding celebration had at Thicket Priory for the marriage of Mr & Mrs Wright!!!
With Love
Anna
xXx
Suppliers Shout Outs:
Hair: Rachel Miller @rach_miller_hair
Makeup: Emma Denton @emmandenton_makeup
Flowers: Laura @laura.mintandmoose
Bride’s Dress: Frances Day Bridal @farances_day_bridal / @suzanneneville (Bride’s dress designer)
Bridesmaids Dresses: Joy’s Bella Bridesmaids @joysbellabridesmaids (dress designer @dessygroup)
Groom’s and Father of Bride’s suit: Gieves & Hawkes @gieveslondon
Cake: Blossom Tree Cake Company @blossomtreecakeco
Venue: Thicket Priory @thicketpriory
Venue stylist: Pear Tree Lane @peartreelanestyling
Celebrant: Karen Beattie @holmemadeceremonies
Catering: PurpleChilli @purplechillieventscatering
Photographer: John Hope Photography @johnhopephotography
Videographer: Made to Last Films @madetolastfilms
Afternoon band: Backstage Brass @backstagebrass
Evening band: Ultraglow @ultraglowband
Confetti: Adamapple @adamapple.co.uk
Archery: Focusing Events @focusingevents
Photobooth: The Instant Photobooth @ theinstantphotobooth
Candles (wedding favours): The Rustic Candle Co Yorkshire @therusticcandlecoyorkshire
