*Disclaimer: Sarah and Pete have requested we don’t use any photos of people except the one below as Pete told us, “It just feels so weird having such a personal moment online and I have no idea why other people do it. As far as I know, there isn’t a single photo from our wedding on any social site and it honestly makes it seem more special.”
**All quotes are Pete’s words. It was his big day after all.
Sarah and Pete married at Thicket Priory on the 29th of February 2020. Everything from the date chosen to the fact that the couple referred to the wedding as “Pete’s big day” was slightly unorthodox, very low key and a reflection of their terrific sense of humour.
“I do think one thing that felt good was the absence of ‘traditions’.
People seem to be obsessed with them but the fact we spent all day together, drove to Thicket Priory together, etc etc made it way more fun than the whole ‘don’t see her before the wedding’ rubbish.”
They had a blessing in our chapel, led by the Yorkshire Celebrant, Eve and although our chapel can hold far more than the 45 guests that were invited to Pete and Sarah’s wedding, the couple wanted to keep the entire affair small and intimate.
The bride chose a dress from Monsoon (“lovely dress too”) and had no bridesmaids, the groom wore a suit from Slaters. “He wore it well, I might add” quipped Pete. Sarah had her hair styled by Hays Salon in Cottingham and Pete opted for a pair of clippers and the bathroom mirror.
The cake was from Waitrose, with biscuits by L.S. Cakery.
The flowers were by Kathrine of Fleur Adamo and Sarah helped subtly style the wedding breakfast and chapel but only with a few candles and some greenery as the couple felt that that was all that was needed (don’t get Pete started on chair covers… or naked wedding cakes).
The low-key wedding style was topped off by the official wedding car, a 2014 Fiat Punto in ‘Unwashed White’ that was already owned by the couple.
Pete and Sarah became friends at school about 12 years ago and became a couple in April 2016. “I knew Sarah was the one about 10 years before she did which was awkward, but we managed.”
“I asked Sarah [to marry me] while we were on holiday in Thailand in our hotel room, having bottled it earlier at the restaurant because there were too many people around. We had already discussed the idea of getting married, but it was nice to make the engagement more ‘official’.”
The biggest must have for the wedding was privacy and solitude. “We quickly began looking at sole use venues as the solution to a lot of the issues we didn’t want at our wedding and once we went around Thicket, we didn’t look any further. The building is outstanding but the tranquility and the solitude appealed to us the most. The fact that you and your guests are the only ones there makes it much more special and intimate. We would 100% recommend Thicket Priory to other couples.”
When asked what the most memorable moment of the day was, besides saying “I do”, Pete replied, “Seeing everyone sitting down and eating together. It was the exact atmosphere we were hoping for and everything seemed to come together at that point.”
Purple Chilli did the food and Pete was over the moon. “The food was outstanding and the presentation and table service was perfect. We had a few people with dietary requirements etc, but every single plate was perfect and everyone got what they requested.”
The only entertainment was the groom’s speech, which was hilarious, and board games for family and friends to play. No band, no DJ just good old fashioned fun.
Guests might have mistakenly expected an underwhelming affair but by stripping back all the frivolties that are normally associated with a wedding, Sarah and Pete exposed everything that a wedding should be about – two people declaring their commitment to each other and sharing the love they share with all of their friends and family. It was a truly memorable and magical day and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of Pete’s Big Day.
Pete’s advice to any couples about to tie the knot is “On a general level; always think of your partner first. On a wedding specific level; do exactly what you want to do, invite who you want to invite, wear what you want to wear. Other people will have opinions about all of these things (and more), kindly remind them that their opinion will carry a great deal more weight at their own wedding, and not yours. Also, don’t get a ‘naked’ wedding cake. They just look unfinished.”
So on that note, I’ll say bye for now and I wish Sarah and Pete many, many happy years together.
Love Flame x
