Shades Wedding | Verity & Jake at Kilnsey Park

Published on 30th October 2019 by Jenny Mason

Introduction

Jake and I met at school, when we were studying music GCSE, so we’d been together over 10 years by the time we got married! We grew up in the Midlands, but then both went to university in Yorkshire, and have fallen in love with God’s own country! I am a junior doctor and Jake works for a science technology company, and live pretty busy lives, so we enjoy nothing more than getting out into the countryside when we have free time to go for a walk. We therefore knew from the start when we got engaged that we wanted to have an outdoor wedding.

The Details

Couple – Verity & Jake
Venue: Kilnsey Park, Skipton
Florist: The Hedgerow, Threshfield
Photographer: Hannah Kelly Photography
Suits: Dapper Dan’s, Wolverhampton (my dress was just from Zara on the high street!)
Rings: Cast, Sheffield (we made them ourselves – really great fun!)
Lunch food suppliers: Tacoporium (Mexican street food)
Evening food suppliers: Dodson’s fresh catch (fish and chips)
Ice cream: Icecycles
Ceilidh band: Triple Scotch ceilidh band
Accommodation: The Tennant Arms (lovely pub on site at Kilnsey Park that slept all of our wedding party)

The Wedding

As we wanted to get married outdoors, the first thing we had to do was find somewhere with an outdoor wedding license that allowed a completely relaxed and DIY wedding, as we knew this was the vibe we wanted to go for. We also wanted to have it in Yorkshire, so after a lot of googling and reading reviews, we came across Kilnsey Park in Skipton. This was the only place we actually visited, as we instantly fell in love with it and knew it was the perfect venue. It is right in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales with stunning landscape in every direction. They have a wedding license to get married in a field next to their working farm with alpacas! They allow a DIY bar and are generally very relaxed about what you want to do with your wedding, so this was perfect.

The next step was to find the perfect marquee. Shades was recommended to us by the owners at Kilnsey Park, and what a brilliant recommendation! Shades have absolutely incredible party tents for hire and are a fantastic company to help make your vision come alive. We also had the privilege of being one of their first weddings with their brand new ‘Nomad Stretch tent’, which we chose for its uniqueness.  We knew almost no one would have seen this style of tent before, and it’s a really unusual shape, so we loved it from the start.

The Planning

We actually found most of the planning process reasonably stress-free and enjoyable! This was probably helped by the fact that we often cracked out the wedding planning book in our local pub. One of the most important things to get right for me was the food, as neither of us particularly like big sit down meals or table plans at wedding.  I and all of my immediate family are gluten free, so we wanted to make sure it was good quality food in spite of the dietary requirements!

I think the most difficult part was planning the small details of who should be where and when the day before for setting up and on the day itself.  I’m so glad we did plan everything carefully, because it meant the day went completely smoothly and we could enjoy it all without any stress.

The Day

We had been checking the forecast every day during the week preceding our wedding day, so were not at all surprised when we awoke to a full-blown Yorkshire storm, with high winds and torrential rain. That’s the risk you take getting married outdoors in England, even though it was August! However, this didn’t affect the day at all, and made the stretch tent even more cosy for the reception. Everyone was in high spirits all day and it provided a great talking point. The food was delicious, the speeches were fantastic, and everyone got involved in our awesome ceilidh dance in the evening. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if the day had latest longer, it all seemed to be over so quickly!

Top Tips

My main advice would be that you can’t start planning too early, and to not get caught up in tiny details. Remember the reason that you are getting married is to legally join together with the person you love, and to show that love to all your friends and family. All the other stuff doesn’t really matter, and as long as you and your partner have an amazing time that’s the most important thing. And try to enjoy the planning, it’s not often you get the chance to create an entire day and massive party exactly how you want it – embrace the power! Also, with a marquee wedding in particular, ensure to be really organised. As you’ll be doing all the setting up yourselves, it’s really important to think of every possible thing you could need (tools, ladders etc). You can’t be too prepared!

If you’d like to find out more about our Nomad Hybrid Tents, or where to hold your Marquee Wedding in Yorkshire, do get in touch!