“Natural, personality, character. Fly on the wall, not staged but still capturing all the key moments. Jonny you delivered it all in abundance and so much more than we could have ever expected.”
Bex and Toby’s Nature Inspired Wedding at High Paradise Farm
Bex and Toby’s wedding service was held at Holy Trinity Church and the reception was at High Paradise Farm, Thirsk, Yorkshire. They didn’t have a theme as such, but ‘bringing the outside in’ was really important to them. Being in the Yorkshire hills we were surrounded by an awe-inspiring landscape, which is why they went for a clear marquee that looked down on the breathtaking views of Boltby village from High Paradise Farm. Toby, an illustrator, and Bex, a PR director, are from London so they also wanted to make sure there was a good enough of a mix of Yorkshire and London in all the little details. Sure, they love the rustic countryside but need a bit of city chic too!
What did you want from your wedding photography?
Jonny is an exceptional artist, photographer and person. We weren’t keen on the idea of even having a photographer at the beginning as we wanted to keep the day as intimate as possible. But from the moment we first skyped Jonny we knew he was amazing and that we really connected.
Jonny is very relaxed. He very quickly and quietly figured out what we as a couple and our wedding was about and he set about creating images and shots that captured the entire day perfectly, exactly how we would have wanted it captured.
It has been near on impossible to narrow down our selection of images because we have so many that we love. The images have brought our friends and family to tears, made them laugh and ultimately everyone has said how they re-lived the whole day through them because of Jonny’s attention to detail and incredible eye. And now we have a new friend too, so we’re double in luck.
Describe some of your favourite wedding details and how you came up with them.
Toby, being an illustrator, designed the invites by hand, in a concertina design where you could peer inside and reveal all the details of the day. It was all gold foil blocked with pale pink inserts with the details. They were a real labour of love taking six friends three days to build, it was so worth the effort.
The clear marquee was important to us, we were well aware that rain was a strong possibility in North Yorkshire so we wanted to make sure that if it did, it would be dramatic for all! We ended up lucky with they weather.
Why choose High Paradise Farm as your wedding venue?
Toby’s parents live in Boltby, a village in the North Yorkshire Moors just outside where Toby grew up and a real beauty of a spot that we both love to visit.
We googled farms in the area and found Ginni and High Paradise. Ginni had recently re-launched tea rooms at High Paradise that her grandmother had run 25 years before so we felt like she was young, entrepreneurial and maybe a bit like us.
We got in touch and got the best, most excited response that completely sealed the deal. It was so exciting as it really was they beginning of creating our perfect day.
Ginni is now planning to have 3-4 weddings at the farm a year – with the village, the view, the facilities and Ginni’s incredible background in events and wedding planning we think it’s safe to say Ginni will be booked up for the foreseeable future and any bride and grooms to be are beyond lucky to work with her.
The dress was incredible! What can you tell us about it?
Bex’s dress was from Mews Bridal in Notting Hill in London. The designer is a Parisian designer called Delphine Manivet. Her designs are beautifully cut, so contemporary and chic but with a real sense of fun. Bex bounced out of the changing rooms when she put it on and knew it was a dress she would dance all night in. The dress was finished with gold Gucci mules that had a bit of a seventies vibe and a chunky heel that could handle the Yorkshire hills.
Groom’s attire?
Toby wore Saint Laurent (when Hedi Slimane was still there). The minute we walked into the Bond Street store they understood Tobes’ style and what he was looking for – a really sharp suit with an excellent fit, slim fitting trousers were super important. He liked it so much even his boots were Saint Laurent. It was actually a tuxedo he chose but he was much more Mick Jagger than James Bond.
The ribbon Tobes wore was from Savile Rowe, a friend of ours dad has a shop there Chittleborough & Morgan and he’s suited the Rolling Stones since the 70’s – Tobes is a huge Stones fan so it was the perfect finishing touch.
His hat was from Gorin Bros in Brooklyn, New York. Bex took Tobes back in January for his 30th birthday and bought him the hat then, not knowing it would be the wedding hat but knowing it was pretty special.
Bex: What advice would you give to future brides for their wedding day?
Make it last. We purposefully took friends and family out of London so we made a long weekend of it. That way you get to spend proper time with everybody there.
The people are key. Every single one of our guests REALLY showed up! From singing loudly in the church, to whooping through the speeches, sharing the hashtag like crazy and dancing all night. It was the best crowd, even if we are biased.
Toby: What advice would you give to future grooms for their wedding day?
Don’t feel the need to adhere to too many traditions. The traditional service was important to us but in all the details from the stag do, to the suit, to the order of service, we always tried to make sure our personalities were reflected in everything we did and we really hope that came through on the day.
Shout outs:
Chef Ben Moore – Ben needs a major shout out, the food was out of this world, all our guests are still talking about it. Ben is young, smart, creative and he created our perfect menu, so good it was impossible to narrow down from the tasting and we couldn’t believe how he could cook for over 100 people as well as he cooked for us both then.
Ginni Skilbeck – Ginni owns High Paradise and it was the first ever wedding at the venue. (see why we chose our venue for more!)
Sue our florist is a close friend of Toby’s mums. She absolutely nailed the flowers from Bex’s head dress and bouquet, to the ladder arrangements that hung from the roof of the marquee. She doesn’t run a florist business, but certainly should!
Make Up Artist Bekki Mitchell – Bekki is an incredible make up artist and totally understood that Bex wanted a natural look, not too heavy, but with a bit of smouldering smokey eye to make it feel special. She also did Bex’s hair – she nailed both (Instagram: @BekkiMitch)
Marquee – Countryside Events http://www.countrysideevents.co.uk
Thinking of getting married at High Paradise Farm? If you like the look of these High Paradise Farm wedding photos I’d love to hear more about you, your wedding day plans and what you want from your documentary wedding photographer.
