Not all weddings need years of preparation. Gareth and Danielle orchestrated their beautiful, rustic and intimate wedding at The Wild Boar in just over two months. We are delighted to be able to share a little snapshot of their story.
Dispensing Love
Gareth and I met at work in Arrowe Parke Hospital on the Wirral – we are both pharmacists. We had been together for about a year and a half when we started thinking about adding to our family. Gareth already had 2 fantastic children, Luke and Alyssa.
Rugby Romance
In February 2012, Gareth, the kids and myself were in London. We had tickets to watch England play Wales at Twickenham. Gareth is a huge rugby fan. It was a beautiful crisp, fresh and sunny day. I thought something was up when Alyssa kept whispering to her dad, do you want me to give it to you yet? Then at half time, Alyssa rummaged around in her back pocket and handed Gareth something. He dropped on one knee in the stands, offered me the ring and asked me to marry him. I was mortified! I looked around to double check there was nothing on a big screen somewhere. Poor Gareth had to prompt me for an answer. Of course it was Yes!
And Then There were Five
Gareth, Danielle, Luke, Alyssa and Torin
Shortly after that our delight was compounded by finding out I was pregnant. Torin was born on 7th Dec, 2012 and wedding plans were put on hold indefinitely. In August 2017, after a few health scares, Gareth and I decided that the most important thing for us was to be married, surrounded by our family whilst we said our vows. We wanted to get it organised as quickly as possible and were hoping for October.
The Lake District – A Bit Like Home
We had celebrated a few special occasions in the Lake District, so it was an obvious choice for us. It’s a beautiful part of the country, and also reminds me a bit of the area I grew up – Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh.
With such short notice we knew it would have to be a week day. We were going to be a small party of around twenty people. I didn’t want to be lost in a big venue. It was important to us that the wedding and breakfast party was all in the same place. Whilst I was painstakingly going through a list of all the venues in the area, my sister-in-law emailed information about the Wild Boar. I had a look and thought, why keep looking – this is perfect? It ticked all the boxes for us, convenient location and a beautiful setting, with the tarn close by. The Inn itself, is intimate, romantic and steeped in history. I loved the quirky, old decor and interesting bits on display. It fitted in completely with the relaxed, rustic vibe we wanted for our venue.
Undermillbeck, perfect for small intimate gatherings
The menu looked fantastic, with a wide selection of rich, luxurious foods – wild boar and salmon cured on site in the smokehouse. A well-stocked bar and microbrewery sealed the deal for us. After three days of venue hunting we booked it!
Wild Boar Beer Bats, a popular choice at weddings
Short Notice – No Problem!
Jeanette our wedding planner was incredibly helpful and informative – she didn’t balk at the prospect of helping us organise things with such short notice and provided us with advice on lists of suppliers for the crucial bits…
Gemma Louise Hair and Makeup joined us early in the morning to do hair and makeup for bride, bridesmaid and Mother of the Bride. Calm and professional and Gemma a fantastic job without even having had trial first!
Katie at Made in Flowers, again managed to create fabulous bouquets, buttonholes and arrangements. Exactly how I’d hoped they’d look, based on a telephone conversation and a Pinterest board!
A friend of ours, Julie-Ann Bennett, made our cake as a gift to us. I gave her some loose ideas along the rustic theme and she produced a beautiful and scrumptious cake, with a lemon drizzle layer (Gareth’s favourite) and a white chocolate and raspberry layer.
Alyssa, my stepdaughter, helped me make up the favours. I ordered the place cards from Rachel Emma Studio, These were hand made on lovely pieces of wood, with little bits of moss around the outside. We attached these to hessian bags which contained either Jameson’s Irish Whiskey or Flavoured Gin miniatures, and some love hearts. The children had alcohol free versions with sweets and bubbles of course!
A huge thank you to Tiree Dawson, our wonderful photographer, who captured all the magic and emotions of the day.
The Dress of My Dreams
My wedding dress was the thing people thought would be the most difficult task at short notice. Early September I made the trip to Marie Me Bridal Boutique in Randalstown Co. Antrim, owned by my sister-in-law’s sisters, Eilish and Fiona. They helped me choose the dress of my dreams. I chose a Watters design, Claude gown, which featured Tillie Chantilly Lace and hand-placed Freesia motifs. It had an open, illusion back to add some drama and Freesia Lace cuffs for extra impact on the illusion tulle sleeves, finished off with a puddle train. I loved every minute wearing it, I felt glamorous and elegant but also relaxed and comfortable. I wanted shoes I would wear again and fell in love with a pair of Dune Daenerys in blue velvet.
Gareth and the boys also wanted to keep to the relaxed rustic theme and after a few trips settled on a variety of tweed jackets and chinos from Moss Bros and John Lewis.
Memorable Moment?
I’m not sure I could pick one moment that was the highlight for the day. It was all so much fun from start to finish, but I think the ceremony was lovely. I was so happy standing up with Gareth saying our vows (with help from Torin) and hearing the readings from Alyssa and my brother (A lovely love story by Edward Monkton, and An Apache Blessing). The speeches were also great fun and included some interesting props!
Weddings at The Wild Boar
If you have a wedding to organise – whether it is next year, or next month – why not give Jeanette a call on 015394 45225 to discuss your plans for a romantic Wild Boar wedding. But in the meantime, from all of us here, a huge congratulations to Gareth and Danielle!
