Gemma & Gary’s Priest House Hotel Wedding

On a beautiful sunny July day, Gemma and Gary wed in an intimate ceremony at The Priest House Hotel in Castle Donnington. With only 12 guests in attendance for the ceremony, Gemma made her grand entrance to the sound of her brother playing ‘Marry Me’ by Bruno Mars on his guitar.

The Priest House Hotel provided a romantic and idyllic setting as the two exchanged heartfelt vows and said ‘I do’. The newlyweds then celebrated with an intimate dinner reception with more guests joining in the evening to toast them throughout the night.

When asked to describe her best moment or memory Gemma said “All of it – I couldn’t pick! It was honestly the most perfect day I could have imagined!”

Meet the bride – Gemma talks about her intimate wedding ceremony and why they chose the Priest House Hotel

When planning your wedding day what was your vision?

Exactly as it turned out. A small, intimate wedding with our closest friends and family. Simple, elegant, and with the sun shining!

What was your best moment or memory from your wedding day?

All of it – I couldn’t pick! It was honestly the most perfect day I could have imagined!

Tell me about anything you did differently

I think the only thing we did differently was the size of our wedding. We kept it very small (only 12 including us for the ceremony and a total of 50 for the evening). We didn’t want to get bogged down in the he/she has to be invited because so and so is. We did it exactly how we wanted and it was perfect.

Why did you choose the Priest House Hotel for your wedding venue?

We chose The Priest House Hotel in Castle Donnington. Venue choices were a little limited as our wedding was so small, but it was definitely a case of walking in and knowing it was the one! We fell in love with it and the grounds and it suited our needs perfectly.

Tell me a little about your outfits, where did you get them and what made you choose them?

From the moment of our engagement, I knew I wanted a lacey, boho look. I thought it would suit me and my shape. I got my dress from Wed2Be which allowed us to keep within budget! I would hugely recommend them to anyone dress shopping!

Gary and Joshua (the eldest) got their suits from Slaters in Nottingham, and Dylan got his from Next. They went with navy blue as they wanted a bit of colour.

Did you have any special touches on the day? what did your guests think?

We kept everything very simple. I think our only special touches were the wedding favours – Bride and groom chocolates for the day guests and personalised sparklers for the evening guests. Both of these went down well. I also made up photo books of the hen and stag do which people enjoyed.

Which are your favourite photos from your wedding day?

I love the natural-looking ones of Gary and I together, and also the ones you took of us all unaware at the wedding breakfast. It captured the day beautifully.

What music did you choose for your wedding day?

My brother is a guitarist and I knew from the start that I wanted him to play for us. I asked him to play me down the aisle, which he did, and also the 1^st dance. Both were the same song – ‘Marry me’ by Train. It did make it extra emotional, it was so touching. Our evening music was from a family friend Jo – a solo singer.

If you would like to chat with me about your wedding day please reach out to me on my contact page I can’t wait to hear from you. If you’re keen to see how I work and to get an idea of my wedding pricing then head over to my wedding page here.

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