A beautiful socially distanced wedding

Wedding restrictions could not stop this couple from tying the knot. We speak with bride Hannah who got married to her now-husband Ben at a stunning socially distanced wedding at Sneaton Castle in Whitby.

How did Ben propose?

Ben managed to surprise me with a weekend away to York where I went to university and lived when we started dating. We’re both from Whitby and actually met when I was only 17.

We had a mini romance when we were younger but got back together when I was 22. On a drive to York, Ben took a detour to a place where we used to go for a drive when were first getting to know each other on an old Roman road. He stopped and said let’s look at the view and when we were out of the car he got down on one knee and popped the question!

Tell us about your wedding…

Our first wedding got canceled because of Covid and the destination fell through so we changed our venue to a brand new place called Sneaton Castle in Whitby. It was bought by a local company who recently made it into a wedding venue – we were the first to get married there!

We then had our reception in our garden where we hired a mini marquee and decorated it in our wedding colour scheme which was dusky pink and white. We were originally meant to have 100 guests but ended having just 30 due to restrictions.

We’re planning to have a big party with all our original guests when things return to normal!

How did you say yes to the dress and the accessories?

My dress is from a designer called Justin Alexander who is just amazing. I bought it at a boutique in Stokesley called Joanne Kay Bridal.

A friend had worn Rainbow Club shoes and said how comfy there were so I had a look and found the perfect ones called Reese.

What was your most favorite part of the day?

The best part of my day was during the ceremony, where our two sons Riley and Milo were our little ring bearers it was such a lovely moment having them stood there whilst we exchanged rings and vows.

Do you have any advice for other brides to be?

My advice to other brides is to just relax when planning your wedding, you can’t control everything… Whether that it’s the weather, your mother’s opinions, or even a global pandemic. Some things just don’t matter and your day with still be amazing.