Jen and Joe’s Stunning Sage Wedding

University Sweethearts

After Jen and Joe met at Lancaster University fifteen years ago, little did they know they’d be returning to this city to tie the knot one day.

“We knew as soon as we got engaged that Ashton Memorial in Williamson Park would be a really special wedding venue for us. We both love going back there to visit. Most couples have their ceremony at the Ashton then move somewhere else for the reception, but we decided to have our reception there, too.”

The couple went on to say, “finding a caterer who could create a three-course meal on the grounds without running water was tricky, but luckily we found Ribble Valley Catering, they weren’t phased by anything!”

The ‘I Do’s’

“Our ceremony was really special. We’d waited so long, so it felt amazing to be finally getting married. It felt surreal. I’m usually a crier and thought I’d blub during the ceremony, but I was weirdly calm and confident. My stepdad was very emotional walking me down the aisle and during his speech, when he mentioned the people we no longer have with us, including my dad,” the bride recalls.

Jen looked stunning in ‘Alaina’ by Maggie Sottero for the big moment, “my mum picked it out in the wedding dress shop and I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I knew it had to be the one.”

Ready, Set, Celebrate

After the ceremony, the couple continued the festivities with their guests with dinner and dancing at Ashton Memorial for the perfect wedding reception.

“Our Lancashire wedding venue was set on a hill with great views, and the Butterfly House is beautiful, too. All we added for the wedding venue décor was flowers - it was all it needed. The soft glow of the band lights at night worked really well. We just added some extra lights to the surrounding trees to light the way to the pizza van!”, the couple smiled. “Booking food vans for our evening wedding catering was a great way to keep people dancing into the night!”

The groom was in charge of the wedding day soundtrack, choosing Indie Heads to fill the dance floor all night and a string trio for their wedding music to create an atmosphere during the ceremony and drinks reception.

“We ended up having two first dance songs,” grins Jen. “Just as the band were due to play our first dance, we still hadn’t made up our mind! We went for ‘Lover of the Light’ by Mumford and Sons and then a little while later, the band played our second choice, ‘Small Bones’ by the Courteeners, so we had a second first dance, too!”

Uniquely Yours

“Deciding to have the whole of our wedding at Ashton Memorial meant sourcing all our suppliers ourselves. There are some great small business wedding suppliers out there and it meant we could find the perfect people for us and we didn’t have to settle or compromise. Getting a great wedding videographer was a brilliant choice for capturing all our special memories, too!”