Ian and I fell in love with Beck Hall back in 2017. At the time, I worked for a local lifestyle magazine called Aspire and one of my roles was to review local restaurants. Beck Hall had just been refurbished so owners Louise and Andy Macbeth invited us for bed and breakfast too. (Read that review and see more here).
Two years later Ian and I were looking for a venue in which to hold our wedding reception. We looked at several options online but nothing appealed. Beck Hall popped into my mind, and we knew that it would be perfect for the vision we had of our day. Only one problem. They don’t do wedding receptions. However, we thought it was worth emailing Louise and Andy to ask if they’d consider holding our wedding reception at Beck Hall and they said yes!
We worked closely with Louise throughout the planning process which involved several visits, a menu tasting and a lot of emails. Louise and I have very similar taste so I knew she would bring our visions to life.
Our brilliant photographer Jenna captured everything in such detail. She took all of the images in this post apart from pictures of the food which Poppy and I took.
The Grounds
Beck Hall lies in the centre of Yorkshire Dales village of Malham. It was built in 1705, a charming riverside yeoman’s cottage that is only accessible by a stone bridge across the beck. It’s now a small hotel with 22 bedrooms and beautiful grounds which overlook the beck.
We got married at 2pm, so it was about 4pm when everyone arrived at Beck Hall. We knew that people would be getting peckish by then so served canapes and cocktails on arrival. And… it stopped raining!
The Table Settings, Speeches and Menu
Ian and I sat with our children on the top table – we both love the zebra fabric on the chairs. We named each table after a Spanish wine and each had flowers and vintage candlesticks in the centre. When I saw them, I was moved to tears by just how beautiful the restaurant and table settings looked. It was beyond anything I could have imagined.
Ian and I both gave a speech. They were both well-received and we managed to make each other and everyone else laugh.
The food was an absolute triumph. We’d been incredibly excited about it after we did a tasting earlier in the year. Yorkshire Tapas, paella and a tri of desserts.
The Cake
We wanted a relatively simple fruit cake with “lace” to match my dress, and with flowers to decorate it. I deliberately ordered one which was much larger than we needed so we had spare- we both love fruitcake. We still have the top tier which we’re saving until Christmas. I chose a local Skipton-based cake-maker and I will use her for any future celebration cake. It looked and tasted delicious.
The First Dance
We had the same song for our first dance as the one I walked down the aisle to. Our band The Upstarts were absolutely superb. Two of them played in the castle for the ceremony and all four band members played in the evening. They’re Manchester-based and graduates in music. We chose from their extensive repertoire and the dance floor was full all night.
The Party
I think the photographs say it all.
Notes
For enquiries about Beck Hall, please see the website and contact Louise and Andy Macbeth.
Flowers: Keelham Farm Shop. arranged at Beck Hall by my sister-in-law, Lynne.
Wedding photographer: Jenna Meeking.
Wedding Band: The Upstarts.
Bride and bridesmaids’ hair: Chic Hair Studio Skipton.
Wedding dress: See this blog post for details and this Reel for my dress fittings.
My shoes: See this blog post for details and close-ups.
Cake: Every Cloud Cakes and Bakes
