Mike and Jess’s Whittlebury Park wedding had been a long time coming, but it was more than worth the wait. Like so many couples, their original wedding plans were disrupted by the COVID pandemic, with their first venue sadly going into administration. After months of uncertainty and having to start their plans all over again, they eventually found Whittlebury Park, a beautiful Northamptonshire wedding venue just a stone’s throw from Silverstone. It turned out to be the perfect place to finally celebrate with their family and friends.
If you’re thinking you recognise a few faces from this wedding, you’d be right! Jess is Gerard’s sister, whose wedding I photographed a few years earlier at Rudding Park. It was a real privilege to be invited back to capture another wedding for the same family.
Their story began on a doctor’s mess night out at Manahatta in Leeds on 2nd October 2015. Jess and some friends had heard rumours of a free bar and decided to gatecrash Mike’s doctors’ social. Not wanting to miss his chance, Mike interrupted a colleague who was chatting to Jess, introduced himself with an unexpected fact about pregnant camels, and somehow managed to impress her while drinking the brightest pink cocktail imaginable.
They met again the following evening to watch England get comfortably beaten by Australia in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, with Mike doing his best to cheer Jess up. Life as two Foundation Year 1 doctors meant dating wasn’t always glamorous either, with one of their favourite early dates being breakfast together straight after a night shift when they were both completely exhausted.
Fast forward to July 2019 and Mike surprised Jess with a trip to Paris for her 30th birthday, proposing in a park with the Eiffel Tower watching over them.
Wedding planning, however, wasn’t quite so romantic.
“Wedding planning has not been easy to say the least! We were supposed to get married on 29th May 2021 but thanks to COVID our original wedding venue went into administration and we had to start all over again. Having already decided that we wanted to get married in Northamptonshire and having previously viewed and discounted many of the venues there it was hard to find somewhere new to get married. However, we had somehow managed to overlook Whittlebury Park and when we went to visit it we found just what we had been looking for.”
Thankfully, everything came together beautifully. Their Whittlebury Park wedding was relaxed, full of laughter and surrounded by the people who mattered most. After everything they’d experienced over the previous couple of years, there was an extra appreciation for simply being able to celebrate together.
If you’re looking for a Northamptonshire wedding venue, I’d definitely recommend taking a look at Whittlebury Park. With its beautiful grounds, modern reception spaces and convenient location close to Silverstone, it’s a fantastic choice for couples wanting a relaxed and elegant wedding day.
And if you’re planning your own Whittlebury Park wedding and are looking for a photographer who focuses on genuine moments, natural storytelling and documenting the day as it unfolds, I’d love to hear all about your plans.
