Gamekeeper's Wedding - Hayley & Jake

Name: Gamekeeper's Inn
Price range: $

We're always delighted to host your weddings at The Gamekeeper's Inn and bring the perfect day you've always imagined to life. We caught up with some of our happy couples to reminisce about their special day with us, so we could share their story with you.

Please tell us your and your husband's names: Hayley & Jake

The date of your wedding with us? Saturday 13th May 2023

How did you meet?
We met each other through a mutual friend in 2012.

How did he propose?
Jake proposed in a town called Celebration in Florida in 2014, at the lake by the side of a big water fountain. It was my first time in Florida, Jake had been to that exact spot on a previous holiday and chose it as the perfect place to propose. Afterwards, we celebrated in a local cosy restaurant.

Tell us about your stag and hen celebrations!
For my hen do, we went to a Drag Bottomless Brunch at Viaduct in Leeds, while Jack and his stags enjoyed multiple activities including mini gold, ice free curling and axe throwing.

Why did you choose The Gamekeeper's Inn?
We stayed at The Gamekeeper's Inn for Jake's 30th birthday and we were very impressed with the whole venue. We loved the food, the accommodation and the location. The staff were all very friendly too and we felt very welcome throughout our stay.

How did you celebrate on the evening before and morning of the wedding?
We both stayed on site along with our parents and siblings, so we had a big family meal the night before the wedding.

We decided rather than exchanging expensive gifts the morning of the wedding, we would exchange mystery JellyCat plushies - I gave Jake a bean (his nickname is Beanie!) and he gave me a lemon (a symbol of our upcoming honeymoon).

What was your wedding theme?
We chose a rustic burgundy theme. The main reason for choosing this is simply that we both love the colour! We also opted for a fairy light backdrop and ceiling drapes.

Tell us about your wedding looks!
Jake wore a burgundy suit with a black tie, all from Moss Bros. I wore an ivory lace mermaid gown with an illusion neckline and full length veil from Elite Bridal. My jewellery was custom made by Victoria Walker Boutique, a small independent business in Farsley, Leeds.

My hair was done by Kirsty at Leeds Bridal Hair and my makeup was by Orla Browne.

For my 'something old', I had two sixpences with my parents' birth years on, and my 'something borrowed' was a decoration of two gold rings with doves from my parents' wedding cake, tied onto my bouquet. And for 'something blue' I wore a blue garter!

Tell us about your wedding rings!
Jake chose a silver wedding ring with a band of Whitby Jet running through it from W. Hamond, the original Whitby Jet shop at the foot of Whitby's famous steps.

I chose a white gold curved band with a channel of round and baguette diamonds which we bought in York, a place that is special to us both.

Who were your bridesmaids?
I chose my sister Tanya to be my Maid of Honour, and my bridesmaids were Jake's cousins Emily and Annie, and my cousin Hannah.

My bridesmaids wore burgundy dresses from Infinity Dress. We chose multiway dresses, so that everyone could wear a style they felt most comfortable in.

Who were your groomsmen?
Jake's chose his twin brother Connor to be his Best Man. Connor, the Father of the Groom and Father of the Bride all wore black suits with burgundy ties, all from Moss Bros.

Tell us all about your flower arrangements!
Our florist was Collette Ashley Floral Creations in Skipton. For the bouquets, we opted for a mix of roses and seasonal flowers in burgundy, dusky pink and cream.

For the Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom, we opted for a pink rose wristlet and for the Groom, Best Man and Fathers we went for a classic white rose.

What was the inspiration behind your table settings?
We decided to name the tables after places that are special to us - Threshfield, Celebration, York, Leeds, Tenerife, Sorrento and Rome.

For the centrepieces, we used a mixture of supplies from Etsy and Hobbycraft, and we made the place cards ourselves.

What did you have for wedding favours?
We opted for burgundy bags containing a "We Donate Our Day" badge with the money going to Prostate Cancer UK, along with some chocolate hearts.

Tell us about your wedding cake!
Our cake was made by The Farsley Cake Co. We chose a red velvet semi-naked cake, decorated with flowers to match our wedding theme, and a wooden cake topper.

The Farsley Cake Co could not have been more helpful; it was exactly what we wanted and it looked and tasted amazing.

What was your first dance song?
Our first dance was Heaven by Kane Brown. We both love the song and we got to see it performed live in Florida in 2022 and again closer to home at the start of 2023, so it's a very special song to us.

What entertainment did you provide?
For the evening we hired DJ Ed Marshall, one of The Gamekeeper's Inn's recommended entertainment suppliers. He was great and kept the dance floor full!

What are your favourite memories of the day?
Just being surrounded by everyone that we care about, and having the best day ever. Lots of smiles, dancing and laughter. We also had what seemed to be one of the hottest days of the year so far with blue skies. The weather was always going to be a risk in May, but it was better than we could have ever hoped for.

All of the bridal party stayed on site the night of the wedding, so it was lovely to see the whole family again for breakfast the next morning with everyone still on a high from the day before.

If you could do it all over again, would you do anything differently?
There is absolutely nothing that could have made the day any better. Everything ran so smoothly thanks to Angela, Chris and their team. We were able to just relax and fully enjoy the day, everything rang like clockwork and was executed to such a high standard. We had so many comments about how much our guests enjoyed everything from the ceremony, the meal to the evening party. We honestly can't recommend The Gamekeeper's Inn enough!

Who was your photographer?
Our photographer, Laura at Lumiere Photographic, was amazing. We loved how her style was more candid and captured more of the feel of the day. She was so friendly and helpful and made sure she captured all the special moments of our day.

Where did you go for your honeymoon?
A few days after our wedding, we travelled to Sorrento and stayed in a beautiful 4* hotel on top of a cliff overlooking the bay of Naples. We spent our time relaxing and exploring Sorrento as well as sampling plenty of delicious Italian food and Limoncello. We also managed to squeeze in a day trip to the island of Capri which was beautiful. It was so romantic and definitely a trip to remember.

Inspired by Hayley and Jake's wedding day? This could be you too!

If you’re looking for a romantic wedding venue in the Yorkshire Dales, make sure to register for our Wedding Showcase at The Gamekeeper’s Inn.

Join us on Saturday 21st October 2023 between 11am and 3pm to view the beautifully decorated Netherside Suite set up in both a ceremony style and a wedding breakfast style, so you can picture your perfect day. Meet with our team to discuss your requirements, or ask our experienced wedding coordinator about everything that goes into creating those important moments. Register now and download our wedding brochure.

From your first visit, through all your planning, right up to your wedding celebrations, our wedding planner Angela will be by your side. Angela has been organising weddings at The Gamekeeper's Inn since The Netherside Suite opened and has overseen countless happy couples tie the knot. She will answer any questions you might have and help you set out your perfect wedding.

So why not choose The Gamekeeper’s Inn as your perfect wedding venue? We have everything you need to plan your wedding and we’ll help you through every step. Please check out our Weddings page for more information, or get in touch with Angela directly to start discussing your special day today.

For more information email: events@gamekeeperinn.co.uk
Or call: 01756 752434