Rachel and Angus's Real Winter Wedding at Priston Mill

As we are now in the height of summer, we wanted to have a look back at our first wedding of 2023! Rachel and Angus wanted a cosy Winter Wedding here at Priston Mill and lucky the weather was perfect for just that! From the fairy lights to the sparkler exit it had cosy winter wedding written all over it. We have since asked them for there thoughts on the day.

Why did you choose Priston Mill as your wedding venue? 

We went to look around a few venues before the wedding and we genuinely cannot tell you how excited we were as soon as we drove into Priston Mill. We almost danced around the venue as we had a look around as it was just perfect. I think almost to the consternation of those who showed us around! We were buzzing.

It truly is the most stunning setting and perfect for a winter wedding with so much room to accommodate everyone inside. There is a real warmth and comfort to the place; sofas next to a roaring fire, a gorgeous mezzanine overlooking the main barn, a bar easily accessible to all the guests. And of course – and most importantly – a huge amount of space for the dancefloor in the evening!

It was a no brainer to choose Priston.

Tell us about your wedding dress and big day fashion 

Rachel: I got my dress from Blush & Ivory in London and it just so happened to be the first dress I tried on! Standing outside the shop with two mates, I described the design of dress I imagined suiting me. As we walked in, the gorgeous lady who runs the place said “I know exactly the dress for you!” Lo and behold, it was exactly as I described!

I loved the simple, classy, timeless vibe to the dress so looked to replicate that across the whole day. As it was a winter wedding, I needed a fur coat to go with the dress and was advised by Blush & Ivory to go for a coat that isn’t white/off white as it’d never match perfectly. It was great advice from them as the tan fur coat I found was great! As for bridesmaids and groomsmen, I love when there’s a theme and colour scheme, but we put each person in an individual outfit (different dresses, same colour; same waistcoats, different colours) to bring a bit more colour to the day.

Angus: I think the groom has it easier here! Within a week of getting engaged, Rach had already gone wedding dress shopping, shed tears at the dress she chooses and sent pictures to all her best pals. I, on the other hand, was not allowed to know a thing… I think it’s a little less exciting picking the colour of your waistcoat and tie and which outlet to hire out your tails from (Moss Bros if you’re asking).

The Décor 

Rachel: As with the dress, we love themes that are classy, peaceful, timeless and full of joy. Given the time of year, we needed as much light as possible, so we had a hint of gold across all name places, table numbers, lights and candles. Other than that, Priston Mill and the church we got married in are beautiful canvases to let the guests’ outfits and flowers bring a lot of the spark.

Angus: Lololol. This was a question raised early on in the process and I honestly did not have a clue what to contribute. Warm and wintery with a hint of sparkle is what I’ll say.

Rachel: When we got engaged, my Dad suggested that we go with Bloomingdale Flowers. It’s run by a lady who spends half her time helping the homeless with a huge charity in the Southwest, and the other half doing stunning floral displays. We loved that she is so passionate about helping the homeless, so it felt right to go with her! She did some of the most stunning flower displays I’ve ever seen at a wedding – especially impressed considering the time of year and reduced variety of available flowers. 

Angus: Again, an area that was not my strong point. I quickly learned that I couldn’t just say colours but needed to know the names of a number of different plants. I’m afraid to say I hadn’t spent my childhood in the garden or my 20s buying flowers for my numerous girlfriends (of which there were none) so this was a very educational experience… Gyp I think is what we landed on?

The Cake

We both thought that a wedding cake is one of the stranger wedding traditions… a lot forked out for what is essentially a photo opportunity. However, we did ultimately decide it needed to happen – if only to please the traditionalists. So, M&S we went to and they duly delivered. Just ahead of the cutting of the cake, we made it clear to a few of our friends that we weren’t too fussed by it. Mistake… they quickly ran into the other barn, shouted that we were cutting the cake and looked to gather as many people as possible. Was the cake worth it? Yeahhhh it was delicious

Tell us a bit about the photographer?

The Redmans! Ahhh we loved Tom and Lizzie. They were mutual friends of ours and we got on so well. From the first zoom call we had with them (which was meant to last 30 minutes. An hour and a half later…) to the final edit, it really was the ultimate joy having them photograph our day.

They put us so at ease, we loved our time with them just having couple shots and they captured the day in the most stunning way. They really didn’t feel like our photographers but our friends who happened to have a camera by the end of it all. 

We should also say, we were unbelievably lucky on the day. The risk of a winter wedding is always the weather and it looked on the morning of the day – when we drove to the venue in horizontal rain – that we would be forced indoors for the whole thing. But from 11.30 (half an hour before the service) to 2.30 (when the last of our photos was taken), the sun suddenly poked out from behind the clouds, and we were bathed in sunshine. Our pictures captured what genuinely felt like a miracle so well

What was the best part of the day?

Rachel:I really struggle to answer this question as I loved it all. In the run up I was torn between the excitement for the ceremony and the dance floor – two bits that ended up far exceeding expectation! Priston Mill is a great venue for hosting a whole host of desires – mezzanine for chills; dancefloor for a prolonged boogie; ‘canapé barn’ for natters on the sofa with a cheese board and cake; and outside for some much-needed fresh air after the DJ did his thing.

Angus: That is genuinely impossible to pinpoint. We loved our church service. We loved the dinner and the speeches. We loved the dancefloor. To be surrounded by all our family and friends on the day throughout it to be honest was just so special. In many ways, it’s a very strange day, having your whole world under one roof, but my word was it so full of joy.

Any words of wisdom?

Rachel:Your wedding day is one of the most exceptional days of life! But it is just a day after all. It is a day to celebrate with your loved ones, so include them in as much of the day as possible – give an extra speech to a non-traditional person as they have the remit to bring something fresh. In the planning, remember that your relationships with your family and friends will well outlive the wedding planning, so don’t make any rash decisions that put the relationships through the mill!

Angus: Thank everyone who has been on the journey with you. Enjoy every second of it. Love and back your wife to the hilt. Take a moment to stand on the mezzanine and look down at the worlds you’ve gathered and be grateful. Dance until you don’t think you can dance any longer.

If you are still looking for your dream wedding venue, we would love to hear from you to plan your big day! To come and explore please do contact our team on 01225 4230894 or drop us an email at hello@pristonmill.co.uk

Suppliers 

Photography - Tom and Lizzie Redman - https://tomandlizzieredman.com/

Flowers - Bloomingdale Flowers -  http://bloomingdaleflowers.co.uk/index.html

Dress - Blush & Ivory - https://blushandivory.co.uk/

DJ - Beats in Abundance-  https://www.beatsinabundance.com/about-us