Rose Gold Romance: Carla +Martin at York Racecourse

We love weddings with smiles so big they just warm our hearts!

That’s just what we got when we took a peek at Carla and Martin’s August nuptials celebrated at York Racecourse. The primary school teacher and ex-serviceman planned a traditional church ceremony followed by a lively bash at the stunning racecourse that held a special place in their hearts. With giddy grins throughout the day and stunning settings, we couldn’t help but fall for this sweet pair.

Check out Carla and Martin’s gorgeous wedding photos captured by Lee Kershaw (the one’s by the racecourse will make your heart swell!) and learn more about why York Racecourse was the ideal choice for their special day.

The Beginning

“We met 4 ½  years ago on met on an internet dating site (Plenty of Fish).  The start was not all plain sailing, Carla made the first move and messaged Martin. He, however, did not respond for about 3 weeks. After the first date, he was glad he eventually replied and that Carla was still willing to speak to him. Our first date was quite an awkward experience! We were supposed to be meeting at a quiet little bistro, however, on the day of the meet, Martin decided to message Carla and change the plans to instead go to a busy Italian restaurant, more local to them both, which had a 2 for 1 offer on. Little did Carla know, this Italian restaurant was also frequented by many of his close friends. This resulted in Carla not only meeting him but also his close group of friends.”

 The proposal 

“The proposal was on a Sunday evening at home in our front room. I had been away for the weekend and when I returned, Martin handed me my Christmas card and quickly disappeared, Martin isn’t a man of many words, inside was my beautiful sparkling ring. I cried and couldn’t wait to tell the world.”

The Attire

“Groom, Best Man, Father of the Bride, Ushers and Page boy all wore a blue 3 piece suit, white shirt and champagne coloured tie and pocket square with brown brogues.

Bridesmaids wore champagne sequin dresses with rose gold sandals (Goddiva.co.uk and New Look). Flower girls wore plain flower girl dresses with added champagne/rose gold sequins (Finery Bridal).

The bride wore a stunning champagne lace dress by with a two-tier veil and Rainbow Club Natala champagne lustre embellished heel peep toe shoes (Treasured Brides).”

The Ceremony

Church – St John the Baptist, Kirkby Wharfe, Tadcaster

“The church was chosen as it is very close to the bride’s heart. Her parents, father’s parents, aunts, uncles and cousins have been married here. SShe was christened here and felt it was a way of including all those family members who are no longer with us.”

The Reception Venue

Reception – Ebor & Dante Suite, York Racecourse

“Finding the perfect venue was no easy feat. There were many places that had captured our interest as we began trying to make arrangements for the big day. However, having a large family and circle of friends we knew we had to pick somewhere that would accommodate such a large celebration- York Racecourse offered all of this and more…

In addition, we enjoy a day at the races, my Grandad is a big racing fan and my Great Uncle’s ashes are scattered across the finish line so it holds a special place in all of our hearts.

The wow factor for us would be us going into the room before the guests entered. We had been the night before and put out wedding favours, name cards etc, but to see the room once the wedding stylists (My Something Borrowed) had worked their magic brought us to tears. It looked amazing- more than we could have dreamed of and we had many compliments throughout the day and night.

However, for the guests, I would say it had to be the band (Agent Smith) who played a fantastic mixture of songs, sprinkled with a great amount of humour. We ended the night dancing to Never Forget, circled by all those we hold closest to our hearts which was undeniably magical.”

The Photographer

“The best thing was the end result. We loved receiving our photos online whilst on honeymoon and viewing them with a bottle of champagne. Having the online gallery enabled us to share our photos with all our family and friends quickly and easily. It also enabled us to share our day with those friends and family who were unable to attend.

Lee made us feel comfortable throughout the whole process, from the first meeting to the day, no question was silly and no request was too big. We are not a couple that take lots of photos, especially of each other and did not want to spend all our day posing for photos. We never once felt this was the case and like that the photos are very natural. Lee has a great sense of humour and really made us feel at ease throughout. We would highly recommend him.”

Trends & Themes

“We used the blossom trees and chiavari chairs in the reception. Gypsophila was used to decorate the aisle. Our table plan was a display of different alcoholic drinks in ice buckets. When looking and speaking to stylists, this was something has been very rarely done.”

Memorable Moments

“The most special day for us will have to be standing at the front of the church in front of all our family and friends, saying our vows and joining together as one.

Funny Story – The night before the wedding Martin had a meal and a few drinks with close male family members, his best man and his ushers. Martin was not in a good way and was expecting to be hungover in the morning. Luckily he was not, but his best man was. The best man wasn’t sure he was going to be able to stand at the front of the church and carry out his duties. He asked Martin to think about asking one of the ushers to step up as he could not stop being sick, however, he managed to carry out his duties and then had to leave the church to throw up. He was hoping he would get a chance to have a nap during the day but no such luck.”

Supplier Information

• Venue:

  York Racecourse

• Photographer:

  Lee Kershaw

• Band:

  Agent Smith

• Bridal Shop/Designer:

  Treasured Brides, York

• Florist:

  Melanie’s florist, Tadcaster

• Hair Stylist:

  Nicola Priestley  & Hazel Samocuk (Dawson & Clark Hairdressing, Tadcaster)

• Makeup Artist:

  Lucy Kershaw, Tadcaster

• Wedding Cake:

  Say it with Cake, Sherburn in Elmet

• Suits :

  Slaters, Leeds

• Venue Stylist:

  My Something Borrowed – Halifax

• Videography:

  Smooth Turtle Videography