Real Wedding at The West Mill Venue, Derbyshire
Your Love Story?
In 2009, I started a job at Topshop and Topman, where I met Bradie. We instantly got an and became great friends. After three years of friendship, we realised there was more between us and got together in 2012. Fast forward 6 years, a new home and sausage dog (Hershel), Bradie proposed in early 2018, at Central Park in New York. Our original wedding was planned for August 2020, but unfortunately like so many, Covid changed these plans. Not ones to waste time, we spent the year of lockdown moving home and welcoming a second sausage – Denzel – to our brood. Finally, in August 2021, a few weeks shy of our 9-year anniversary we got married with 60 of our closest friends and family.
What was your inspiration and vision for your day?
Fun. All we wanted was to have a fun day and make up for lost time with our wonderful friends and family. We wanted away with traditions, instead opting for a party vibe.
I love a minimal, modern aesthetic, but merged with dried flowers and disco balls to create a really organic, laid-back feel. The boys tuxedos worked well with the bridesmaids’ sleek, satin black dresses. The flower girls then added our element of fun in tiered black dresses, paired with sunglasses and sparkly glitter vans. The classic look of the tux, against the rawness of the building worked perfectly and the black stood out epically in photos.
We were really clear from the get-go that our wedding would be a party and therefore wanted our photos and videos to reflect that, it’s for that reason we chose our amazing videographer and photographer duo. The brief was simple: nothing staged and let’s have fun. The photography is all super natural and really captures the love and happiness we felt on the day.
It would be fair to say, I’d spent many months scrawling through Instagram inspo and saving ideas on Pinterest so had planned a range of things I wanted to include on the day.
The champagne spray photo was top of our list, we didn’t want any traditional wedding party photos. We then had great fun with smoke grenades which the rest of our guests loved. For us, beer pong is always part of any night with our friends, so this was a must and a great way to get people talking (and drinking). We also wanted to make light of the fact our wedding was finally happening after the pandemic, so included “No vaccine, no entry” shots.
Why did you choose The West Mill Venue?
When venue searching, I was very clear on what I didn’t want, but found it hard to specify the sort of venue I did want. I knew that I didn’t want a traditional stately home or barn, instead somewhere more relaxed, but could still logistically accommodate our guests in every way possible. The West Mill was the perfect choice, because although it’s not a traditional venue, it has everything required for a perfect day. Not trusting the British weather, I wanted somewhere that was just as beautiful inside as out, so the exposed brick and stone walls was a yes for me. The ceremony room was utterly breath-taking and nothing like I’d seen before. Our guests (and photographer/videographer) loved that the wedding plays out over different levels, and this made styling easy. Not only is the venue beautiful, but the surrounding areas are just the icing on the cake. We could have spent all day exploring side streets and bridges. It really does have everything you need.
Did you do any DIY projects?
Yes – loads! All of the dried flower arrangements on the tables were handmade by myself and my clever mum! We also made all of the concrete candlestick holders by hand.
My denim jacket “Wife of the Party” was customised by my mum also.
Centre pieces, cake, name places – see below
Tell us about the details…
I wanted to keep the décor minimal, modern but fun. I tried to incorporate the organic feel of natural materials, linen, dried flowers and concrete with the stone and metal of the West Mill, but add in disco balls for a fun, party element.
Cake – a simple two tiered cake, half chocolate ganache and the other half lemon which was displayed on a clear acrylic cube. My mum made the cake and it was topped with a dried flower arrangement created by Donna, The Country Garden Florist. It tasted delicious – there wasn’t much left!
Name places – hammered card with simple names, finished with a tassel, handmade by me!
Table settings – Clear charger plates and Erik and Ester taper candles from Alba Tableware.
Frosted acrylic signs – designed and hand painted by the incredibly talented @riahmae__
Beer Pong – because who doesn’t like beer pong? I painted a table and ordered black cups. We had an acrylic “shoot your shot” sign paint and had so much fun on the day. Beer Pong always makes an appearance at any gathering so it was a non-negotiable to include on our day.
Neon light – We loved this: Til death do we party. Our marriage motto and the vibe of the day.
What was on the Menu?
The champagne was flowing all day, as well as beer and a selection of wine. We had “vaccine (vodka) shots” during our drinks reception and also beer buckets for Beer Pong. During the toast we added an additional Baby Guinness shot – our favourite – and a little nod to a dear loved one who we recently lost.
What was your favourite part of the wedding?
Champagne spray! Smoke grenades! Beer pong! And the moment all of our friends and family ran on to the dancefloor during our first dance. Honestly INSANE and pure happiness.
Do you have any advice for future brides & grooms?
Forget tradition and stay true to your beliefs. The day is about you as a couple, so make sure it truly does reflect that.
If you’ve been inspired by Kayley & Bradie’s wedding and would like to know more about The West Mill, we’d love to hear from you! Feel free to download a Wedding Brochure or get in touch.