Our Wedding Story: Beauty and the Beast themed wedding for Mr and Mrs Whitehead

Seven years later, and with two postponements due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Nicola and Matt Whitehead finally tied the knot at Wychwood Park Golf Club in a Beauty and the Beast style wedding in front of family and friends and their three sons, Jake, Jayden and Jaxon.

Here Nicola and Matt, who live on Townfield Lane in Barnton, tell us their wedding story, in their own words.

When and where did you meet?

Matt: We met at The Barn Owl in Barnton, while I was working there as manager in the summer of 2015.

What did you think when you first met?

Matt: When I first saw Nic, I thought she was beautiful immediately and her smile really touched me. But when we got talking, I thought she had the same sense of humour as me and that we got on really well.

Nicola: I liked Matt’s eyes and found him really easy to get on with.

When did you get engaged?

Matt: We got engaged on Christmas morning 2018. Nicola was in bed and we were surrounded by the kids. It was a bit unconventional as I didn’t get Nic a ring. I bought her a Mickey and Minnie wedding statue with a card saying we could go shopping so she could choose her own ring, as I would only get the wrong one! Nicola is ‘Mrs Disney’ so she really appreciated it and was happy. Most importantly, said yes!

The wedding party

When did you get married?

Matt: We got married on Saturday, August 6.

Where did you get married?

Matt: It was at Wychwood Park Golf Club.

How did you feel on the morning of the wedding?

Matt: I had the boys the night before the wedding and in the morning, so I was running around making sure they had everything they needed and then making sure we got over to the venue on time. It wasn’t until about 20 minutes before the ceremony, when I was sitting with the registrar, that the nerves started to kick in.

Nicola: I felt mostly excited on the morning of the wedding. There was a lot of squealing, which I think deafened our hairdresser, Steph Hatton! I stayed in the collection suite at the hotel on the night before the wedding and in the morning it was very busy with hairdressers, florists, family members and the kids, so I never really had chance to stop and feel the nerves! That was until everyone left about 20 minutes before the ceremony.

How would you describe the wedding?

Matt: I would describe the wedding as the perfect Disney fairy tale. The cancellations due to Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021 meant we had extra time to plan. Nicola and her maid of honour, Katie Powell, really did think of everything.

The new Mr and Mrs Whitehead

How many guests were invited to the wedding?

Nicola: We had 62 guests during the day and around 120 in the evening.

What did everyone have to eat?

Nicola: The wedding breakfast was garlic mushrooms or a trio of melon starter, beef bourguignon with roast potatoes and vegetables for the main and then profiteroles for dessert. In the evening, guests had sausage and bacon sandwiches with chips and different sides.

Did you have a first dance?

Matt: We danced to Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud. This was the song we used to sing to each other across the room in The Barn Owl when we first met.

A kiss as newlyweds

How did the speeches go?

Matt: Uncle Dave Roebuck opened the speeches, then I went next with the thank yous and then the best men, Martin Whitehead and Matthew Fallows, finished them. They had put together a fantastic video as part of the speech, which culminated in a skit where they had left the speech somewhere and had to retrieve it. After visiting pubs in Northwich - The Green Dragon, Witton Chimes, Quayside as well as The Barn Owl - Martin ends up on a plane to visit my friend Stewart Cochrane in Australia, who couldn’t come back for the wedding. I broke down at this, seeing him in the video. After some Benny Hill style shenanigans and music, the two of them then end up walking back in to the venue. They were very sneaky putting this together, even gaining access to the suites before hand to do a change of clothing without me even knowing about it. It was a huge success!

What are your favourite memories of the day?

Matt: The whole day was perfect. I am so glad we got married at 12 o’clock and we had all day to celebrate and take everything in. I just remember laughing and smiling together all day, and being surrounded by so much happiness and love.

Nicola: I enjoyed being a princess for the day and twirling the dress around with my veil waving in the wind. I remember sitting down by the fountain and looking around seeing everyone enjoying themselves and just feeling so lucky and happy.

Nicola loved twirling around in her Disney princess style wedding dress

What did you wear on the day?

Matt: I hired suits from Peter Posh - blue suit with a cream, patterned waist coat and gold cravat. I tried to get as close to the Beast’s outfit in Beauty and the Beast, and I think I did quite well!

Nicola: I had planned to do the whole wedding dress shopping day with my mum and Katie and we did visit one shop in Northwich, but was still unsure. I ended up going to Liverpool with another friend looking for her dress on a whim and after trying on four awful dresses, Wed To Be brought out a fifth which made me cry as soon as I tried it on. I bought it on the spot!

Did you go on honeymoon?

Matt: For the honeymoon we took the children down to Cornwall camping the day after the wedding. e stayed on a site where I have been many times before with my parents, the first time being in 1989. It was perfect. The weather was amazing and the children loved having the pool on site to just jump in whenever they wanted to cool down. We had a day on the beach sun bathing, exploring the rock pools and the caves and burying mum in the sand.

The Beauty and the Beast inspired wedding cake

Why did you want to get married?

Matt: There are so many things that we have in common but also so many things that we are polar opposites with, which I think balances our relationship perfectly. We enjoy the same kind of TV programmes and stories - NCIS and Sherlock being our favourites. We like doing puzzles together and are both very competitive at Scrabble when we get chance. Nicola is far more adventurous than me though - she loves climbing and goes to the gym whereas I’m more of a tech head. Since I met Nic, I have started doing more things and this is one of the reasons I love her. She pushes me out of my comfort zone. I think the balance between us is really good for the boys though. They have got mum pushing them to get out there and try new things and when they are stuck how to do something or put something together, they have me to sort it out. It means we can finish off a full tin of Quality Street - Nic loves strawberry and orange and I’m coconut and coffee!

Photography: Cara and Mike Moore at C & M Photography

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Watching the sunset on the perfect day