Real weddings: Ingvild & Fredrik

Ingvild & Fredrik searched for a foodie wedding destination all over the world before they chose Hampton Manor.

The couple travelled from Oslo to celebrate their international three-day wedding across the estate. Guests were welcomed with an alfresco summer BBQ in our walled garden followed by an exclusive takeover of our Manor House the next day for their outdoor wedding.

Coming from Oslo, you had the whole of Northern Europe to choose from. What made you decide on Hampton Manor for your wedding celebrations?

After months of research we were so glad to finally find a venue that had everything we were looking for. A beautiful estate and magnificent manor house, with the most amazing interior, where every corner of every room has its own charm and personality. You can see that serious consideration has been given to every detail — from handmade furniture, to dazzling wallpaper.

In addition, food and wine is a great passion for us, and with three restaurants on the estate and a very impressive staff of chefs, we knew we would be in the best hands.

However, what really made us make the final decision was the very first conversation we had with directors, James and Fjona. We were met with the greatest warmth and kindness, and they were fully open to giving us the flexibility we needed to bring to life all our ideas, to make our dream wedding come true. So many venues have a specific way of doing things, and the couple is often just required to follow and adapt to this. To us, it was really important to be able to tailor our celebration to be exactly like we wanted, and the team at Hampton Manor truly gave us this. In fact, they were the best companions in planning our dream wedding throughout the whole process.

Now you’ve had a little time to reflect, can you share your favourite moment from your celebrations?

It’s impossible to choose one moment, as we had the three of the most amazing days we could ever have dreamed of. From the intimate dinner with our closest family in the Manor House on the Thursday when we arrived, to our Friday welcome party, with all our guests in Grace & Savour restaurant, to our big day on Saturday, which was beyond all our expectations. Every little “event” was unique in its own way and we felt that we got to celebrate our wedding over the course of three days, where love and happiness was in the air from the moment we got to the estate, right through to when we left.

What advice would you give to couples currently planning their weddings?

Do everything in the way you want it to be, and do not care about what others want. This is your day, and you’ll never get it back!

Can you tell us a little about your dress and overall wedding look?

Ingvild: Despite ordering my original wedding dress ten whole months in advance and planning out every little detail, believe it or not, I never had the opportunity to try on my dress, veil and shoes together until the morning of the wedding! Looking back at it now, I think it was all meant to be. But when I was running around Harrods with no wedding dress, just two weeks before the wedding, it’s fair to say I was freaking out!

Miraculously, I found my dress in London that day, left in one size, my perfect size. The designer, Toni Maticevski creates the most beautiful gowns, with a contemporary twist, and his wedding dresses are perfect for the bride who wants something truly unique and modern. I fell in love with the high-low skirt, and the attention grabbing ruffles, which I really felt gave the dress the ultimate “wow” factor. I opted for a long, dramatic, powerful veil to go with the edge of the dress and paired it all with blue Manolo Blahniks, which I’ve always wanted to get married in. As the dress was quite “bold” I wanted to keep my hair a little “low key” which is also my usual style. So I went for a sleek, low bun — and my hairdresser totally nailed this look.In terms of makeup, I wanted to look like my natural self, with a hint of a soft smokey eye, complemented by glowing skin and natural lips.

Fredrik wore a bespoke tuxedo from a boutique in Oslo, our hometown. He always wanted to wear a white tuxedo, and he was involved in the process of selecting everything from the fabrics to button.

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