Sophia and Aaron's Intimate Romantic summer Wedding at Hinwick House

Mr + Mrs Routledge 

1st August 2020 | Hinwick House, Wellingborough

Instagram: @sophiaroutledge97 @_aaron_routledge_ | Guests: 30 | Photos: Lase Photography

After meeting in Scotland, Sophia and Aaron knew they wanted their London wedding to have some Scottish elements (like their fudge favours - yum!). Their colour scheme was inspired by Sophia's gorgeous emerald engagement ring, and they wanted the day to feel romantic and timeless. The now Mrs Routledge tells us all about their special day, choosing the dress and their dreamy Italian honeymoon...

Tell us all about your wedding theme and colour scheme...

The engagement ring drove our decision to go for green. It features a diamond encircled with emeralds. We both love the image of nature that green evokes. We didn’t particularly have a theme in mind but we knew we wanted elements of the Scottish culture, as that is where we met. We also wanted it to have a relaxed feel. 

What kind of ceremony did you have and did you have any readings? 

We had a Christian ceremony that our pastor took. We had two readings which were, 1 Corinthians 13 & John 15:9-17

What was your favourite part of the day? 

It had to be seeing my husband’s reaction when I appeared at the of the alter and of course, choosing to say yes to the man of my dreams! 

What was the most emotional moment of the day? 

Definitely the Father Daughter First look, I will never forget how my dad reacted! His expression was so joyful and there were definitely a few tears shed!

Advice for future brides… 

The morning after the wedding make lots of notes on your phone about the funny/best moments of the day, so you don’t forget them!

Song you walked down the aisle to: Here I Bow (Instrumental) by Bethel Music 

Ceremony Songs: Amazing Grace by John Newton, When I Survey by Tim Hughes, Jesus Paid It All by Kim Walker & So Will I by Hillsong Worship

Song for walking back up the aisle as a married couple: You & Me Song by The Wannadies

First Dance: Feels Like This by Maisie Peters 

Did you make any Wedding DIYs? 

Yes, my husband and his brother in law made our wedding arch from repurposed timber, my husband also made the table name holders – he was super proud of these! My husband’s sister and her husband made all of the order of services, signs and the table plan. They are the best!

Tell us all about the dress… 

I tried on a lot of different styles as I never really had an exact dress or style in mind. I went to about 4 different bridal shops and I decided to book into Midnight Elegance in Inverurie, Scotland as my friend recommended them. From the moment I arrived, Kathy and her team were super accommodating; they listened to me and asked what styles I liked so far. In fact, they were so good that the first dress I tried on in their boutique was THE ONE that I ended up going for! I remember getting goose bumps when I first tried it on and I had not had this with any other dresses!

Tell us all about your wedding cake...

THIS IS FUNNY! So…the cake had to be transported on the wedding day and it was very hot…The top tier ended up collapsing into the bottom tier creating a little bit of a mess. My mother in law managed to save it a little bit and spread some of the icing over the cracks. My husband chose not to tell me until later in the day, after we were married, he’s a smart man and by this point I was having a blast anyway!

What food did you have at your wedding? 

Due to the pandemic our caterer fell through last minute so we organised with a local Turkish Restaurant for them to deliver food, which our guests helped themselves to. It wasn’t what we had planned but boy was it good food and there was plenty to go round!

How did you choose your venue? 

Due to the pandemic our first wedding venue was cancelled, we had 2 months to find a venue that would hold 30 people. We had an idea to find a place big enough that friends and family could stay at for a few days and have a wedding at. So we searched for Castles and Estates and we found this absolute gem of an AirBnb, to be honest we thought it was a hoax and too good to be true until we viewed it. It had everything we needed, enough rooms for guests to stay. A gym. Tennis courts, lots of acres of land, a pond with an open pit BBQ, access to golf buggies and to top it all off it had small deer enclosure. It was beyond what we could have ever asked or imagined! 

Best wedding splurge: 

Because we had to cut our guests from 200 eating to 30 we had all that money to spend on contributing to our friends and families rooms at the venue.

Anything you wish you'd done differently: 

We would have booked another day at Hinwick House because the weekend went so quick! 

Any surprises on the day?

My husband surprised me with some beautiful jewellery from a company called Lily & Roo which worked so well with my dress.

Funniest moment of the day:  I fell up the stairs during the Bride & Groom exit for all to see, I promise it wasn’t the homemade cocktails. 

Funniest wedding photograph: 

When my husband Aaron randomly grabbed a plant and started to use it as a microphone, we were ready for the wedding breakfast by this point! 

Favourite wedding planning moment: 

When we visited Hinwick House for the first time (note: we hadn’t actually booked in for a viewing at this point) we wanted to check it out to get a feel for it and my husband actually ended up trespassing! To cut a long story short he bumped into the grounds man who then took us on tour in the golf buddy and it was super fun!

Worst wedding planning moment: When we found out that we were going to have to change things up due to Covid-19. 

What was your first dance song?

We chose the song because we really loved the lyrics and the artist has incredible vocals. We definitely winged the dancing during our first dance, let’s just say dancing isn’t our forte. However, we both felt really relaxed and enjoyed the moment together. 

Tell us about your Honeymoon...

We went to Italy for our honeymoon, for our first week we stayed at an Airbnb in a small village called Sant’Elia on the North Coast of Sicily and then we visited Rome. It was absolutely wonderful, the weather was perfect and the food was incredible! We had never visited Italy before so it was great to be able to explore a new country and different culture together. 

Tell us about your wedding favours:...

My Mum made our wedding favours. Everyone was given some traditional Scottish fudge in a small hessian style bag with some Scottish tartan to finish the look. The Fudge was such a nice touch after dinner and gave everyone the sugar fix they needed before the dancing took place. 

What was your wedding budget – and did you stick to it? 

Our budget was £15,000 but we actually ended up spending between £13,500-£14,000. 

Top money saving tip: Open up a savings account and put all your wedding savings into the same account. It helped us to manage our outgoings much better. We also made a spreadsheet which included costs and to keep on top of the logistical side of things. 

Watch Sophia and Arran's wedding video below:

Photographer: Lase Photography

Videographer: JD Wisker

Venue: Hinwick House

Flowers: Your London Florist

Cake: Premiere Cakes 

MUA: Selay Pro MUA / Molly Wing

Hair: Lauren Hall

Dress: Midnight Elegance Bridal

Shoes: ASOS

Bridesmaids dresses: JJs House

Suits: Hammond & Co

Wedding Rings: Durham Rose / Ribs and Dust