Inside: A Fashion-Forward Wedding Set in a Dreamy Yorkshire Estate

The story so far

We both worked at the same law firm in Leeds about eight years ago. In fact, I first met Stephanie’s mother, Fiona, in our client reception. I assumed she was a client and struck up a conversation. Somehow, Fiona left that chat believing three things: (1) my name was Naj, not Anouj; (2) I was in the same team as her daughter, Stephanie (when I actually didn’t know who Stephanie was); and (3) I “smell delicious” (her words — I must have had good aftershave on that day).

Two weeks later, I was making coffee in the office canteen when two women walked in. One said to the other, “I’ve searched the office phonebook and asked around, but I can’t work out who this delicious-smelling Naj is that my mum keeps going on about.” I overheard and chimed in, explaining that I thought I was “Naj” and that her mum was the “client” I’d spoken to a fortnight earlier. That woman in the canteen — now my wife, Stephanie — found it hilarious, and we became friends.

Stephanie and I were both on dating apps at the time, and we’d meet up occasionally after work, to discuss and laugh at each other about the bad dates we were going on with other people.

One day, Stephanie came down with food poisoning and was away from work for a few days, and so we had to cancel our regular catch-up. I decided it’d be noble of me to pick up Stephanie’s favourite Thai food (a Chicken and Prawn Pad Thai), catch the no. 34 bus to her house, and share this takeaway with her. We ended up talking late into the night (with conversation topics thankfully extending beyond our failed dates with other people), and we quickly realised that we were meant to be more than just friends.

Despite travelling all over the world together, I decided to propose to Stephanie at our house around 5 years later, shortly before a trip to New York. I arranged for a singer (Jenna Bay) to sing one of our favourite songs whilst I got down on one knee, with 5 of our closest friends also there (none of whom knew what was about to happen). I proposed with a custom-made radiant cut 9 carat diamond ring. Stephanie was crying so much (with tears of joy, I’m told) that she didn’t see the ring until she had already said “yes” and it was on her finger. Thankfully she liked it.

Venue

We got married at Howsham Hall in North Yorkshire — the perfect blend of traditional and modern. The building, which is around 400 years old, has beautifully designed interiors that feel fresh and elegant. It also boasts the largest bridal suite in Europe, which I’m sure was a major selling point for Stephanie.

We wove elements of my Indian heritage into three days of celebrations — from the cuisine served throughout the weekend, to Indian drummers who seamlessly blended their music with our main singer and band, to a henna artist adorning guests’ hands with traditional designs. We also added personal touches, including having our best friend, Georgia, as the celebrant for Saturday’s ceremony.

Howsham Hall went above and beyond, helping us host a pre-celebration for close friends and family on Friday night, as well as a Sunday debrief with masala tea, cake, sweet treats and hot food.

Fashion

Anouj and his party wore classic black tie from Harrogate Suit Hire, while Stephanie chose a vintage Caroline Castigliano dress, beautifully tailored to match her vision, paired with timeless Manolo Blahnik shoes. Her “something blue” was especially meaningful — her mum’s wedding garter from 35 years ago.

Jewellery

Anouj finished his black tie look with refined Ted Baker cufflinks.

Stephanie accessorised with sparkling Carat earrings and a beautiful Carat diamond necklace.

Bridal Party

The bridal party looked beautifully coordinated in soft, elegant tones. The bridesmaids wore neutral sage dresses from ASOS, while the flower girls looked adorable in ivory dresses from Next. The ring bearer matched the groom’s party perfectly in a smart black tie outfit, also from Next.

Tablescape

We chose banquet tables set with champagne, wine and water glasses, and decorated with bud vases filled with flouncy roses in dusky pinks and whites, sweet peas and seasonal peonies. Tapered candles in soft, matching tones added to the romantic feel.

We designed and printed menus for an Indian feast and created handwritten name cards for each guest, finished with custom sage ribbons to match the bridesmaid dresses. Wedding favours were branded “A&S” ginger biscuits, stamped with our Yorkshire wedding date.

Food & drinks

We had an open bar throughout the weekend, serving a variety of drinks. Champagne flowed alongside Indian delicacies, and — at my insistence, as a whisky aficionado — a few Scotch whiskies made their way around too. We also arranged a cocktail hour, with Aperol spritz, espresso martinis and a non-alcoholic elderflower mocktail.

Canapés included vegetable bhajis, paneer tikka and vegetable samosas. The wedding breakfast featured samosa chaat or tandoori king prawns to start, followed by chicken butter masala, paneer makhani or chana daal. Dessert was a decadent Yorkshire-meets-India sticky toffee ginger pudding with lashings of cardamom custard.

Entertainment

We walked down the aisle to Is This Love by Bob Marley and shared our first dance to Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Khan. The incredible Georgie Harrison was our singer for the day, performing both these songs and everything in between with effortless charm.

Halfway through our first dance, the band — The Rolling Keys — and Indian drummers from Life Of A Dhol Player burst in, creating a brilliant surprise East-meets-West moment that had guests flooding the dance floor. Not wanting to miss out, our saxophonist jumped in too.

Favourite Wedding Gifts

We asked guests to contribute towards our honeymoon, but were also surprised with some incredibly thoughtful gifts. Stephanie was given a beautiful two-carat diamond necklace from the groom’s mother, while close friends gifted us a dinner experience at a Michelin-starred restaurant. The groom’s sister and brother-in-law treated us to a luxury stay at a Mr & Mrs Smith hotel.

Honeymoon

We’ve headed straight to French Polynesia for a fortnight – starting in Tahiti, making our way to Mo’orea, and then ending our trip with a week in Bora Bora.

Advice

Ensure each of your suppliers understands your vision for the day.
Have at least 2 bottles of champagne set aside for your champagne tower.
Cover off the details that matter – lean on Canva and Etsy to do the heavy lifting for signs, menus, and (if you have one) the wedding newspaper.