A Romantic Autumn Wedding at Clevedon Hall: Elegant Manor House Celebrations with a Chinese Tea Ceremony

If you’re dreaming of an elegant English manor house wedding with timeless styling, meaningful traditions, and unforgettable guest experiences, this real wedding at Clevedon Hall is full of inspiration.

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of this historic Somerset wedding venue, Candice & Leo celebrated their October wedding day with romantic pastel florals, heartfelt cultural moments, and joyful evening celebrations, all designed to feel relaxed, intimate, and truly personal. In their own words they tell us all about their dream wedding day ...

Why We Chose Clevedon Hall for Our Wedding Venue

From the very beginning, we had a clear vision for our wedding day: an English manor house setting that felt elegant without being over the top, full of character, warmth, and natural spaces that could flow seamlessly throughout the day.

When we first visited Clevedon Hall, walking up the winding path toward the house, it immediately felt like the perfect fit. As the architecture came into view, the beautiful proportions, light-filled rooms, and carefully maintained gardens, we knew it matched exactly what we had imagined.

Clevedon Hall offered the balance we were looking for: a real sense of occasion in a setting that still felt welcoming and relaxed.

Because our wedding took place in October, when the weather can be unpredictable, it was important to choose a venue with strong options both indoors and outdoors. The flexibility of Clevedon Hall’s spaces meant we could plan the day with confidence, whatever the conditions.

We were also mindful of the guest experience. Many of our friends and family were travelling from across the world, and being able to accommodate our closest loved ones in the beautiful on-site bedrooms, combined with having exclusive use of the house, made the celebrations feel even more special and unhurried.

Special Moments from Our Clevedon Hall Wedding Day

There were so many unforgettable moments throughout the day, but a few stand out in particular.

A Meaningful Chinese Tea Ceremony

One of the most emotional parts of the day was our Chinese tea ceremony. It gave us the opportunity to share private, heartfelt moments with our parents before the wider celebrations began.

Filled with warmth and gentle laughter, it allowed us to pause together as families and reflect on the meaning of the day.

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The Ceremony in the Great Hall

Our ceremony in the Great Hall was another highlight. Walking down the staircase and seeing our vision brought to life was incredibly moving.

Continuing along the aisle and looking into the faces of our guests gathered around us was a moment we will never forget. We felt so lucky to have so many people we hold dear witnessing such an important milestone in our lives.

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Golden Hour Wedding Portraits

Later in the afternoon, as the light softened into golden hour, we stepped outside for some quiet time together and a few stunning portraits as a newly married couple.

Clevedon Hall provided the most beautiful backdrop, and those private moments before returning to the celebrations were truly magical.

Wedding Traditions: Honouring Our Hong Kong Heritage

One of the most meaningful traditions we incorporated was a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, reflecting our Hong Kong heritage.

It was important to us that this formed part of the day as a way of honouring our families and acknowledging the cultural journey that has shaped us.

The tea ceremony was held separately with each set of parents, creating two intimate and personal moments. During the ceremony, we knelt and served tea as a gesture of respect and gratitude, thanking our parents for their love, guidance, and support.

In return, they offered wisdom and blessings for our marriage, marking the formal joining of our families.

Our maid of honour shared traditional auspicious sayings, which delighted our parents and filled the room with laughter, making the ceremony feel both deeply meaningful and wonderfully warm.

Wedding Styling: Pastel Florals and Romantic Manor House Elegance

Our wedding styling centred around a romantic pastel palette of soft pinks, lilacs, creams, and gentle blues.

We wanted to create a setting that felt elegant and intimate while enhancing the natural beauty of Clevedon Hall.

Ceremony Flowers in the Great Hall

For the ceremony, a broken floral arch framed the space beautifully against the Hall’s historic architecture.

The aisle was lined with meadow-style arrangements in pastel tones and natural greenery, creating a relaxed, romantic atmosphere.

Wedding Breakfast in the Grand Library

For the wedding breakfast, we chose the Grand Library. The richness of the wood panelling and book-lined walls created such an intimate setting.

Floral centrepieces echoed the ceremony arrangements, while trailing foliage wrapped around the Library pillars, softening the structure of the room and tying everything together seamlessly.

Wedding Outfits: Timeless Style with Cultural Meaning

Our outfit choices blended tradition with classic elegance.

Tea Ceremony Looks

For the Chinese tea ceremony, red was central, symbolising luck, happiness, and prosperity in Chinese culture. We chose outfits that honoured tradition while still complementing the overall Western styling of the day.

Ceremony and Wedding Breakfast

For the main ceremony, we opted for timeless, classic looks:

• A traditional morning suit for the groom
• An off-the-shoulder gown with a cathedral-length veil for the bride

Evening Reception Outfit Change

For the first dance and evening celebrations, we changed into:

• A classic tuxedo
• A princess-cut gown with a V-neckline

The flowing silhouette of the dress created such beautiful movement on the dance floor.

Guest Experience Highlights: Fun Details That Made the Day Special

One of our biggest priorities throughout planning was ensuring our guests truly enjoyed the day.

With friends and family travelling from across the UK and overseas, and several children among our guests, we wanted everyone to feel relaxed and included.

We incorporated fun elements throughout the day, including:

• A gelato bike, which was a highlight for guests of all ages
• A live illustrator, capturing special moments and creating portraits for guests to take home
• An evening photo booth, which became a focal point of laughter, memories, and heartfelt guestbook messages

These thoughtful touches helped create a joyful atmosphere from start to finish.

Words of Wisdom for Future Couples

Wedding planning can quickly become all-consuming, so our biggest piece of advice would be to make time for each other away from the planning process.

Whether it’s regular date nights or simply switching off from wedding conversations altogether, taking time to enjoy each other’s company helps keep everything in perspective.

A Clevedon Hall Wedding to Remember

This romantic autumn wedding at Clevedon Hall was the perfect blend of timeless English manor house elegance, meaningful cultural tradition, and unforgettable guest experiences.

From pastel florals in the Great Hall to golden hour portraits in the gardens, every moment felt personal, joyful, and full of love.

If you’re searching for a luxury Somerset wedding venue with exclusive-use charm, beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces, and the perfect backdrop for a truly unforgettable celebration, Clevedon Hall is an extraordinary choice.

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Photography @juliaandyou

Planner: @ann.nicholas.weddings

Florist: @daisylanefloral

A Classic Yet Bold Candlelit Wedding Inspiration at Clevedon Hall

This candlelit wedding inspiration at Clevedon Hall was born from a desire to blend two seemingly opposing ideas: classic and modern. Refined yet sensual. Timeless yet daring. At its heart, this styled shoot celebrates real love between two people and the freedom to express that love without boundaries or expectations.

Designed for couples seeking something atmospheric, intimate, and deeply personal, this editorial proves that weddings don’t need to follow tradition to feel meaningful.

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The Vision: Intimate, Modern & Emotion-Led Wedding Design

The vision behind this Clevedon Hall wedding shoot was intentionally bold. Rather than focusing on scale, grandeur, or light-filled spaces, the concept leaned into mood, connection, and emotional depth.

This was a celebration of intimacy over tradition, an exploration of how a wedding day can feel when couples allow themselves to prioritise atmosphere, sensuality, and authenticity. It’s wedding inspiration for couples who want their day to feel cinematic, confident, and unapologetically personal.

The Venue: Clevedon Hall Wedding Inspiration

There was never another option for this shoot. Clevedon Hall, and specifically its breathtaking Grand Library, set the tone perfectly. As a luxury UK wedding venue, Clevedon Hall offers rich history, dramatic architecture, and a sense of timeless elegance that lends itself beautifully to intimate, candlelit weddings.

A serpentine wedding table flowed effortlessly from the grand piano, styled simply with elegant calla lilies that traced its curve. The result was striking yet understated, proof that a wedding breakfast doesn’t need a bright, open room to feel extraordinary. Instead, history, texture, and atmosphere can create something far more powerful.

After all, few spaces evoke candlelight, whiskey, cigars, and music quite like a grand library steeped in character.

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Wedding Styling & Inspiration: Poetic, Sultry & Refined

The styling was intentionally more stripped back than traditional wedding design, while still maintaining a balance between classic and modern aesthetics. Music played a central role in shaping the mood, inspired by the grand piano and the emotional pull music has throughout a wedding day.

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When considering what feels both sophisticated and sensual, the answer was clear: privacy, candlelight, and minor, emotive music.

Personal details elevated the setting. Sydney from Altar and Toast curated bespoke wedding vows and escort cards, adding emotional depth and narrative to the space. With the vision described as “poetically sultry,” Sydney crafted intimate vows that perfectly echoed the atmosphere.

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One of the most evocative moments of the shoot saw the bride writing a handwritten note to her husband, inviting him upstairs. There, she greeted him in a sheer, embellished gown, whiskey in hand. It was a deliberate shift, turning the dial up, embracing intimacy, and challenging convention. Why shouldn’t couples feel sensual and connected on their wedding evening?

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Wedding Fashion & Bridal Beauty Inspiration

Laketa embodied effortless bridal elegance throughout the shoot. For the daytime look, she wore a classic ivory fitted gown by Elis Bridals, sourced from High Society Bridal Lounge. A modern neck scarf and oversized floral embellishment added a contemporary edge, while her pinned-back hair allowed the styling details to take centre stage.

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For the evening, Laketa transitioned into a sheer Eva Lendel gown, layered with a blazer dress to create both a second and third bridal look. Her hair was unpinned, shoes removed, and the mood softened into something relaxed, intimate, and romantic, perfect inspiration for brides considering an evening transformation.

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Monte complemented the aesthetic in a classic Italian tuxedo from Dyfed Menswear: timeless, confident, and impeccably tailored.

Final Thoughts: Modern Wedding Inspiration Without Rules

The relaxed, effortless nature of this Clevedon Hall wedding inspiration shoot is a testament to an exceptionally creative and collaborative team of wedding suppliers. While the concept was clearly defined, each professional brought their own expertise and artistry, elevating the vision at every stage.

Choosing a wedding team who understands their craft, and can adapt, problem-solve, and enhance a creative direction, is invaluable. Clevedon Hall itself is a dream wedding venue, supported by a passionate and dedicated team led by Lauren, whose expertise and care made every detail seamless.

This shoot is a reminder that weddings don’t need to follow a formula. With the right venue, styling, and people, they can be intimate, sensual, bold, and completely, unapologetically you.

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TEAM:

Design, Planning & Concept: @sarahlouiseweddingplanner

Venue @clevedonhall

Photographer & videographer fusion: @garynunnweddingphotography

Florist: @evefrancescadesigns

Table styling: @onesplendidday

Stationery: @stories_styledevents

Wedding writer: @altarandtoast

Content creator: @the.wedmoments

BTS content: @connsocial

Dresses: @highsocietybridallounge

Day dress: @ellisbridals

Evening dress: @evalendel

Veil: @coutureveil

Suit: @dyfedmenswear

Bridal robe: @sixstories

Cake: @thegingerbearbakery

Models: @coupleofstars_

Hair and makeup: @fallonhairandmakeupteam @leanneoneillmakeup @hair_by_terri3

Pianist: @joepikemusic

Singer: @jerismusic @satoriweddings

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The Garden Room: An English Rose Garden, Reimagined Within

This recent styled shoot in collaboration with wedding planner Emily Charlotte, was born from a simple yet powerful idea: that a wedding need not take place outdoors to feel immersed in nature. With thoughtful design and creative vision, even the most iconic of gardens can be reimagined indoors: abundant, romantic, and unforgettable.

The Garden Room is more than a concept; it is a statement. It challenges the notion that florals and natural beauty belong only under open skies, proving instead that they can flourish just as magnificently within the walls of a historic venue. This shoot celebrates the magic that happens when imagination meets craftsmanship, where a rose garden unfurls in an unexpected setting and transforms the space entirely.

At the heart of the design is the exquisite Patience rose, admired for its soft, lace-like petals and timeless neutral tones. Often described as effortlessly romantic, this rose became the soul of the shoot, bringing a sense of calm, elegance, and enduring beauty to every detail. As the quote so perfectly captures: “There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence.”

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The Story

Our couple’s story didn’t begin with a dating app or a chance encounter, but at a charming family garden party in Shropshire. United by a shared love of nature and gardening, their connection blossomed effortlessly. The bride drew her wedding inspiration from long, blissful summers spent in her grandmother’s garden, where the air was heavy with the unmistakable fragrance of hundreds of Rosa Constance Spry roses.

She dreamed of recreating the magic of that momentous garden party where their paths first intertwined, a celebration of romance, nostalgia, and natural beauty.

Nestled in the Somerset countryside, Clevedon Hall became the perfect venue, chosen for its deep connection to the groom’s family roots in the area. Originally built in 1852 and first known as Frankfort Hall, the property has been a grand family home, an elegant girls’ school, and is now a prestigious wedding and events venue.

With its painterly wallpaper and garden-inspired murals, the mansion carries the spirit of the outdoors into its very heart. This harmony between house and nature captivated both bride and groom, inspiring them to bring a romantic rose garden into the Great Hall itself, a tribute to their love story and their shared passion for the natural world.

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The Space

The Great Hall at Clevedon Hall served as the primary setting for the shoot, its beautifully muraled walls aligning seamlessly with the garden-inspired vision. Designed to showcase the versatility of the space, the ceremony, dinner, and cake moments were all styled against the same floral backdrop, with subtle changes in layout allowing each setting to feel distinct while remaining cohesive.

The hall’s grand wooden alcove framed the ceremony, acting as a natural focal point and architectural anchor. Surrounding the doors, a lush, maximalist floral installation spilled outward, cascading organically onto the nearby fireplaces and enveloping the space in abundance. The result was an immersive, romantic environment that celebrated scale, texture, and the timeless elegance of a garden, brought gloriously indoors.

The Cake

A statement wedding cake by Justine of It’s Not Just Cake formed a striking focal point within the design. Inspired by delicate lace detailing, the cake echoed the softness and romance of rose petals woven throughout the shoot.

Positioned on the stage and framed by the surrounding floral installation, the cake stood approximately five feet tall and was elevated on discreet blocks to enhance its presence. Flower meadows encircled the base, grounding the design in nature and reinforcing the illusion of a garden blooming within the Great Hall.

The Team

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Venue: Clevedon Hall

Planning & Styling: Weddings by Emily Charlotte

Photography and Content Creation: Camilla Joy

Videography: The Wedding Film Makers

Florist: Blue Sky Flowers and Mark Howe Flowers

Table Linens and Placesettings: Chateau Noir

Stationer: Lucca Studios

Cake Designer: It’s Not Just Cake

Production: Luminaire

Make up artist and Hair Stylist: Boe Wright

Aerial Performer: Suzy Pegler

Dresses: Josephine Scott

Suits: Gresham Blake

Chairs: Allen's Hire