There’s something undeniably magical about a New Year’s Eve wedding – the sparkle, the excitement, and the chance to say “I do” as the countdown to a brand-new year begins. For Nikki and Ryan, this once-in-a-lifetime date became the perfect setting for their whirlwind celebration at Woodhall Manor. With just nine weeks to plan, they embraced the spontaneity, and what followed was the most joyful, heartfelt, and unforgettable day.
They didn’t visit any other venues. Woodhall Manor stole their hearts from the very beginning. The grandeur, the warmth, the sparkle of Christmas still in the air – it all came together in the most perfect way. And here’s the best bit…
Love the idea of a New Year’s Eve wedding? Just like Nikki & Ryan, you could take advantage of our exclusive NYE wedding offer. Enjoy a late-licence party, complete with fizz, fireworks, your own private manor, and a bottomless New Years Day brunch the following day! Don’t wait a year to start your forever. Let’s celebrate your love in true Woodhall style.
Now, over to Nikki & Ryan to tell their story…
The Story
- You chose the best party night of the year as your wedding date, what made you pick New Year’s Eve as your wedding date?
We had been toying with the idea of getting married for some time! it was always on the cards but for various reasons had not happened yet! We had not looked at any venues but I found myself following ‘Woodhall Manor’ on Facebook! Saw a post advertising the late date, mentioned it to Ryan and the next thing we are at the venue discussing the real possibility of getting married with 9 weeks to plan it!! We just allowed ourselves to ride this amazing, exciting, beautiful journey.
- Tell us about your wedding journey in the lead up to your wedding, with a short wedding planning lead time, how did you feel, we would love to hear about your experience.
We probably got totally swept up in the initial excitement of everything without giving too much thought to what it would actually entail! Someone had mentioned to me early on ,that it was important to remember to enjoy every second so this was always in the back of my mind! Not only were we now planning a last minute wedding, we had Christmas to pull off for the kids, a successful business to run and Ryan turned 40 in the meantime for which we had already planned and executed a brilliant party!
There were certainly times during the process where I thought that we had bitten off more than we could chew but ultimately, we had the busiest 9 weeks of our lives which culminated in the most perfect wedding day.
- Why did you choose to plan your wedding with a short lead time?
It wasn’t planned! We just ran with it! Which I would say is very typical of us! The fact that it was such short notice meant that we did not have time to worry about certain things that had contributed to us not getting married previously! like family that might not have wanted to be in the same room as each other! family that would need to travel! It was happening on this day! it was short notice! it was all about us and everything just fell into place on the back of that.
- Tell us about your beautiful decorations, styling and theme, tell us about what you had, any favourite unique touches?
Suddenly we were forced to think about what was important to us, what represented us best (and I am the most indecisive person I know by far!!) It was lovely to make decisions quickly and to be honest, having been together for 10 years already, it wasn’t too difficult! We loved throwing the biggest party of our lives.
We enjoyed running with the winter wedding. We are certain that, had we not gone all ‘last minute’ our wedding would have been in the summer and we would have been worrying about the weather! Ryan’s Mum who had passed away was a massive lover of Christmas and we thought it was a lovely touch to her memory to have the Christmas decorations out at the wedding.
We did not have a favourite element, it was all perfect! We enjoyed using bands that we had seen together as our tables. We loved having the balloons instead of the flowers. In the end, the whole day represented us perfectly.
- When looking for your dream wedding venue what made Woodhall Manor stand out for you?
We didn’t look at any other venues! We loved the grandeur, it lended itself perfectly to the date and the staff were all so lovely. We just ran with it all.
- With amazing ceremony spaces available, where did you choose and why?
We married in the actual ceremony room which was chosen mainly because we didn’t want the staff to have to move the room around in a hurry to accommodate the wedding breakfast. It was nice for us and our guests to experience every room available and our 60 guests fitted perfectly.
- What was your favourite moment of your day?
It was all so perfect! Every moment was so very special! But our favourite part was the actual ceremony! Getting married! coming together. It was so emotional and beautiful! Neither of us will ever forget a second of it.
- Tell us all about your food! What did you choose and why?
The food at our wedding was delicious! People that were there still comment on it! Ultimately we booked our wedding so last minute that we did not get to enjoy the food prior to our wedding day! On a wing and a prayer one evening, we selected dishes that we liked and did not have an additional cost attached to. It paid off, given the opportunity to do it all again and to have had the taster session, I think it would have made the food choices even harder than it was!
- With unlimited photo opportunities, where was your favourite spot?
We did not have time to consider photo spots! We hired the most amazing photographer and ran with it! Our pictures capture the fun, happiness and coming together of Ryan and I and we love them all!
- What was your favourite space/area at Woodhall Manor? Why was this your favourite space and how did you use it?
Every space was utilised and enjoyed! I honestly cannot stress how perfect and wonderful every second of our day was! We could not pick one space over another.
- Tell us about your evening reception, where did you have this, tell us about the space you used and how?
We partied in the party room and everyone had a wonderful New Year!
- Did either of you stay the night before in the cottage? Did you enjoy being onsite the night before?
Nikki loved being onsite the night before! A calm peaceful, lovely evening was had and simply made the wedding day more of a wedding weekend! The cottage was lovely and it was nice to just be away with my own thoughts before the big day.
- Did you and your overnight guests enjoy the afterparty experience?
the ones that made it that far absolutely enjoyed themselves. The cheese board was a nice touch!
