Meet Mr & Mrs Vassallo, the stars of our latest Real Life Bride series…
The Groom – Michael Vassallo
Profession: Investment Director
The Bride – Samantha Vassallo (was Davidson)
Profession: Business Owner
Making Your Wedding Different:
Were there any special elements that you definitely wanted to include in your big day?
We both love music, so we wanted it to play a strong part in our day. We hired a brilliant pianist, Dave Smith, for the ceremony, drinks reception and wedding breakfast who played modern songs and was able to bring his mini grand to the venue – so the sound was amazing and brought everything to life.
The time between the wedding breakfast and evening reception, we had Glen Roughead, an acoustic vocalist who we’d originally seen and heard at the Open Evening. As soon as we heard him play, we wanted him to play a special part. He also sang, with our evening reception band, our first dance. For our evening reception, we had Func on the Rocks, a six-piece band who played everything from soul and funk to pop and rock. They brought the dance floor to life!
As a surprise for our guests, and probably the part of the evening we were most excited about, were the fireworks. We had a 1-10 minutes firework display to our favourite songs from the Greatest Showman. We knew when booking our wedding that the Terrace at the back of the hotel, would be perfect for an intimate firework display – it was truly amazing.
What were the standout moments for you both?
For Michael, it was seeing me walk into the ceremony room and then walk down the aisle. For me, it was walking into the room and seeing Michael. For both of us, seeing all our family and close friends in the ceremony room was so special – having the important people in your life in one place to celebrate our marriage was beautiful.
You don’t get a lot of alone time on your big day, so the 10 minutes we had together in the bar area whilst guests took their seats was special – the staff got us our favourite drink and we enjoyed a few moments alone together taking in the day so far.
Finally, the fireworks later that evening. As a surprise for our guests, and probably the part of the evening we were most excited about, were the fireworks. We had a 1-10 minutes firework display to our favourite songs from the Greatest Showman. We knew when booking our wedding that the Terrace at the back of the hotel, would be perfect for an intimate firework display – it was truly amazing.
Tell us about your wedding photos and which are your favourite and why?
We chose Andy Hudson for our photography as we like his approach and style and knew he would blend into the whole day and be part of the day. His photos captured the spirit of the wedding and some very special moments which we will never forget.
Our favourites are the ones of us both in the ceremony room and outside the hotel in the gardens. The ones taken of our guests in the main room throughout the day and evening captured everyone enjoying the day, having fun and sharing special moments with us.
Our photographer provided a slideshow of our photos and 6 weeks after the wedding we spent an evening at the hotel as a treat and we viewed them for the first time in the room on the big screen – it brought all the memories back and was a special moment for us both.
Advice
Is there anything you would have done differently?
We can honestly say that we wouldn’t do anything differently. We look back on our special day with warm memories.
Any advice for future Seaham Hall couples?
Go to the open evening to get inspiration and also meet suppliers. Seeing the rooms set up helps you envision your big day – we had we would never have chosen the cherry blossom trees if it weren’t for seeing them set up on the open evening. We loved them and they played such a big part in the whole theme.
Wedding planning/day top tip?
Listen to the advice from the wedding team at Seaham Hall. They have done this many times before. They helped us on timings, what would / wouldn’t work during the day and were instrumental in us being able to have fireworks.
For anyone considering Seaham Hall, why should they choose the venue for their wedding day?
It’s a truly beautiful venue which stands for quality in every way. The whole experience was exceptional – from the staff, service and facilities to the food, wine and ambience.
Suppliers:
Dress – Essence of Australia from Accent Original
Suits – Ted Baker
Maid of Honour and Bridesmaids dresses – Monsoon
Makeup – Emily Emmett Makeup Artist
Hair – Hair by Kayleigh
Flowers and decoration – Wild and Wonderful
Stationery and other materials – F Couling Designs
Photographer – Andy Hudson Photography
Pianist – Wedding Keys, Dave Smith
Acoustic vocalist – Glen Roughead
Band – Func on the Rocks, booked through AMV Music Management
Fireworks – Reaction
Cake – Red velvet chocolate cake from M&S and cake topper made by Artlocke Designs
Stay tuned for our next Real Life Bride instalment and in the meantime explore our wedding offerings.
