On the 21st of May 2025, Grace and Oliver married with us at Hilltop Country House surrounded by all the people that meant the most, in the most idyllic setting. It was everything that they hoped for and more!
It was a real pleasure to be part of their wedding day. As we took time to reflect on how beautiful it was and how much we’ll miss working with such a lovely couple, we asked Grace and Oliver just what made their day just so special.
Planning your big day with the Hilltop team
We had a wonderful experience with the team at Hilltop. From the moment we booked in November 2023 up until our wedding in May 2025, Clare, Leah and Beth were all on hand to answer any of our questions and make great recommendations where relevant. We had a few questions around the food as Grace is Coeliac and wanted the rare opportunity of being able to eat all canapés on offer. Iain and Naomi went above and beyond in making this a possibility for me, even perfecting the tastiest mini Yorkshire puds! We also had the unusual request of wanting poutine served for our evening food, and Iain was more than happy to try something new. We settled on pulled pork, wild mushroom and crispy onions for our toppings which ended up being a massive hit with our guests!
We were delighted to be invited to a menu tasting event at Hilltop the November before our wedding, where we got to try the canapés and menu options we had selected and sample the wines and cocktails. This really was a preview of what the wedding breakfast would be like on the day with the tables dressed beautifully and all staff dressed smartly. We were served all three courses of our menu which were all delicious; it really made the menu decision-making so much easier!
Another special mention must go to mixologist Cameron for creating my perfect vanilla Chai White Russian, which I got to sample the day before the wedding: what a treat! The Hilltop team were so flexible with all of our requests, they made all of our personal tweaks happen and we always felt so welcome and supported by them throughout the planning process.
The Hilltop Experience: What to expect on your wedding day
The day before, the team were wonderfully proactive in helping to decorate the space and get us all unpacked and ready for the big day. This included a walk around with Leah, who went through the schedule for the next day in detail. It was such a lovely day, and we felt so relaxed and excited for our wedding to begin.
This was the theme going into our wedding day. We arrived nice and early to get ready, and Leah was immediately on hand, fetching us champagne glasses and organising everyone so that we didn’t have to worry about anything. The Hilltop team, from the wedding planners to the waiting staff, were professional, beautifully dressed, attentive and non-intrusive. They blended into the celebrations: always there exactly when you needed them. Almost all of our guests commented on the staff and the running of the day. It was like a perfectly run family party, exactly how you would want it done, without any of the stress and feeling right at home. In our opinion, this is exactly how a wedding should be.
We truly couldn’t have asked for a better wedding planning team. From start to finish, the Hilltop team struck the perfect balance of professionalism and warmth. They were incredibly organised and detail-oriented while maintaining such a calm, laid-back presence that helped keep us relaxed throughout the entire process. Their attentiveness made us feel truly heard and supported every step of the way. It was such a gift to work with a team that not only knew exactly what they were doing but also made everything feel so personal and stress-free. Thank you for helping bring our vision to life so beautifully!
Wedding themes and special touches
We didn’t have a particular colour scheme but took inspiration from the beautiful gardens of Hilltop and chose a wonderful local British grown florist, by HomeSteadGrown. We wanted to create the majority of the decorations ourselves and give a cosy farmhouse style feel; as if the flowers had just been picked from the garden.
Rachel created the most beautiful flower displays for our tables which we had in jugs found in charity shops and bud vases. This was mirrored in my trailing bouquet, my bridesmaids lovely posies and the groomsman’s button holes. We created our wedding sign from old pallets and wood we had at home, dressed up with more wild flowers and gypsophila.
One of the more poignant choices for our decorations was the table names, which were the maiden names of the women of the family; our mothers and grandmothers. These were paired with their wedding photographs, placed on the tables and also with the table plan, which was displayed on some painting ladders we use to decorate our house! I suppose you could say DIY was our theme! The flexibility we had in designing our day was perfect and one of the things that attracted us to Hilltop; we knew we could do as much or as little as we wanted with the luscious backdrop of the house and gardens of Hilltop Country House.
Our most memorable moment would have to be the ceremony. One of the ceremony locations that really stood out to us was the option of walking up the lower lawn to the terrace instead of the traditional aisle. This allows all of the guests to have a great view of the bridesmaids and bride making their entrance amongst the flowers and trees. For both of us, this was the best part of our day. The weather was perfect, the music so fitting; we tried to soak in every moment of it. To be marrying the love of your life, surrounded by all the people that mean the most, in the most idyllic setting, it really was everything we had hoped for and more. Hilltop were also happy to help us create our own custom seating layout on the terrace so that we were confident everyone would be able to get a good view of the ceremony.
I think it would be wrong not to mention our Ceilidh band; after the venue choice, this was the next best decision we made and would highly recommend it to everyone. The Aluinn Ceilidh band had everyone up on their feet dancing, and it created some of the funniest, most memorable moments of the day!
Grace & Oliver’s spring wedding felt like home — and yours can too. Book a visit to explore Hilltop, or get in touch to start planning your perfect day.
Suppliers:
Photography by James Merrick – Staffordshire Wedding Photographer – Relaxed, Natural, fun & creative
Ceremony – Cheshire East – Your Ceremony | Your Cheshire, Your Ceremony, Your Choice
Flowers – HOMEstead GROWN – HOMEstead GROWN | Local florist in Macclesfield | 17 Park Grove, Macclesfield SK11 8AS, UK
Ceilidh – Aluinn Ceilidh Band – Aluinn Ceilidh Band – Top-class contemporary ceilidh band