Unique, Saltaire Brewery provides the perfect venue for the Katie and Sean's special day
Village Farm Marquees • May 19, 2020
Punk-loving pair are the perfect match
Born on the same day, three years apart, Bradford couple Katie Armitage and Sean Howe knew they had a special connection as soon as they met in 2012.
“I was working as a teaching assistant with visually impaired students and Sean joined as a temp, doing the same job. He walked in with his backpack on, and that was it,” said Katie.
The West Yorkshire pair, who are in their early 30s, realised they both loved music – punk in particular – and bonded over a number of gigs and festivals. With a host of other shared interests including art, photography and painting, it felt like a completely natural partnership.
Katie said: “I guess we’re both pretty creative. I’m now head of art at a Leeds school, and Sean has just graduated as a music therapist. He’s in a punk band too, he can play drums, guitar, piano, even the accordion. In fact, he played his accordion to wake up the stag at a stag do!”
Unsurprisingly, with this level of creativity running through their veins, their coupledom was never destined to be run-of-the-mill.
“Sean proposed to me at the top of a hill in Cumbria, fittingly called Seat How, on a wet and windy day,” Katie recalled. “I was streaming with cold and feeling grumpy, but he insisted that we stop after this long hike up the hill and take in the view, which we couldn’t even see because of all the cloud cover!
“Then he got down on one knee and I suddenly realised what was happening. It was so unexpected, and I was glad I’d taken a bottle of beer with me because I needed it! Sean had deliberately chosen a landmark because he’d wanted to propose in a permanent place that we’d always be able to revisit.”
“Sean proposed to me at the top of a hill in Cumbria, fittingly called Seat How, on a wet and windy day,” Katie recalled. “I was streaming with cold and feeling grumpy, but he insisted that we stop after this long hike up the hill and take in the view, which we couldn’t even see because of all the cloud cover!
“Then he got down on one knee and I suddenly realised what was happening. It was so unexpected, and I was glad I’d taken a bottle of beer with me because I needed it! Sean had deliberately chosen a landmark because he’d wanted to propose in a permanent place that we’d always be able to revisit.”
Unique and unusual venue
And so the search began for a venue that would suit their desire for something unique, which would fit their personalities, and be able to hold more than 200 people. Katie added: “We both have large families and we wanted everyone to be able to join our celebration, and we knew we’d like a setting with an industrial kind of vibe.”
The couple considered some venues that fit this bill, but not their budget, then hit upon the idea of approaching one of their favourite local drinking spots, Saltaire Brewery. Katie explained: “It’s such a big, cool space, it’s unusual, and we loved the industrial look and feel, so we asked Paul who runs the Tap Room there and he said why not!
“He’s so lovely and friendly, he helped us to put our own stamp on it and was able to recommend a number of suppliers, including Village Farm Marquees.”
The date was set for July 20, 2019, and Katie’s vision included a dining area within a marquee, while using the Brewery’s Victorian racking hall space, mezzanine bar and beer garden for mingling, music and dancing. She was more than happy with Paul’s recommendation of Village Farm Marquees. “I’d have to give them 10 out of 10 for service,”
she said. “Chrysta is amazing. Everything I asked for, she said ‘yes, that’s no problem’. We wanted a beer fest vibe, so Chrysta suggested raw wood trestle tables and simple wooden chairs, which were perfect. She had tons of ideas but there was no pressure at all.”
The couple’s family and friends helped them style their venue. Katie added: “We wanted a
The couple’s family and friends helped them style their venue. Katie added: “We wanted a
stripped back look in keeping with the venue, and we made lots of paper flowers as well as our own confetti. I love fairy lights though so we had plenty of those inside the marquee.”
Fun and laughter
Celebrations began the day before the wedding, as a colleague kindly covered Katie’s Friday afternoon lesson, allowing her to meet up with her five bridesmaids and mum at the Ibis hotel in Shipley to get the party started.
The wedding group busied themselves decorating the venue that evening before gathering for dinner at a nearby pub.
The wedding group busied themselves decorating the venue that evening before gathering for dinner at a nearby pub.
On the big day itself, Katie was surprised to find she woke up with a tingling of nerves. “I felt so sick! My hairdresser and bridesmaids were all fussing around me, giving me drinks and trying to help me relax,” she said. “But as soon as I put my dress on I felt fine.”
The bride-to-be had found the perfect dress online – a 1950s-style tea-length number, with a dusky pink net underskirt, ivory bodice and see-through sleeves. Her journey to the register office at Bradford Town Hall in a friend’s 2000 red Peugeot was to prove a highlight of the day, as the driver is a comedian and made sure Katie was in stitches the whole way there.
The bride-to-be had found the perfect dress online – a 1950s-style tea-length number, with a dusky pink net underskirt, ivory bodice and see-through sleeves. Her journey to the register office at Bradford Town Hall in a friend’s 2000 red Peugeot was to prove a highlight of the day, as the driver is a comedian and made sure Katie was in stitches the whole way there.
“Getting married at the Town Hall just felt right, as we are Bradford through and through, and it’s such a gorgeous building. It was lovely to see close family and friends waiting outside, and I was able to have a comforting cuddle before I went it,” Katie said. Formalities completed, the wedding party and guests arrived at the Brewery for 1.30pm, with everyone receiving a drinks token in the laid-back style of a beer festival.
Sunshine drenched the beer garden, the bar served up a selection of craft ales chosen by the bride and groom, while a guitarist from Katie’s favourite band, The Coral, serenaded guests throughout the afternoon before they moved into the marquee for the wedding reception.
Sunshine drenched the beer garden, the bar served up a selection of craft ales chosen by the bride and groom, while a guitarist from Katie’s favourite band, The Coral, serenaded guests throughout the afternoon before they moved into the marquee for the wedding reception.
“We served an Indian buffet at 4pm with speeches at 5pm. We chose curry because it’s iconic Bradford, as well as being very affordable, and it made it easy for us to cater for vegans and other dietary requirements,” Katie explained.
Guests satisfied any post-curry sugar cravings with traybake desserts made by friends and family, but the happy couple were having such a good time they forgot to dish out their actual wedding cake. Katie laughed: “It was a lovely rainbow cake, we’d left it in a cold room and then forgot all about it! We ended up cutting it the next day and taking it round to people.”
Guests satisfied any post-curry sugar cravings with traybake desserts made by friends and family, but the happy couple were having such a good time they forgot to dish out their actual wedding cake. Katie laughed: “It was a lovely rainbow cake, we’d left it in a cold room and then forgot all about it! We ended up cutting it the next day and taking it round to people.”
The newlyweds kicked off the evening disco with a first dance routine they’d choreographed themselves to Harry Belafonte’s calypso tune Jump In The Line, and the last guests left the buzzing dancefloor a little after the final song at 11pm.
“Chrysta and the VFM team made everything so easy. They didn’t just turn up to do a job, they really cared and were super polite and happy to help in any way they could,” Katie added.
“We had such an amazing day with so many unforgettable memories, it was great to see everyone enjoying themselves and there was so much fun and laughter. A lot of our friends got married in 2019, it was a brilliant year for weddings.”
The couple enjoyed a glorious honeymoon in the Azores and are now busy refurbishing their new home in Saltaire.
Top notch service Paul Huntington, who manages the Tap Room at Saltaire Brewery, said: “The old brewhouse is a fantastic space for events and parties. We’ve not had many requests for weddings, so Katie and Sean’s was definitely special. They wanted a rustic and down to earth setting, that was also good value and big enough for around 200 people, so it was a perfect fit for them.
“The building dates back to Victorian times, it’s a unique place with a really relaxed atmosphere. We can provide staff for events too, and our aim is to make each one bespoke – we sit down together, discuss what’s wanted and then it’s a case of just leaving it to us. We want people to simply turn up and enjoy themselves without any stress.
“The building dates back to Victorian times, it’s a unique place with a really relaxed atmosphere. We can provide staff for events too, and our aim is to make each one bespoke – we sit down together, discuss what’s wanted and then it’s a case of just leaving it to us. We want people to simply turn up and enjoy themselves without any stress.
“I recommended Village Farm Marquees to Katie because we use them every month for our beer club and I couldn’t be more complimentary about them. Chrysta and Tony really know how to look after their customers.”
Chrysta Newman, Co-director of Village Farm Marquees, said: “We love working with Saltaire Brewery so it was a real pleasure to help them host Katie and Sean’s wedding. The emphasis was fully on fun and it was wonderful to see everyone having such a fabulous time.”
Photography courtesy of Alice Crabtree
Suppliers
Caterers: Shimla Spice, Shipley
Photographer: Alice Crabtree
Entertainment: Jam on Top Keighley for PA hire and Lee Southall, acoustic guitarist
Groom: Vault Menswear, Bradford
Bride: Collectif (dress) and Vivien of Holloway underskirt. Joe Browns ceremony shoes and Converse dancing shoes
Bridesmaids’ dresses: Pretty Kitty
Hair: XS Hair and Beauty, Saltaire
Bride's head piece: Jodie Cartman at Fumbalinas
Wedding cake: Amina Hussain; tray bakes and desserts, Catriona Simons
Rings: Bride’s engagement and wedding rings – Harsh Realm Jewellery. Groom – Benjamin Camp
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