Exclusive: Designer Sarah Flint's Vow Renewal in the English Countryside

When Sarah Flint matched with Sean Beresini on Bumble in 2017, she didn't make the first move the app requires. "Distracted by work and life, I never ended up reaching out to Sean," shares the founder and creative director of her eponymous shoe brand. "He took a chance and messaged me on LinkedIn. He said he would rather potentially embarrass himself by writing me a message on LinkedIn than leave it to blind chance that we’d match again. I remember thinking this was either the cutest or creepiest thing ever. It turns out, it was the cutest!"

According to Sarah, when they got engaged was up for debate. "I consider it to be during a weekend trip to the Adirondacks we took in 2018 to hike Mt. Marcy. While having a drink at the end of the day, we discussed wanting to spend the rest of our lives together and that it was time for him to talk to my parents," she explains.

However, a ring entered the equation four months later. "Sean officially popped the question over his birthday weekend in February of 2019," says the bride. "He loves photography, so on the day of the proposal, he told me that he wanted to take a few photos at the top of Aspen Mountain, while the weather opened up to clear skies. After taking a few photos, he suggested that we take a picture of the two of us. He put the camera on a tripod and set it to take a series of photos, got down on one knee."

The couple originally planned for a June 2020 wedding celebration in the English countryside. "The UK was a place I had traveled to a lot as a child and had incredible memories of. I must admit to also being a huge Bronte Sisters and Jane Austin fan," notes Sarah. However, a global pandemic got in the way. "We pushed the date back twice in 2020 before we ultimately decided to just get married with our immediate families at Thanksgiving of 2020 and do the party when we could," shares Sarah. "It turned out when we could was almost two full years later."

For their bigger celebration with 96 guests, the couple chose to tie the knot again at Broughton Hall Estate in Yorkshire, England. "While our classic English countryside style itself had not changed, we originally planned a more traditional ceremony and seated dinner in a marquee," says Sarah. We ended up having a vow renewal and a big sort of house party-style event with every room in the house open to wander and explore."

While the couple worked with the in-house planning team at Broughton Hall Estate, their floral designer Sarah Stratham of Simply By Arrangement really helped define the aesthetic of the event. "The most important vendor to me has always been the florist," shares the bride. "I really wanted something sort of natural and wild looking. Sarah Stratham is a genius. Each of her pieces look like Vermeer still-lives. We really just wanted to keep everything truly local and authentic, so that went for everything from the catering to musicians."

Ahead, see all the details from Sarah and Sean's vow renewal celebration, planned by Broughton Hall Estate and photographed by Your Story Studios.

Floral designer Sarah Stratham discusses her inspiration for the events. “This was a week-long wedding celebration in a beautiful English country house set in the heart of Yorkshire. My first inspiration was the film Gosford Park which led me to suggest that each room have flowers added every day, bringing the house to life, and having it completely filled with flowers by the day of the ceremony," she explains. "Using some of our own treasured antique vessels seemed to be the best way of making sure our work fitted perfectly within the house."

"The day before the wedding we invited all of our guests to stop by the hall for archery, tea, and swimming in the natural spring that has fed the property for generations," shares Sarah. "It was a really nice to have time leading up to the wedding day without the stress of a strict schedule."

For the rehearsal dinner, the bride accessorized her Bouguessa dress with items from her own collection including a scarf and belt, and navy mesh polka dot pumps.

The couple also chose floral linens from Sarah Flint's home decor collection for the tables.

For his wedding day look, Sean had a custom Suit Supply navy tux made for the day. To accessorize, he donned an IWC watch Sarah gave him as an engagement gift with their original wedding date engraved on it. "Sean’s cufflinks were made from old NYC subway tokens from the 1970s," adds Sarah. This detail was gifted to the groom by his mother.

Since the groom and his party got ready early, they decided to make the most of the grounds during the day. "One of my favorite memories was peeking out my bedroom window to see them playing croquet in their tuxedos," shares the bride. "Given that this was our wedding part two, we specified black-tie optional for all of our guests and let our bridal parties have the freedom to choose their own looks."

While getting ready with her bridesmaids who all donned matching robes, Sarah finally slipped on her stunning beaded Jenny Packham gown. "I had a trip planned to Paris on my way to our factories in Italy with my sister so I used it as an excuse to a number of atelier’s while in town. I really just wanted something show stopping and truly unique," she remembers. "When I put his one on, it immediately fit the bill. I fell in love with the cape silhouette and level of detail in all of the beading work which included eight different types of stones all hand-placed, creating the most gorgeous effect."

For her day's beauty look, Sarah wanted to keep things as natural as possible to balance her glam gown. "The dress had such a beautiful neckline and sleeves that I knew I wanted my hair up. I chose a vintage inspired updo to match the venue," she says.

Of course, shoes were an important part of Sarah's wedding day look. She even launched a capsule collection on her site to show off the styles. "I made a special version of our Mihaela platform on a lower heel that we have just launched for pre-order," the designer explains. "It was the perfect shoe for all of the outdoor events to not sink into the grass and to of course dance the night away!"

Before making their way down to the aisle, the couple opted to do a first look on the staircase of Broughton Hall. "After waiting three years, we wanted to have a moment alone with just the two of us," reflects Sarah.

“The ceremony was outside on the hottest day of the year, but in an area surrounded by trees and with sight of Broughton Hall in the distance to frame the view," shares the couple's floral designer. "I knew what Sarah was wearing and that nothing we made should in any way distract from the happy couple but should serve to enhance the backdrop and provide a focal point for many photos."

The ceremony décor was kept simple with just florals to frame the couple's vows. "We used huge antique urns, raised on plinths," she explains. "Looking at the garden backdrop, we picked out that there were some yellow tones and so we went with a colorful summer mix of dahlias and sweet peas with a structure of silver birch, jasmine, fennel, and thalictrum and using the palest creamy yellow nasturtium to trail down."

Since Sarah and Sean were already husband and wife, they decided it would be fitting to walk down the aisle together as a string quarter played "Bitter Sweet Symphony."

The couple decided to personalize their vow renewal by writing their vows themselves. "My grandmother read a special poem she wrote for us, and both the best man and made of honor wrote pieces of their own," adds the bride.

As guests headed to the gardens for cocktail hour, the couple stole away for some sunset photos. "Try not to leave too much to the final days before the wedding," the bride advises other couples. "You will have so many friends and family around that you will want to make to most of every moment with them."

"One of our favorite memories is coming back from taking photos to find both sides of our families all dancing together," share the couple. "We had a string quartet that played contemporary songs throughout cocktails and the early evening followed by a DJ."

Sarah and Sean took to the floor as "Free" by Zac Brown Band played for their first dance.

Rather than hosting a formal seated reception, guests enjoyed a more casual service of food throughout the evening. "We really wanted to keep a house party vibe, so we had a constant flow of passed canapés and small bites like Yorkshire pudding with beef and horseradish cream and salmon ballotine."

"We used all Sarah Flint Gardin Green Floral Linens for the wedding with blended perfectly with the setting," shares floral designer Stratham. "One of my favorite moments was the dessert table which was set up in the green dining room. The table was scattered with flowers among the treats."

The couple chose a local baker at The Orange Door to create their blackberry and elderflower sponge cake dripping with fresh fruit.

"At the last minute the week before the wedding, I was watching the weather forecast and seeing the temperatures continue to rise. I realized my gorgeous 40-pound dress might be a little warm and heavy for late night dancing so I ordered four dresses online," says Sarah. She chose a one-shoulder Taller Marmo crepe dress with a feather trim. "This one immediately felt like the right choice when I tried it on," she says.

She also had fun with her look's accessories. "My incredible production manager who was coming to the wedding was able to bring me a prototype pair of a new style we are launching for spring right off the workshop floor in Italy. Since the dress was short, I opted for the perfect kitten heel slingback," the bride adds. "I re-wore a pair of earrings I had originally designed a pair of designer Mishema for my wedding. The pair was inspired by antique earrings from the 1800s, with tear-drop freshwater pearls placed in a diamond-and-gold setting."

"I have really had fun with each round of planning and really digging into the details," shares the bride of her planning experience. "Given that it ended up being a celebration and not the actual marriage, the pressure was off for every little thing to be as I had always imagined it."