A sunny delight real wedding with summer blooms, glorious golden gowns and an Anglo-Aussie barbecue…
Who: Carrie and Nick
Where: St. John’s Church, Hartley Wintney, Hampshire
When: August 2009
Photographer: Andy Green
The proposal
Carrie was literally on top of the world when Nick proposed at the top of the Empire State Building during a romantic New York holiday. “It was a beautiful starry night – still and clear, with not a breath of breeze at the top of the usually windy tower,” says Carrie. “When I remarked on what a perfect evening it was, Nick replied that he could make it even more perfect, and got down on one knee. He’d sneakily bought the ring earlier from Tiffany & Co”
The bride’s real wedding outfit
By a stroke of luck, Carrie found her dream real wedding dress in a small bridal boutique.”I wanted something traditional but elegant that made me feel like a fairytale princess,” she says. “And I liked the fact that it was made by an Australian designer, Essense – it felt apt, seeing as Nick is Australian”
The bridesmaids
Carrie’s seven wonders included her sister and six friends, one of whom was eight months pregnant. They looked radiant on the beautiful golden summer day in buttercup yellow dresses from Dessy, which Carrie ordered from America. “The girls chose their own gold shoes to suit their height and comfort,” adds Carrie. The little flowergirl wore an ivory dress from BHS, trimmed with a pretty yellow sash.
The groom
Nick looked dashing in a traditional morning suit with funky striped tie.
“it was a fun, informal celebration… a relaxed country theme real wedding, with an elegant twist…”
The ceremony
St John’s Church was the picture perfect setting for Carrie and Nick’s ceremony, beautifully decked with golden sunflowers and ivy by the ladies from the church.
The reception
Carrie and Nick settled on Taplins Place, a 400-year-old farmhouse in the rolling Hampshire countryside. “We had a marquee in the grounds, which I decorated with boughs of ivy and hundreds of twinkling fairy lights, which I bought in the January sales,” says budget-savvy Carrie.
The cake
The couple opted for a selection of scrumptious cupcakes from the Fine Food Store, Stamford, in traditional flavours, for their guests at the reception.
“When I walked into the church I felt like I was in a fairytale, and I really tried to savour the moment.”
The entertainment
Guests enjoyed jazz band Johnny Fingers during their Champagne and canapes, then, later on, a DJ to get everyone on their feet. At the end of the evening, Chinese sky lanterns were released to celebrate the newlyweds’ marriage.
The favours
“We asked our bridesmaids to recommend tunes then wrote a CD for each guest, which we called Now That’s What I Call a Wedding,” laughs Carrie. A great touch for any real wedding!
The honeymoon
The couple’s dream trip took in the spectacular Las Vegas strip and then on to relax in Hawaii
