Real Wedding at St Swithun’s Church, Bath, Somerset – Louise and John

Louise and John had their real wedding at St Swithun’s Church, Bath, Somerset in August 2008.

The proposal

Louise and John went back to Portugal to celebrate their five-year anniversary. On the second day, John got down on one knee.

“After texting family and friends, we went out and had lots of Champagne to celebrate,” says Louise.

The bride’s real wedding outfit

Louise bought her stunning ivory silk dress with silver embroidery in Perfect Day Bridal “The dress shop made the whole experience special,” says Louise.

She accessorised her outfit with a veil, tiara and Rainbow Club shoes – “they looked good and were so comfy,” says Louise. A simple white gold diamond necklace and earrings completed her look.

“There was a big round of applause as we shared our first kiss as a married couple – man and wife!”

The groom’s real wedding outfit

“There was a big round of applause as we shared our first kiss as a married couple – man and wife!” John and his groomsmen looked great in their black morning suits, hired from Moss Bros. To differentiate John from the others, he wore an ivory cravat rather than a pink one. They all wore socks with their relevant role on: groom, best man, etc.

The attendants

“Because I’m a school teacher, I asked the girls in my class to be my flowergirls. Nine came to the church and were each given a wicker basket full of pink petals to scatter,” says Louise.

The transport

The bride arrived in an amazing 1930s open-top Beauford with burgundy interior, hired from Beauford Brides Wedding Cars.

The flowers

Louise carried a pretty bouquet of ivory and pink roses and peonies. The bridesmaids carried a smaller version of Louise’s bouquet with more ivory roses than pink.

The cake

The cake for the real wedding came from Marks and Spencer and was decorated with gorgeous fresh flowers.

The ceremony

All nine flowergirls entered the church first, followed by Louise and her dad and then the bridesmaids. John’s mum read On Your Wedding Day and the vicar read Corinthians 13:4-7. “The ceremony was very personal. We were both a bit emotional, as were many of our guests,” says Louise.

The reception

Champagne was handed out as guests arrived at Stanton Manor Hotel . “We used Real Indulgence to put wild hibiscus flowers in syrup in half of the glasses, which turned the Champagne pink,” says Louise. In the evening, a chocolate and strawberry buffet was served: “We also had a huge cake stand full of small cakes made by a friend”.

Honeymoon

After the real wedding, the happy couple used Trailfinders to arrange a three-week break in Thailand, Kuala Lumpur and Bali. “We had a great time riding elephants and swimming in waterfalls.”