Lauren & Adam
Check out this classical castle ceremony with a peach and pink colour scheme
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Susie Mackie,
susiemackie.com
Lauren and Adam’s Christmas Day engagement took place just before they jetted off to Australia to visit the bride’s family. “We’d agreed not to do presents, but Adam surprised me with one anyway. It was a set of Father Christmas Russian dolls, which brought back lovely childhood memories. Out of one doll fell a ring! I put it straight on my finger without Adam even officially asking me to marry him, so I did quickly double check what the ring was for,” Lauren laughs.
After leafing through copies of Wedding Ideas for dress inspiration, the bride was ready to start searching for her own dress. It was at a local bridal boutique, discovered at a wedding fair, that the bride found the one.
“I visited with my mum and friend to get an idea of what dresses might suit me, little did I know I would come away having paid a deposit on a dress!”
“I fell in love with the bodice of one design at Chanticleer in Cheltenham, but the skirt wasn’t what I wanted, so the team immediately designed me a new one!”
“They were so thoughtful and it was amazing to have the bespoke dress of my dreams.”
The design featured a V-neckline, lace capped sleeves and a six-foot train, held in place with netting. Lauren teamed it with a tulle, lace trimmed veil and accessories also purchased from Chanticleer, including a pearl hair vine, crystal and pearl earrings and a necklace. “My dress and venue were very classical, so pearls seemed a fitting choice.”
“Adam desperately wanted a blue suit and given that I was getting the perfect dress for me, I thought he better have what he wanted too! He and his ushers wore the same suit with matching waistcoats, as well as silver ties from Slaters. He looked incredibly handsome and happy on the big day.”
The bridesmaids also stepped down the aisle in silver for the couple’s castle ceremony, coordinating with the groomsmen. “Their dresses had pretty sweetheart necklines, capped sleeves and chiffon skirts and came from Dylan Queen.”
Hair stylist Kelly from The Cutting Room and makeup artist Holly Power created the bride’s beauty look. The makeup artist used Benefit and Urban Decay products, among others, to achieve a flawless finish.
Having decided to tie the knot at Berkeley Castle, the couple personalised their castle ceremony to suit their preferences and party. “We married in a civil ceremony in the Long Drawing Room.”
“Neither of us are keen on long ceremonies and we had children attending, so we kept it short and sweet with a reading, exchanging of rings and our vows.”
“We were excited to get to the celebrating part! Both my mum and step father walked me down the aisle for our castle ceremony.”
The wedding breakfast had a distinctly cheesy theme, with menu choices including halloumi salad and cheese souffle as well as harissa spiced lamb and chicken wrapped in pancetta. A classic dessert of chocolate brownie, served with indulgent clotted cream, was the perfect pudding because, as the bride says, “who doesn’t like brownie?”
After dinner the maid of honour stood up to give a speech. “It was so personal and reduced me to tears. My groom didn’t let me down either, so the tears continued. I learned a few new things from the best man’s speech, too!” Lauren laughs.
“You can take inspiration from anywhere, including littler things, to make your dream day your own.”
In keeping with their breathtaking and classic castle venue, the couple’s only form of decorations were flowers. The castle’s wedding planner coordinated the flowers with florist Sabine Darrall. Sabine created exquisite arrangements that filled urns, featuring roses, ranunculus, astilbe, eucalyptus and other greenery in a bright pink and peach palette.
The bride’s cousin, Mia Joiner, is also a talented baker, so she designed and made the couple’s carrot cake. “It was absolutely delicious, by far the best cake we’ve ever had!” Guests were in for more than one sweet treat, with Lindt chocolate truffle wedding favours and a vintage ice cream van from Cotswold Vintage Scoop also tempting them.
A local DJ took to the decks, bringing the party to life with the couple’s chosen playlist of 80’s hits.
“We chose the All Angels cover of ‘Songbird’, originally by Eva Cassidy, for our first dance. The lyrics are just so beautiful.”
After their castle celebration came to an end, Lauren and Adam were ready to continue the fun with their honeymoon. Turning to Thomson, now TUI, to book their dream getaway, they flew to Cancun in Mexico. The couple stayed at El Derado Seaside Suites, a five-star resort for couples. “A highlight was hiring a catamaran to take us out snorkelling. We swam alongside fish, turtles and even a playful stingray! Later in the trip, we also had the chance to swim with dolphins.”
Back on British soil, Lauren and Adam had time to reflect on their wedding. “Having a few moments alone together after the ceremony and seeing our friends and family having fun were the best bits of the day. Enjoy every moment. Not everything will go exactly as you planned it, but soak it all up because it’s over all too soon.”
Suppliers
VENUE Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire
DRESS Bespoke from Chanticleer, Cheltenham
BRIDESMAID DRESSES Dylan Queen
GROOM Burton, Slaters
ACCESSORIES Chanticleer, Cheltenham
HAIR The Cutting Room, Cheltenham
MAKEUP Holly Power MUA
CATERING Napier Catering
STATIONERY AdelaRosa, Sheffield
FLOWERS Sabine Darrall
HONEYMOON Thomson
