Amanda & Stuart
Scrabble centrepieces, a barn venue and the couple’s pet pug give this pretty pastel wedding bags of personality!
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Lina and Tom,
linaandtom.com
Stuart set the standard high when he proposed to Amanda. “He’d booked us into Varsity Hotel & Spa, Cambridge, and treated me to an afternoon at the spa, including a manicure and massage. While I got ready in the evening, Stuart had secretly filled the room with flowers and flickering candles, and he got down on one knee as I came in. I was totally blown away! It was all so thoughtful, especially the manicure to make sure my hands were ready to be photographed to show off my beautiful ring!”
The bride headed to Richmond to find her dream dress, so that her mother and bridesmaids could easily join her. “We visited BOA Boutique, which is where I discovered Lyn Ashworth’s collection.”
“The dresses were totally different to the fishtail shapes I’d tried on previously. I knew I had to try one!”
Amanda found ‘the one’ with the ‘Royale’ dress from the ‘Adore Me’ collection. Personalising the gown, she added the ‘Davina Lace Peephole Bolero’ to create the lace sleeves she so desperately wanted, and reworked the belt into a cute bow instead.
“I accessorised with Ivory & Co earrings, my grandmother’s sapphire and diamond ring and ‘Mimosa’ pale green Rachel Simpson shoes. These were the first thing I bought – after spotting them in a magazine, I had to have them!” A veil, also from BOA Boutique, completed the bride’s look.
Stuart selected a Tweed Ted Baker suit, adding a white shirt and grey fabric knot cufflinks, both from Charles Tyrwhitt. Grey braces and a pale green spotted bowtie, both purchased from Mrs Bowtie, complemented the bride’s shoes and the bridesmaid dresses. “He looked so emotional when I saw him at the altar.”
Four bridesmaids formed the official bridal party. “After looking at dresses, it became apparent that finding fun and flattering outfits for everyone was going to be tricky given their range of heights and shapes. Mint tulle skirts from ASOS teamed with sequin crop tops from John Lewis and Next offered the perfect solution.
The couple’s pug puppy was an unofficial bridal party member too, joining them for the drinks reception.
We married in an open-air ceremony at South Farm. The venue has a wooden summerhouse beside the pond, so our guests were seated around the water’s edge. I walked down the aisle, over the small wooden bridge and into the summerhouse where we got married.” Personalised vows added a fun and sentimental touch, as did the readings from ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’ and ‘How Falling In Love Is Like Owning A Dog’.
“We walked back up the aisle to ‘On Top Of The World’ by Imagine Dragons. It was perfect!”
After the ceremony, guests tucked into tomato and risotto bonbons, broad bean and mint mash crostinis and smoked salmon cones for a mouth-watering menu of canapés. And with roast haunch of venison, sesame halloumi parcels and pastry-wrapped poached pears with caramel sauce also being served, it’s little surprise that guests said the meal was the best wedding food they’d ever tasted.
“My mum gave an incredible speech in place of my late father, sharing tips and jokes about marriage. Stuart followed with heartfelt words – it was everything a groom’s speech should be.”
“My bridesmaid gave a personalised rap to the theme tune of Fresh Prince of Bel Air!”
“Not to be outdone, the best man then took centre stage with his speech, even including a game of wedding bingo!”
Norma & Dorothy mint stripe invitations gave the first clue to the couple’s rustic and romantic mint and rose colour scheme. Pinwheels, pom poms and lanterns brought the barn to life, as did twine hearts with scrabble letters, pom pom garlands, oversized letters and homemade bunting. Old books, gold painted animal figures and even gold pineapples decorated the tables. “We borrowed milk churns from Stuart’s family farm for the flower arrangements at the top of the aisle.”
Alison, from Wildwood Floral Events, created breathtaking bouquets and arrangements.
“I had wanted peonies in my bouquet, but they were out of season so Alison suggested David Austin ‘Miranda’ roses instead.”
“I love the small details in bouquets, so I requested tanacetum daisies too.” Dahlias, astilbe, lisianthus, dill and grey-green foliage finished the bouquet.
The Cambridge Cheese Company designed and supplied the couple’s cheese stack wedding cake. “I don’t like cake but I do love cheese, so we knew from the start that this was the way to go,” Amanda reveals. “I decorated it with sugar mice, coloured pale mint, as well as Mr & Mrs Lego figures, a bunting topper and fresh figs, strawberries and grapes.”
Disco Wed had the party in full swing, with M-R Events also providing a photo booth. “We chose ‘Hey Ho’ by The Lumineers for our first dance. It’s one of our favourites and the lyrics say it all… ‘I belong to you, you belong to me’.”
SUPPLIERS
VENUE South Farm, Hertfordshire
DRESS Lyn Ashworth at BOA Boutique, Richmond
BRIDESMAID DRESSES ASOS, John Lewis, Next
GROOM Ted Baker, Charles Tyrwhitt, Mrs Bowtie
ACCESSORIES Ivory & Co, Rachel Simpson, BOA Boutique
INVITATIONS Norma & Dorothy
FLOWERS Wildwood Floral Events
CAKE The Cambridge Cheese Company
ENTERTAINMENT Disco Wed, M-R Events
VIDEOGRAPHER Tim Spatz
