Afamily AFFAIR

from Your Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wedding - April/May 2023 (Issue 100)

WIN A FOUR-NIGHT BREAK IN TUSCANY

Emily and Mike’s wedding at Stanlake Park Wine Estate in Berkshire enjoyed a rustic-inspired theme with touches handmade by their loved ones

Images courtesy of Paige Mary Photography

Mike and Emily have been friends since secondary school where they met through mutual friends. They became engaged after nine years of dating on 4th December 2020 during the peak of the lockdown. “This was the first Christmas in our new house together and Mike wanted to give us a happy end to the year,” Emily tells us. “Because we couldn’t go anywhere, he ordered food from our favourite Thai takeaway which we enjoyed in our pyjamas and matching king and queen dressing gowns and just as we were finishing, Mike presented me with a small ornament with the message ‘when the world stayed apart, together was our favourite place to be’ designed to be hung on our Christmas tree. He then took a ring from his pocket and I burst into happy tears!”

Setting The Scene

The couple loved the rustic feel of Stanlake Park Wine Estate. “The opportunity to hold our wedding day at a vineyard was appealing to us and it’s only a 20-minute drive from our house making it the perfect location,” Emily tells us. I felt surprisingly relaxed on the day itself and enjoyed getting ready with my bridesmaids and parents at the venue. The nerves eventually kicked in when they told me it was time to walk down the aisle, but as soon as I saw Mike, the nerves disappeared and the excitement kicked in.”

They decorated their day with elegant white and rustic-inspired décor. “We took the option of having lights draped through the rafters of the reception room. On reflection, we felt this made a big impact and it looked stunning.” Emily says. “We created a map of the world table plan which highlighted some of the countries that we had visited together over the years because we love to travel, and our table names were based on these. We displayed a couple of photographs of us in that country on each table and we made personalised champagne glasses for each guest filled with sweets as place names which doubled up as favours. I created our floral centrepieces displayed in copper wire baskets decorated with fairylights and placed them on log slices which had a different Disney quote carved around the edge on each one.”

Emily and Mike used their local florist to create their bouquets and arrangements using anemones, eucalyptus and roses and Emily’s cousin made their delicious wedding cake. “It was great to involve our loved ones in our wedding,” Emily says. “My mum made our wedding stationery and my friend, Tasha did my hair.”

Looking The Part

Emily chose a lace dress by Essence of Australia. “I was not expecting to choose the style I did but when I tried it on, I knew it was the one and so did my Mum,” Emily says. “I accessorised it with a diamanté belt, a silver bracelet and a pair of silver and pearl earrings. I wore a long veil decorated with pearls which complemented the long train on my dress.”

Mike and his best man and two groomsmen wore navy suits teamed with buttonholes and Mike had a pair of cufflinks that were a gift from Emily personalised with his initials. “They also wore red ties that matched our bridesmaids’ dresses which were floor-length Sorella Vita gowns in the shade called Sangria featuring a high neck which suited both bridesmaids,” Emily tells us.

Time To Entertain

Emily and Mike hired a DJ for their evening entertainment as well as a photo booth which all of their guests seemed to embrace. “We got the best photo album to take home from it,” they tell us. “At the end of the evening, the DJ played The Greatest Day by Take That and all of our guests surrounded us on the dancefloor so that we ended up in a big huddle. We were overwhelmed with emotion and love.”