MAKING HISTORY

history MAKING Becca and Pete met at school, aged 15, when they were sat next to each other in geography. They connected straight away and the rest is history. Well, not quite! Becca tells us, “We officially became a couple on the school field in March 2012 and have stuck by each other’s sides ever since. We’re truly the best of friends. We have the same sense of humour and have always mirrored each Rebecca and Peter seamlessly blended the charm of a rustic theme other’s hopes and dreams.” The pair have been through a lot with the grandeur of a fairytale castle for their big day together in their decade-long Images courtesy of Emma Migden Photography relationship, including living an hour away from each other when Becca went to university and Pete began his career at home. But despite living busy lives they always prioritised their relationship and supported one another. By December 2019, the couple had started talking about marriage and were about to move into their first home together, so it seemed like the next natural step. However, Becca still hadn’t expected what was about to happen when they visited Rye and Camber Sands. On arriving at a quiet spot on the beach Pete got down on one knee in the wet sand and asked Becca to be his wife. “I cried and said ‘yes,’ it was perfect,” Becca shares. “Afterwards, we went to our favourite hot chocolate shop in Rye, Knoops, and then on to brunch, which I couldn’t eat as I was still so shocked!” History enthusiast Pete dreamed of saying “I do” in a castle, which had rubbed off on Becca. Despite this they never imagined their budget would allow for such an opulent venue, but when Pete discovered Westenhanger Castle online, they were pleasantly surprised. “It has so much history and character, making it feel incredibly special. Alongside the gorgeous ivy-clad manor house, the rest of the grounds are equally stunning,” Becca explains. The date was set for 3rd August, 2022, and here the bride tells us all about the big day...

Our registrar was the most lovely lady. She instantly put us at ease and adapted the ceremony to our personalities beautifully. You could tell she loved her job and the ceremony went incredibly smoothly.

After the ceremony we both felt happiness like we’ve never felt before and this feeling didn’t leave us for the whole day. We were over the moon to finally be married and to be celebrating with the people closest to us. I wore a Romantica of Devon gown. It wasn’t what I originally wanted as I’d envisioned myself in a mermaid-style dress, whereas this was A-line. But I’m so happy I went for this silhouette as it’s the most beautiful I’ve felt in my life.

Pete wore a slim-fit dark navy suit that matched his groomsmen’s. He also wore a sage tie and pocket square with brown brogue-style shoes.

“Our venue’s team went above and beyond to ensure our dream wedding came to life.”

The bridesmaids were dressed in sage green, flutter sleeve, long, chiffon dresses with scallop-strap blush pink heels with silver accessories. They wore their hair up in a loose, curled bun with our chosen flowers tucked in the back. We lit the dovecote up with 100 tea lights. It was such an intimate and beautiful place to sign our marriage certificate, just the two of us with our witnesses.

Our wedding favours were delicious Mr and Mrs Little cookies.

My bouquet contained roses, gypsophila, eucalyptus and ivy.

For the centrepieces we opted for wooden log slices topped with jars of flowers reflecting our rustic theme and sage green palette.

We used wooden elements as much as possible throughout the venue styling to tie our rustic theme together. Alongside the centrepieces this also included the table plan and easel, place names and table name signs. Our four-tier semi-naked cake was adorned in more of our wedding flowers. 45

We treated guests to a rustic sweet treats table loaded with brownies, cupcakes, mini cakes and three single-tier bakes of red velvet, carrot and lemon.

My mum and dad did a joint speech, which included a video montage of baby photos set to the song I Loved Her First by Heartland. It was so moving so see that they’d put so much effort into it.

After our wedding breakfast we went off with our photographer and videographer for some photos. We had so much fun around the grounds and it gave us some time away from the group to reflect on the day and be with each other. In the evening our DJ was amazing at responding to our guests’ musical tastes and set such a great atmosphere. He’d studied our preferences carefully and put together a brilliant playlist that had most people on the dancefloor all night.

THE W-DAY TEAM

Venue and catering, Westenhanger Castle, www.westenhangercastle.co.uk | Photographer, Emma Migden Photography, www.emmamigdenphotography.com | Dress, Alta Costura, www.altacostura.co.uk | Accessories, Lace and Favour, www.laceandfavour.com | Bride’s wedding ring, Beaverbrooks | Groom’s wedding ring, Midas Touch, http://midastouchjewellers.co.uk Hair and make-up, Bridal Hair and Makeup Kent, www.facebook.com/BridalhairandmakeupkentEllenDalton | Bridesmaids’ dresses, ASOS | Groom’s suit, Slater Menswear, www.slaters.co.uk | Cake and sweet treats table, Jeyda’s Heavenly Bakes, www.instagram.com/jeysheavenlyevents | Flowers, Emily&Me, www.emilyandme.co.uk | Stationery, NIVI Designs, www.nividesign.com