LOOKING BACK

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Whichever season you’re planning on getting married in during 2023, take inspiration from these real-life couples whose fabulous weddings we have showcased in Your Glos & Wilts Wedding this past year A winter wedding Images courtesy of Jade Touron Photography Beatrice Ann Cranke married Andrew Francis Crossley on 23rd December 2020 at St Peter & St Paul Blockley followed by a reception at Cotswold House Hotel & Spa in Chipping Campden.

Beatrice and Ann chose to have their ceremony at St Peter & St Paul Blockley followed by a reception at Cotswold House Hotel & Spa in Chipping Campden. “I have always wanted to get married in this church because I used to sing in the choir there when I was younger,” Beatrice tells us. Having the choir sing and the organist, Doreen, play at our wedding was like having extended family present. We also knew The Very Reverend Canon Dana Delap well and wanted her to marry us. We giggled throughout the entire ceremony because we were so incredibly happy!”

Beatrice arrived at the church, and she and Andrew left as newlyweds, in a 1952 gold and black Bentley Mark VI. “The driver made us a personalised number plate with our wedding date on it which was special,” Beatrice says.

For the reception, the couple were only able to invite 15 guests due to the covid restrictions in place at the time. “We needed somewhere that had a small and intimate space,” Beatrice explains. The Fig Room at the hotel was perfect being small, intimate and beautiful.

Beatrice and Andrew styled their winter wedding with a red and dark-blue colour theme with hints of pink and white. “We chose red, white and pink flowers teamed with gypsophila and green eucalyptus for our bouquets and centrepieces,” Beatrice tells us. “We had a multi-picture frame as our table plan that displayed some photos from our engagement shoot (that was also taken by our wedding photographer, Jade) and we named the tables after funny Australian places which proved very entertaining listening to everybody trying to pronounce them correctly! I made white heart-shaped Christmas tree decorations as our place names that featured our new married name and date on the back. Our favours were small boxes filled with Australian sweets, a single red rose and a small bottle of hand sanitiser with a label saying spread love, not germs.”

On the menu were a choice of canapés including cray fishtails with caviar Marie rose sauce, peppered duck breast with apple compote and thinly sliced pork fillet with basil pesto. The starter was smoked duck breast, fennel carpaccio, pickled radishes with truffled brioche snippets while the main course was a rib eye of beef served with sweet potato fondant, creamed spinach and celeriac with a burgundy jus. “We enjoyed raspberry mousse, burnt meringue and macaroons for dessert,” Beatrice says. “I made a classic three-tier cake with my mother. I created a gluten-free lemon and orange drizzle cake as the middle tier and she made the fruit cakes for the top and bottom tiers that all tasted delicious.”

Beatrice chose a dress with detailed embroidery on the bodice which cascaded down the skirt. Donna, the owner of Posy & Pearl Bridal Boutique where she purchased her dress from makes bespoke hair accessories so she was able to design her own piece with her. She tells us, “I decided on a long hair vine with a cluster of pearl flowers and a couple of small pins for each of my bridesmaids which looked so pretty. Donna also gifted me a beautiful blue ribbon garter for my something blue.”

Beatrice teamed her dress with a pearl, white gold and diamond drop pendant necklace and earrings. “I also borrowed a silver and moonstone bracelet from my mother and my father put a silver sixpence in my shoe!”

Andrew chose a stylish blue herringbone check suit teamed with a tan-coloured check waistcoat featuring a burgundy paisley pattern on the back to match the colour of the bridesmaids’ dresses and a pair of chestnut-brown brogues. “His suit was a lighter shade of blue than the best man and my father’s so that he stood out but they all wore matching waistcoats,” Beatrice says. Our bridesmaids looking stunning in their burgundy Bardot-style midi dresses which they teamed with a tan faux-fur bolero shawl to keep warm.”

THE DREAM TEAM

Photographer, Jade Touron Photography, https://jadetouronphotography.com | Ceremony, St Peter & St Paul Blockley, https://blockleychurch. org.uk | Reception venue and catering, Cotswold House Hotel & Spa, 01386 840 330, www.cotswoldhouse.com/weddings | Bride’s dress and accessories, Posy & Pearl Bridal Boutique, 01285 656 994, www.posyandpearl.co.uk | Bride’s jewellery, The Goldsmithy, 01386 853 297, www.goldsmithy.co.uk | Nail, Jodi Brooks Beauty & Cosmetics, 01242 603 200, https://jodibrooksbeauty.co.uk | Suits, Country Master, 01451 798 241, www.countrymaster.co.uk | Waistcoats, Ted Baker | Brogues, Loake Shoemakers | Hair, Muse Hair & Beauty, 01386 853 252, https://musehairandbeauty.com | Flowers, Abbie Digweed, Your Cotswold Florist, 07875 814 769, http://yourcotswoldflorist.co.uk | Cake, Honey Bea’s Cafe, 01242 352 392, www.instagram.com/honeybeascafe

A spring wedding

Images courtesy of Aimee Thomas Photography Hannah Amor married Simon Legg on Saturday 22nd May 2021 at DoubleTree By Hilton Cheltenham.

Hannah and Simon chose the DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham as their venue because it was a hotel that they regularly visited. “The gardens are beautiful and the staff are very friendly,” Hannah tells us. “We had booked a wedding package allowing 80 guests to attend during the day and 100 during the evening but because of the restrictions in place at the time of our wedding, we could only invite 30 guests for the entire day. Everybody needed to wear a face covering apart from myself, Simon and my dad but this didn’t bother us because it was amazing to have my dad and our close family and friends around us.”

The couple kept their table plan simple with everyone seated at two round tables and a long rectangular top table. “My mum made our centrepieces using Whitley Neil gin bottles that she had been collecting especially. She filled them with fairylights and placed them on mirrored plates. She also got silver and navy balloons to place in the middle of the round tables and at the ends of the top table. It looked simple yet beautiful, I really can’t thank her enough for all the help and support she gave us.”

Hannah and Simon purchased scratch card holders personalised with their married name and wedding date which they gave as favours. “My mum sourced some heart-shaped chocolates with navy and sliver detail to fit in with our colour theme,” Hannah tells us. “My flowers also complemented our theme and our red velvet and carrot cake that was made by my 16-year-old sister, Rose, was decorated with fresh flowers.”

The couple’s catering was provided by the talented team at the hotel and included arrival drinks, the wedding breakfast and the evening buffet. The options for dinner were chicken liver pâté, tomato soup or prawn cocktail to start followed by pork belly, sea bass or stuffed chicken as the main course.

Hannah chose a princess-style gown with a sweetheart neckline. “It was so beautiful,” she tells us. “I had visited a couple of wedding dress boutiques but nothing caught my eye as much as this one did from Rosella Wedding Gowns in Cirencester. Simon, his best man, father and Hannah’s dad and stepdad all wore navy three-piece tweed suits and Hannah’s maid-of-honour’s dress was also navy with the couple’s two bridesmaids dressed in pink and grey gowns.

THE DREAM TEAM

Photographer, Aimee Thomas, 07860 611 047, www.facebook.com/aimthomasphotography | Venue, DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham, 01242 222 021, www.hilton.com/en/hotels/glochdi-doubletree-cheltenham | Bride’s dress, Rosella Wedding Gowns, 01285 644 662, www.rosellaweddinggowns.co.uk | Flowers on the cake, Oops a daisy! flowers limited, 01285 644 123, www.oopsadaisy.co.uk | Groom’s suit, Moss Bros (Swindon store), 01793 487 700, www.moss.co.uk | Rings, Goldsmiths (Cheltenham store), 01242 528 526, www.goldsmiths.co.uk | Bridesmaids’ dresses, ASOS | Hair and make-up, Lauren Collins | Flowers, Debbie Owen

REAL WEDDINGS A summer wedding Images courtesy of Imogen Eve Photography

Kayleigh Buck and Thomas (Tom) Davies married on 23rd August 2021 at Matara near Tetbury in Gloucestershire.

Kayleigh and Tom visited four venues before they viewed Matara. “We met the owner, Geoffrey who showed us around the popular Asian-inspired, exclusive-use venue and its vast gardens,” Kayleigh tells us. “As soon as we arrived, I welled up with tears and just knew that it was the place for us to get married, it was beautiful. Geoffrey has worked hard to make it a relaxing and peaceful environment with oriental influences from his travels. We loved the rose garden and wild meadows - we had wanted something a bit different and this venue offered it.”

The couple chose a natural theme using neutral colours with the flowers being the main focal point of their décor. “The area where our wedding breakfast was held has a beautiful dome in the centre and I knew that a flower cloud would look stunning suspended from it,” Kayleigh tells us. “I found a local florist, Emma from Thistle by Nature who understood the look that I was trying to achieve and her work was outstanding. I wanted a mix of dried flowers and grasses so that I could keep them afterwards. There are now several vases around our home displaying the flowers which is a wonderful reminder of our special day. Emma also created three meadow boxes that framed the ceremony beautifully in the courtyard.”

For their tables, Kayleigh and Tom wanted to keep the design simple by draping fabric runners topped with a mix of candles and foliage running down the centre. “I chose the fabric from a local shop and spent a week making the table runners and the napkins with my mother-in-law-to-be,” Emma tells us. “It was wonderful to spend some quality time together and the result was better than we expected! Each table was named after our favourite places and each place name was attached to a menu.”

The food and wine were really important to the couple. “We both love cooking and going out for dinner and I spent 10 years working for Laithwaites, the wine company so we sourced and paired the wine ourselves opting for a Portuguese red variety and a delightful Picpoul de Pinet. The food by the kitchen team at Matara was outstanding and all of the produce was locally sourced and organic. Our guests had three choices of scallops, arancini balls and ginger panna cotta.”

Kayleigh and Tom chose a three-tier wedding cake. “Two of the tiers had a light coconut sponge with a zesty lime buttercream,” Kayleigh tells us. “Our son chose the chocolate middle tier and the result tasted delicious.”

Kayleigh chose a strapless dress with a soft lining and an ivory lace overlay by the designer Justin Alexander. “It was similar to the Berta designer wedding dresses I had been lusting over and my bridesmaids loved it!” Kayleigh explains. “It was being discontinued the following month and we were also going back into lockdown so I made a quick decision to purchase it. I also purchased a mini shift dress decorated with sequins that I could change into for the evening and can wear to parties in the future.”

Tom wore a pale-green suit teamed with a natural-coloured waistcoat featuring mother-of-pearl buttons and a silk lining. “Our son wore the same suit with a similar colour waistcoat and they looked very handsome together!” Kayleigh says. “Tom’s handmade English shoes added the final finishing touch. I wanted the groomsmen to wear a contrasting suit to Tom’s so we decided on the same style in grey with neutral-coloured waistcoats. I wanted to ensure that the groomsmen had a suit they could wear again in future.”

The couple’s two bridesmaids, Susie and Rhian and their maid-ofhonour, Rachel choose dresses that they loved in the chosen colour theme. “The result was gorgeous, each one looked stunning and the colours worked perfectly,” Kayleigh says.

THE DREAM TEAM

Photographer, Imogen Eve Photography, www.imogenevephotography.co.uk | Venue, Matara, 01453 861 050, https://matara.co.uk | Dresses, The Bridal Room Broadway, 01386 859 070, www.thebridalroombroadway.co.uk | Hair, Leah Wilmer, www.instagram.com/leah.wilmer | Make-up artist, Leanne O’Neill Makeup Artist, 07572 494 316, www.leanneoneill.com | Cake, Tasha’s Sugar Art, 07506 194 006, www.tashassugarart.co.uk | Flowers, Thistle By Nature, https://thistlebynature.com | Stationery, Papier, www.papier.com | DJ, The Only Ginge DJ, https://instagram.com/theonlygingedj | Suits, Moss Bros (Oxford store), 01865 202 051, www.moss.co.uk | Groom’s shoes, Loake (Oxford store), 01865 243 956, www.loake.com | Waistcoats, Favourbrook, https://favourbrook.com

Daisy and Alex Meehan married on 21st November 2021 at Cripps Barn in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

Daisy and Alex viewed a few barn wedding venues before walking into Cripps Barn. “We both instantly knew that we wanted to get married there,” Daisy tells us. “We adored the rustic-inspired, romantic setting and the open fireplace was perfect for our winter wedding,” Daisy explains. “We were inviting 60 guests in total so the barn provided an ideal intimate setting.”

Daisy and Alex chose a personalised wooden board as their table plan. “It featured a watercolour stag design with burgundy touches that matched our invitations and welcome board,” Daisy tells us. “My uncle made the table numbers using horseshoes placed in the centre of each table on oak slabs and my father has a collection of restored post boxes and lent us one to use as a wedding post box which he drilled on to a wooden board and positioned on the side next to our guestbook.” The couple gave each guest a personalised wooden coaster with their name on it, which doubled up as their place setting and favour and provided a wonderful keepsake.

Daisy and Alex’s choice of flowers included white blooms with a hint of pink mixed with plenty of foliage. “Our bouquets and buttonholes looked perfect,” Daisy tells us. “Our florist collected the arrangements the following day and we loved being able to hand bunches out to our loved ones and keep some ourselves. Our buttercream cake was also decorated with fresh flowers along with a personalised wooden cake topper.”

The couple chose the British feast menu for their wedding breakfast. “It created a relaxed, social atmosphere with everyone helping themselves from large platters of food,” Daisy says. “Because our families are from different parts of the country, it got everybody talking which was lovely to watch. For the main course, we chose roast lamb with all the trimmings which was the best lamb we’ve ever had, and many of our guests said the same! Everything from the canapés to the pork baps served in the evening tasted delicious.”

Daisy wore a plain satin A-line gown featuring a pearl and diamanté belt that she teamed with a faux-fur cape and a satin-lined veil. “The shape of my dress was very flattering and I finished my look with some subtle diamond jewellery.”

Alex wore a grey morning suit, the same as the groomsmen, but teamed his with an ivory waistcoat while the others wore grey waistcoats. “The men wore matching pocket watches and cufflinks along with buttonholes made with pink roses and foliage plus burgundy ties and pocket squares to match the burgundy bridesmaids’ dresses,” Daisy tells us. “Our bridesmaids also wore fluffy cardigans with their fulllength dresses that looked stunning.”

THE DREAM TEAM

Photographer, Capture Every Moment, 07521 611 678, https://captureeverymoment.co.uk | Venue, Cripps & Co, https://crippsandco.com | Bride’s dress, The Cotswold Frock Shop, 01451 832 309, https://thecotswoldfrockshop.co.uk | Hair, Fordham Hair Design, 07735 055 146, www.fordhamhairdesign.co.uk | Make-up, Elaine Morane, 07979 505 947, www.elainemoranemakeup.co.uk | Groom’s suit, www.moss.co.uk | Bridesmaids’ dresses, www.chichiclothing.com | Cake, Storyteller Cakes, 01242 680 547, www.storytellercakes.co.uk | Flowers, Go Wild Flowers, 01285 720 195, www.gowildflowers.com | Stationery, Elle Bee Design, 01905 28997, https://ellebeedesign.co.uk | Entertainment, The Sweet & Lowdown, www.sweetandlowdown.co.uk | String quartet, The Wedding String Quartet, 07545 991 621, https://theweddingstringquartet.com | Stationery, Stag Design, 07460 018 787, www.stagdesign.co.uk