8 minute read
TODAY IS MY NEW FAVOURITE DAY
favourite day TODAY IS MY NEW
Cadi and Gareth had a fairytale wedding at Hensol Castle
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Cadi and Gareth met online through a dating site. “We both very nearly didn’t turn up to the first date as were hungover after celebrating a Six Nations win for Wales the night before,” says Cadi. “We quickly realised we had similar interests, which made organising dates an easy job.”
Gareth proposed on Christmas Day. “It was very low key,” shares the bride. “Neither of us like much fuss, so it was nice that it was private. It was somewhat a surprise, however, I had dropped lots of hints! He chose a ring from a beautiful independent jeweller in London that I’d been following for a long time called Ruth Tomlinson. We did end up going back to create a bespoke ring which incorporated family stones from our grandmothers and my birthstone. I feel very lucky to have such a special engagement ring that has such sentiment behind it.”
Here the bride shares some of her favourite moments from their big day...
We struggled to find a venue that we both loved and would accommodate everyone. The courtyard at Hensol Castle was perfect, and the décor was quite neutral, so we saw it as a blank canvas. A bonus for us what that Hensol Castle had just finished its new on-site bedrooms. This allowed me to get ready there on the morning of the wedding which was one less thing to worry about.
From the start, we knew we didn’t want a set theme or colour scheme. We designed all of the stationery ourselves and asked our friend Simona if she would draw a picture of us that we could use on our invitations and save the dates. We kept the stationery quite simple so that it would go with whatever colours we chose for the day itself.
I knew before we got engaged that I wanted Forbesfield to do our wedding flowers. Beth is a genius when it comes to all things floral. As Hensol Castle is a large space we wanted to try and maximise what we could get within our budget. We spoke with Beth about incorporating foliage along with a combination of fresh and dried flowers, full of texture and warm autumnal colours and boy did she deliver! Apart from the classic bouquet and buttonholes, she created an incredible installation on the staircase and two incredible towers at the end of the aisle, which were a focal point all day. Gareth and I didn’t think we wanted a cake, but it became apparent that everyone else wanted us to have one. We contacted The Sweet Cake Kitchen, who creates beautiful cakes, to see if she would be available to come to our rescue. We sent her the colour palettes that our florist had put together for the flowers, and she created a stunning gluten-free cake for us.
YOLO Events provided wooden cross back chairs that worked so well with the rest of the décor. I cried when I walked into the room the night before the wedding to see what they had created. It was exactly like the moodboards we’d put together. We knew we wanted to add a bit of drama and warmth into the room, but with it being such a large space, it was quite hard working out how to do it. I’d been following Boomting Bunting on Instagram for a while and they had so many examples of exactly the type of thing we wanted, so I got in touch with Georgia. I sent her pictures of the venue and she came back with some great ideas. I also put her in touch with our florist to see if we could incorporate some foliage into their drape design and light installation, and they sorted everything.
We worked with Strawberry Shortcake Dining and their executive chef, Scott, to write a menu for the day. We combined our canapés and starters and created street food stations during the drinks reception. We always feel like the canapés get a little lost during the drinks reception, and we didn’t want everyone sitting for a threecourse meal, so it was a good way of doing something different and a bit more relaxed. We had some delicious wine too, chosen from a selection by Fine Wines Direct UK in Cardiff. I don’t usually wear dresses, so I found it tricky to know what my style was. I finally chose Adair by Suzanne Neville, bought through Waxflower Bridal in Chepstow. The dress was simple, elegant and modern. It had long sleeves, a high neckline and a cut-out at the back. Kathy, the owner of Waxflower Bridal, was incredible. I felt so at home in her incredible boutique! She has an impressive collection of dresses/jumpsuits/separates, some of which I wish I had the guts to wear! She knew I was struggling with accessorising the dress. I have curly hair and didn’t want to fuss too much with an up-do or hair clip, and she found a headband, which was quite out-there for me, but it was perfect!
Gareth visited Edit Suits Co in London and chose a bespoke navy two-piece suit with an accompanying grey check waistcoat. His shoes were a pair of Conker Loakes from The Brogue Trader in Cardiff.
The entertainment was the part of the day we were most looking forward to. Gareth found a Mariachi covers band called Beat Banditos, who were great. They played as everyone was finishing their desserts, and they led everyone out into the front rooms of the castle, while the venue set the main room up for the evening guests. This was a great way of keeping the party going at a time when you can lose a bit of momentum.
The bridesmaids opted for a combination of forest green Bardot-style dresses from Laura May Bridal in Cardiff and a silver gown from Ghost in London. They all looked amazing!
Afterwards, we hired Disco Motel to DJ with an interval by The Tom Jones Experience. He went down a storm and was a great way of breaking up the DJ set. Nathan from Disco Motel brought disco balls and confetti cannons and even gave one of our guests a spotlight.
I’d spent so much time planning and worrying about everything, that when the day came round, I felt excited rather than nervous. It did help that I had the best group of women around me in the morning. We loved being pampered by Nikki from Brows + Brides, who styled my hair, which is no easy task as I still struggle to style it myself, and Cat Williams Make Up made us feel so gorgeous without going over the top. I think I surprised everyone with how chilled I was! I wanted to just enjoy every minute of it.
Walking down the aisle and getting stuck in the plughole cover halfway down was pretty memorable! My heel got stuck, and the guests had to free me! It did make us all laugh, and normalised things a little, which I think made us both relax more! One of the best men also offered Gareth a swig of his hip flask at the alter before I arrived, and the registrar quickly reminded them that it was not allowed! Being able to have the wedding we wanted, without any restrictions, and everyone partying together was wonderful. After a year-and-a-half of no events like that being able to have everyone together was so special.
Apart from having the most incredible parents that helped give us an amazing day, we had an after-party the following day with 40 of our close friends and family. We organised a wine tasting event at Fine Wines Direct UK and then went for a meal.
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We are currently planning our honeymoon, hopefully somewhere hot and far away! Our top tip for any couple is to try and remember that it’s your day. It’s easy to take what everyone else thinks you should have/do onboard and forget what it is that you want.
CADI AND GARETH’S CONTACTS
Venue, Hensol Castle, www.hensolcastle.com | Photographer, Claudia Rose Carter Photography, www.claudiarosecarter.co.uk | Videographer, Posh Bear, www.poshbear.co.uk | Bride’s dress and accessories, Waxflower Bridal, www.waxflowerbridal.co.uk | Groom’s suit, Edit Suits Co, www.editsuits.com | Groom’s shoes, The Brogue Trader, www.thebroguetrader.com | Bridesmaids’ dresses, Laura May Bridal, www.lauramaybridal.co.uk and Ghost, www.ghost.co.uk | Hair stylist, Brows + Brides, www.browsandbrides.co.uk | Make-up artist, Cat Williams Make Up, www.catwilliamsmakeup.com | Wedding/engagement rings, Ruth Tomlinson, www.ruthtomlinson.com | Cake, The Sweet Cake Kitchen, www.thesweetcakekitchen.co.uk | Flowers, Forbesfield, www.forbesfield.co.uk | Décor installation, Boomting Bunting, www.boomtingbunting.com Chair hire, YOLO Events, www.yolo-events.co.uk | Entertainment, Disco Motel, www.facebook.com/discodiscomotel, The Tom Jones Experience, www.tomjonesexperience.uk and Beat Banditos, www.beatbanditos.co.uk | Wine supplier, Fine Wines Direct UK, www.finewinesdirectuk.com Catering, Strawberry Shortcake Dining, www.strawberryshortcakedining.com
