REAL WEDDINGS

A DREAMY DECEMBER WEDDING Catherine & Ryan

These childhood sweethearts tied the knot on the third time of trying! Catherine reveals all...

How did you first meet?

Ryan and I went to the same school. I was 16 and he was 18, that’s when we first started going out with each other.

How did he propose?

It was my birthday and we’d not long had our son Dougie. We went to a log cabin in England for the week. At midnight on my birthday, while we were in the hot tub, he proposed – it was a total surprise!

Where did you get married?

Oldwalls Gower

What attracted you to the venue?

It’s so amazing! We’ve been to so many weddings, so knew what we liked and didn’t like. When we came to Oldwalls, we just knew. We didn’t care how long we had to wait or how much it was going to cost; we just knew we wanted our wedding there. The venue flowed perfectly. Other venues we’d been to there were different floors and rooms, but Oldwalls flowed nicely. The service and staff were amazing too, as soon as we walked in, we felt like celebrities.

What was your wedding theme?

Ivory and black tie.

What stationery did you have?

We used a company called LUMI events and they did all our menus, table plans, order of the day, post box and table numbers. We also had nut crackers, a sweet table, and confetti cones. We hired a Tepee for the kids, which had balloons and toys in there to keep them entertained.

What did you wear? Tell us about your gown…

I had two dresses and wore my second dress for the wedding after changing my mind. With Covid and having a baby in between, I went back to my old figure and the dress didn’t fit me like it once did. I lost weight and I wanted to feel nice. I went to Yasmin Rose in Cardiff and tried on a few dresses there. My original dress was sparkly with lace, and my second dress was plain with an over skirt, which I took off in the evening.

How did your dress make you feel?

I felt amazing! I got to wear my mum’s fur jacket that she wore for her wedding with

my dad in 1988, which was amazing and sentimental.

What did the groom wear and where were the suits from?

The suits were from Dyfed Menswear, and they all wore black tux.

How did you feel when you first saw him at the altar?

I was emotional. Dougie, our little boy, was really ill on the day, and we didn’t know why. Turned out he had scarlet fever. He was so excited for the wedding too. I was 45 minutes late as Dougie didn’t want to put his suit or shoes on and didn’t want to wait at the front with Ryan. He walked in between me and my dad down the aisle and stood between me and Ryan the whole time throughout the ceremony. Ryan was stressed because I was so late, so it was very emotional when we finally saw eachother.

Tell us about your bridesmaids, who were they?

I had 4 bridesmaids, all best friends and they wore short ivory dresses.

What was your best memory of the ceremony?

It must be Dougie standing in between us the whole time throughout the ceremony. It was so funny, he

VENDORS

Venue: Oldwalls Gower (@oldwallsgower) Photographer: Phil Warren (@philwarrenphoto) Florist: Roots floral design (@jess_rootsdesign) Dress designer: Ashley & Justin (@ashleyjustinbride) Dress shop: Yasmin rose (@yasminrosebridal) Videographer: Posh bear (@poshbearuk) Hair: Wags hair salon Newport (@wags_hair_salon) Make Up: make up by HW (@makeupbyhw) Cake: the blonde bakery (@the.blonde.bakery) Stationary: lumi (@lumieventdesign)

wouldn’t move. He was even between us when we had our first kiss.

What was your first dance song? Wherever you will go by The Calling.

How did you entertain your guests?

Ryan’s friend and best man have a band called Cover Up and they played in the wedding for us.

What was the cake like?

We had four tiers with all different flavours. The cake was plain white, and we added some real flowers onto it. The flavours we chose were white chocolate and raspberry, sticky toffee pudding, chocolate orange and lemon.

How did you feel on the day?

Amazing. It goes so fast! We had to reschedule our wedding three times due to Covid. We were meant to get married in August 2020, then we moved it to December 2020, then finally we tied the knot in December 2021. We were so lucky, we knew restrictions were coming back, but our wedding was just before they came back into play. The weather was also amazing! It was cold, but it was so sunny.

What’s your recommendation to future couples getting married?

Enjoy every minute it as it really does go so fast. I would have a videographer, too. One of my favourite moments was watching it back. When you’re in the moment you forget some parts of the day like the speeches. It’s nice to watch it back and see all the little things you forget on the day.

A STUNNING WEDDING Molly & Gareth

A fairytale wedding at a fairytale venue! Real bride Molly shares her story with us...

How did you first meet?

Gareth and I are from the same hometown, Brecon. We met on a night out.

How did he propose?

In New York. It was Gareth’s 30th birthday. We went to the top of the Rock; I didn’t expect it at all!

Where did you get married?

Fairyhill by Oldwalls.

What attracted you to the venue?

We first visited the venue in December. The fires were all lit, the Christmas decorations were up, and we just fell in love with the cosiness of Fairyhill. When we walked into the K room, it was set up ready for a wedding breakfast and that did it for us.

What was your wedding theme?

Simplicity. Whites and greens.

What stationery did you have?

We had the order of the day, a table plan, table names which were silver wooden place names people could take home. For the favours we had pocket scratch cards saying ‘we’ve tied the knot, we hope you hit the jackpot’.

What did you wear? Tell us about your gown…

I tried on quite a few dresses from different dress shops before I chose the one. I’d seen it online and I just knew that was the dress I wanted to try. It was an A-line gown and I had off the shoulder lace straps added to it. I had it tailored to suit me, so it was a one-off dress.

How did your dress make you feel?

It made me feel like a princess. I didn’t think I’d go for this dress, I thought I’d go plain but I went the complete opposite! It’s a dress you only wear once so I wanted it to be really ‘wow’.

What did the groom wear and where were the suits from?

Dyfed menswear. The groomsmen wore grey suits with navy ties, and we had 4

page boys that had navy suits with navy ties.

How did you feel when you first saw him at the altar?

I was nervous but really happy. When I saw him at the altar he burst into tears. We were both overwhelmed, we got engaged in October 2019 and had 18 months to plan the wedding.

Tell us about your bridesmaids, who were they?

I had my Maid of honour, Gemma who is my best friend and five other bridesmaids. I also had a flower girl. They wore Maya Deluxe dresses which were dusky blue with sequins on top.

What was your best memory of the ceremony?

When I got down the aisle and finally saw Gareth! He could see I was nervous; he was trying to comfort me.

What was your first dance song?

Lucas Graham Love Someone.

How did you entertain your guests?

In the day we had Jeris Music and in the evening we had Fairyhill’s house DJ. We also had a cocktail station for our guests to enjoy.

VENDORS

Venue: Fairyhill (@fairyhill) Photographer: Page One Weddings (@pageooneweddings) Florist: Eve Francesca Designs (Dressed the venue) @evefrancescadesigns and Flower Shop Hye On Wye (Did the bouquets and button holes) Dress designer: Allure Bridal (@allurebridals) Dress shop: Timeless Elegance in Cardiff (@timelesselegancebridal)

Videographer:

Page one weddings (@pageooneweddings) Hair: Philippa Torrance bridal hair Brecon (@philippatorrancebridalhair) Make Up: Faith Wilde (@faith_wilde) Cake: truly scrumptious (@trulyscrumptious118)

What was the cake like?

We had a brownie stack and a semi naked caked on top with flowers. We opted for Biscoff and raspberry and white chocolate.

How did you feel on the day?

I was nervous at the start of the day and before the ceremony. Afterwards I was more relaxed and happier and really enjoyed seeing and talking to everyone.

What’s your recommendation to future couples getting married?

Try to make the most of the day as it goes so fast. Take it all in and enjoy the moment. Try not to worry about everyone else, they’ll be having a good time. I wish Gareth and I spent more moments together, taking ourselves to one side, and having time to reflect on the day.

A DREAMY VENUE FOR THE PERFECT DAY Faye & Callum

This couple enjoyed a beautiful wedding in the Lake District. Bride Faye reveals all...

How did you meet?

“We met at work six years ago. We both work in marketing, but it wasn’t exactly love at first sight. Callum wasn’t my usual ‘type’ - I thought he’d rolled straight out of an episode of The Inbetweeners! But his sense of humour won me over and within a few months we were living together. We’ve been laughing every day since.”

Can you tell us about the proposal?

“We’d not long moved into our new house, and it was Christmas Eve. I was preparing dinner for the next day when Callum gave me an early Christmas present - a new pair of pyjamas and slippers. I went upstairs for a shower and to get changed and, as I was walking back down the stairs, I heard our favourite song playing really loudly (There Will Be Time by Mumford & Sons). I opened the kitchen door and there were candles on the floor and a big card that said, ‘To my beautiful fiancé at Christmas’. As I walked through the kitchen and into the living room I saw him on one knee in front of the Christmas tree. I burst into tears and sobbed for a good five minutes. Callum later told me he had something different planned, but the UK was put on lockdown not long before. I’m glad it happened this way though as it was absolutely perfect (apart from the rollers in my hair). I really had no idea!”

Why did you want to have your wedding at The Belsfield Hotel?

“We visited The Belsfield Hotel on one of our very first trips together. We’d booked a weekend away in the Lake District and Callum surprised me with an eight-course meal in the Lake View Belsfield Restaurant, which has a gorgeous view of Lake Windermere. It was such a lovely evening and we fell in love with the hotel there and then. it had such a relaxing, romantic vibe and it matched our style perfectly! We picked the Completely Perfect package - it was perfect for our guest numbers and included allowances for hotel rooms, stationery, flowers, entertainment and more. This was great as it saved us both time and money!”

Can you tell us about the wedding day?

“I know everybody says this, but our wedding day was absolutely magical and, most importantly, a true reflection of who we are. We had a romantic and elegant theme but with bright, springlike colours, lots of natural, flowing florals and flashes of gold; it was traditional but with a modern twist. Music is a massive part of our lives and something that really connects us, so we had five different acts/ artists throughout the day, a piano player as guests were gathering in the bar and during the ceremony, an acoustic husband and wife duo for the drinks reception, a male singer with a guitar and a loop pedal

for after the wedding breakfast, and a brilliant band in the evening followed by a DJ. I literally danced all day! We also hired a wedding host to keep energy levels high and everyone entertained, and opted for a relaxing, naturalstyle photographer who focused on capturing moments over formal group photos.

What was the highlight of your day?

The ceremony was an unexpected highlight for us. We didn’t write our own vows and we’re not religious so, although we knew it would be emotional, we didn’t expect it to be so beautiful. The styling of the ceremony room was perfect, and the backdrop of the lake was stunning. Our registrar was so sweet and said we were one of the nicest couples she’d had the pleasure of marrying – there wasn’t a dry eye in the room! Our first dance was perfect, too. We were dreading this part of the day as we thought it might be a bit awkward, so we decided to do it later in the evening as opposed to the traditional time of straight after cutting the cake. It was definitely the right decision as it just felt more natural. Our band played a slow version of Free Fallin’, which was personal and intimate, and it felt like we were in our own little bubble.”

How would you describe your wedding experience with The Belsfield Hotel?

“Nothing short of amazing. The service provided by all the staff was first-class and all of our guests commented on how lovely they all were. A hotel wedding isn’t for everyone, but if you’re looking for somewhere that will support you, reassure you and help make your day as stress-free as possible then book with The Belsfield Hotel! The setting is just breathtaking!”

The Belsfield Hotel, an idyllic 4-star hotel on the banks of Lake Windermere, will host its Wedding Inspiration Day on the 4th of September, allowing couples to tour the enchanting hotel and grounds, meet a range of suppliers, and gather inspiration for their big day.

Between 12pm and 4pm, guests can explore the luxury boutique hotel to see a variety of different wedding set-ups and the stylishly designed bedrooms, plus meet the hotel’s dedicated wedding planning team, all while enjoying a complimentary glass of fizz with canapés from the hotel’s 2AA Rosette Lake View Restaurant. Guests who arrive between 1pm and 2pm will also receive a goody bag.

www.thebelsfieldhotel.com