A FLORAL FANTASY

from Your Bristol & Somerset Wedding - February/March 2022 (Issue 87)

NEARLYWED NEWS

A floral FANTASY When the bride is a florist and she has a castle venue as her playground the results are nothing short of spectacular

Images courtesy of Terrie Rose Photography

Despite attending the same primary and secondary schools Ruby and Adam never really saw each other as prospective partners until the ages of 19 and 21 respectively. Adam proposed while on a family trip in France in 2017. Ruby, who had organised the trip, was pregnant with their first child and becoming engaged was the furthest thing from her mind. Adam managed to keep the whole thing secret for more than a year, and even roped her family in on the plan. They all had banners and balloons set up at the chateau they were staying in ready for the big moment. “It was the biggest shock of my life to date,” Ruby remembers.

Join us as the bride takes us on a journey through the couple’s gorgeous wedding day...

I designed my dress in my head and Karen Reilly brought it to life. She’s based in Bristol and is incredibly talented. She helped me make some decisions along the way, but ultimately left it up to me to decide how I wanted everything. She made the entire thing from scratch so it was completely bespoke. I felt incredibly nervous in the morning, but once the ceremony was over I felt slightly more relaxed albeit still emotional. Adam says he just felt excited and so happy it was finally happening.

Adam wore a black satin tuxedo as did the groomsmen. However, the groom paired his with a waistcoat and a white orchid, whereas the groomsmen accessorised with cummerbunds and rose buttonholes. Our two pageboys were also dressed in matching tuxes.

The bridesmaids wore dresses in different styles to suit their individuality, but they were all made from a deep rust red satin. Our flowergirls wore beautiful coffee-coloured tutus with white leotards and carried pomanders instead of flowers.

We loved how unique Walton Castle is, as well as the fact that it’s all enclosed and felt intimate. It was also great that our closest family and friends could stay with us for the whole weekend.

As a florist, the flowers were as important to me as the dress. I chose blooms I adore – rustic pampas grasses and structured artichokes, interspersed with soft white orchids and deep red dahlias, plus lots of green foliage and texture.

We opted for a simple threetier cake of chocolate, vanilla and coffee sponges, all iced with buttercream and decorated with roses. Instead of a table plan we had a sign, which read: “Come as you are, stay as long as you can, we’re all family here, there’s no seating plan.” We hired long trestle tables and chairs so everyone felt a vibe of togetherness rather than being sectioned off. I put together large floral arrangements, which stood on top of the tables in modern gold flower stands and placed large rocks from the grounds of the castle at the bottom to weigh them down..

To represent our wedding rings I found a large gold hoop and decorated it with two asymmetrical arrangements either side for maximum impact.

We had a banquet-style spread with breads, hummus, cheeses, olives, cold meats and other delicious concoctions. For the evening we dined on street food-style wraps.

We booked a children’s entertainer, which was ideal for keeping them busy for a few hours. They all loved her! Our live band played acoustically outside for us while we shared our first dance, then later played an amplified set inside allowing everyone to enjoy a good dance in the evening.

Do things your own way, not because of tradition or because of how others want things to be. It’s your day, no one else’s! My bridal hair accessories were handmade by Jacqui Weaver at Floral Creativity using a blend of gold, beautiful taupes with brown beads and pearls.

“All of our suppliers were super-flexible and accommodating, especially since we'd had to postpone due to Covid. However, our stretch tents were what gave the whole venue that wow factor. They had beautiful lights inside that created the most special atmosphere when the sun went down.”

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