From a Christmas proposal to an autumn-themed wedding made extra special with personal touches
Tell us about the proposal – how and where did it happen?
Adrian proposed to Mark on Christmas Day 2021 whilst enjoying a meal at a local restaurant. Adrian popped the question over dessert using a handmade card.
What was your first step in planning your wedding?
We started looking at wedding websites for inspiration and looked at several venues but were instantly drawn to Bourton Hall when we saw the images online and knew we had to book a viewing. We fell in love with the venue on that first visit and knew we had to book. Adrian is a planner, so we had a large notebook (given as a gift by our best woman) filled with dates, timings, names, and everything else we might need.
What were your wedding “must have’s”?
Our ‘must have’ was our evening entertainment. We had already decided who we wanted, so we booked the wedding day around their availability!
Wedding budget: how did you organise your wedding budget?
We did research on typical costs for a wedding and were quite shocked by some of the estimates! We had an idea of what we could afford and set our budget accordingly. We wanted the day to be special but set limits and ultimately had to compromise on a few things. The clear pricing structure for everything at Bourton Hall made it much easier to budget.
How did you find your venue and what made you choose it?
Having started to look at wedding venues on our phones, Google started to make a few suggestions! Bourton Hall was one that popped up. Having never heard of it before, we decided to book a viewing (our first one actually). On the journey over, we were unsure if we had made the right choice due to the distance for our guests to travel. We parked at the side of the Hall and walked to the door not realising how stunning the Hall was from the front. We were still unsure as you see so little of the outside from the drive but as soon as the door opened and we were invited in, we instantly knew we would love it. Delia greeted us and was so enthusiastic about both us and the venue, we were swept up in it all. Every room we were shown made us gasp in awe and the feeling of comfort and ‘family’ radiated from everything and everyone. Despite it being the first viewing, we felt that we had found our perfect location and booked it there and then.
Styling your wedding: how did you personalise your big day?
Having picked the date, an autumn theme seemed perfect. We didn’t want to overdo things, but we started working loosely to an orange theme. We bought maple leaves for the table decorations and for around the venue. We researched and bought maple leaf confetti to be used in the hall at the first dance and arranged the wedding favours as orange organza bags containing mints. We also asked for the cake to be simple and on a log base with autumn leaves cascading over the side.
Did the venue provide any memorable extras or nice personal touches that stood out?
We chose to have the table planner made by the venue and that was a lovely touch, having the image of the hall on the board just added to the feeling that it was all part of the event. We attended one of the Dinner Dates before our wedding and we really recommend doing that. It was wonderful to experience the venue as a guest. We were able to taste the food and see how the service worked and got a feel for how things worked with lots of people in the spaces. It was also a great opportunity to chat with other couples and share ideas. After that event, we knew we would use the venue’s centrepieces as they were excellent. The candle package added to the overall homely feeling so was a must for us.
Describe your wedding attire and favourite accessories
We chose to have matching Marc Darcey blue tweed three-piece suits which we paired with brown brogue shoes. We had personalised fob pocket watches and tie clips made as gifts to each other with the date and our initials on them. Although others may not have seen them, it was these little touches that made it more personal to us. When we put them on, we both felt amazing, and we so pleased with the look we achieved. All our guests loved them and commented on how smart and handsome we both looked.
Tell us about your Bridesmaids, Groomsmen and their outfits
We chose to have a small wedding party with Mark’s best friend Tony as best man, and Adrian’s best friend Katy as best woman, with Katy’s son Percy as our page boy. We didn’t want the stress or additional cost of outfitting others, so we told everyone they were free to wear whatever they felt comfortable in. The only addition we made was that the wedding party were given buttonholes to identify them as special people on the day. A local florist worked with us on the buttonholes and provided us with beautiful, locally sourced and grown flowers and foliage and also incorporated some of our pet parrots’ feathers as they matched the suits and made them extra special to us.
What was your ceremony like?
We wanted the ceremony to be memorable, but not too long. We chose to have our best man, best woman and page boy walk down the aisle first followed by both of us walking down the aisle together hand in hand to our song, ‘More of you’ by Josh Groban. We asked two close friends to provide readings which were separated: one reading after the commitments and one after the exchange of rings. The rings were presented to each of us by our best people before they signed the register as our witnesses. Our wedding rings were specially made for us out of titanium and had our fingerprints etched onto the top.
Tell us about your drinks reception and wedding breakfast
We chose to have mulled wine, mojitos, and martinis for welcome drinks. We also added some bottled lagers and jugs of orange juice so that everyone was catered for. Along with the canapes, these all went down well and allowed everyone the chance to mingle and chat, and have some photos in the stunning grounds in the autumn sunshine before the wedding breakfast. We were so lucky with the weather! The wedding breakfast was amazing, and several guests commented that it was the best wedding meal they had ever had! We decided to have soup for the starter, added the sorbet course to help cleanse everyone’s palette and then took the upgrade option of Beef Wellington as our main course. Finally, for dessert, we had the whiskey marmalade bread and butter pudding and then tea, coffee and petit fours were served in the lounge area. The service all our guests received was impeccable and the speed with which food was served and plates cleared away was equally impressive.
We decided to have three speeches, one by Adrian at the beginning of the meal before service and then one each by the best man and woman whilst dessert was served. They were funny, well-timed and very well-received by all.
Did you have a band or DJ for your evening reception? Did you have a first dance – what song did you choose?
We are lucky to have some amazingly talented family and friends. One friend played the guitar and sang for our drink reception and a family member played the piano after the wedding breakfast. We really wanted to have a photo of the first dance with the maple leaf confetti falling around us, so we arranged for our song (‘More of you’ – Josh Groban) to be played as we danced in the main hall surrounded by our guests as they encircled us going up the stairs. We then had the wonderful Tina Turner tribute act, ‘Typically Tina’ play as our evening entertainment followed by the in-house DJ to complete the entertainment until midnight.
Based on your own experience, give us some top tips.
Like it or not, budget is a massive thing. Set one and stick to it. There is inevitably some wiggle room and changes, but don’t ever lose track or it runs away with you!
Have fun! It can be stressful, but it should be a happy memory, not a painful one. Most importantly, communicate with each other. It is your special day so make sure you are both happy with everything you are arranging and make copious notes! Sometimes things happen so fast that you forget what has been done and what still needs to be done. Plan as much as possible, but be relaxed and flexible on the day, things might not go exactly to plan for everything, but remember, you are the only ones that know what the plan was, so just go with the flow and enjoy it.
Did you go on a honeymoon or mini-moon?
We decided to go on a ‘pre-moon’ to Tenerife. We wanted to look nice and healthy for the photos and decided that a real tan was better than going to tanning salons. We arranged a 9-night break around 2 weeks before the wedding. The time away to relax together was just what we needed. It did mean making sure that the plans were all in place a little earlier, but again, it was so worth it. We will arrange a honeymoon in the new year where we plan to go to Las Vegas and see the Grand Canyon.
“If we could do it all again, we’d…”
Do everything exactly the same! The day was perfect in every way. All our family and friends wished that we could repeat the day over and over.
Purchase & Hire – Tell us who your suppliers were:
Wedding attire: Marc Darcey
Wedding rings: Serendipity Diamonds – Ryde, Isle of Wight
Wedding cake: Julie May Cakes
Invitations: Optimal Print
Photographer: Paul Mawson Design and Photography
Band/disco/DJ: Typically Tina, Tara Simms
