Your Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wedding - Page number 31 - October/November 2021 (Issue 91)

Maria and Callum met in a local pub in Abingdon after a mutual friend introduced them. “We began texting one another and then dating, and the rest is history! Maria tells us. The couple became engaged during a surprise proposal on New Year’s Eve. “After almost three years together, we went on holiday to Gran Canaria for a festive trip,” Maria says. “On New Year’s Eve, we visited the beach during the evening to watch the fireworks and as the clock struck midnight, Callum got down on one knee and presented me with a stunning ring. I said ‘yes’ instantly – it was the best surprise ever!” SETTING THE SCENE The couple had originally planned their wedding to take place during August 2020 in Las Vegas where they had visited on holiday a few years before and loved it. “Unfortunately, our date was cancelled due to the pandemic so we started to look for local venues,” Maria explains. “I had visited The Crazy Bear hotel for a wedding fair and loved it, it’s a beautiful venue and I hadn’t seen anything quite like it before so I knew that it was the one . Our outdoor ceremony was simply stunning - we were so lucky with the weather because the sun shone all day.” The couple decided on a glitzy theme inspired by their original plans to marry in Las Vegas. “Our mirrored acrylic gold and white table plan and welcome sign suited the venue and our theme perfectly,” Maria describes. “We also had gold and white table numbers, and name cards decorated with gold metallic watercolour paints.” The couple chose gold Moroccan lanterns as their table centrepieces after being inspired by The Glasshouse, the room in which they hosted their wedding breakfast. “As our favours, we treated our guests to ivory heart-shaped scented wax melts topped with glitter from my friend Lucy’s company, Wax Whiff,” Maria explains. “My friends and I are always buying them for our homes so I knew that they would make great favours. We hand-picked the scent called pink fizz and pomelo and they suited our theme perfectly. Whenever I melt them, I always think of our special day.” The couple also gave scratch cards to their male guests placed in personalised envelopes which read ‘we’ve tied the knot, now hit the jackpot’ which was a reference to Las Vegas. Maria and Callum chose ivory roses mixed with plenty of foliage for their big-day blooms. “I carried a teardrop bouquet featuring these varieties and some of the roses had pearls “I had butterflies in my stomach but was extremely excited to make Maria my wife. Just before she arrived, I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I started to cry. As she walked down the aisle, I just remember how beautiful she looked, absolute perfection. I couldn’t stop the tears!” − Callum www.dnawemedia.com/wedding-services REAL WEDDINGS 31