Harriet met Sam at the hairdressers where she worked as a Saturday assistant. “I tried to give him by number but then his mum walked in to pay for the haircut!” Harriet remembers. She was 16 and he was 15 at the time. Their paths didn’t cross again until almost a decade later when Harriet was living in London after studying journalism at Kingston University. Sam had just moved there himself after studying at Manchester University. So, she dropped him a message on Facebook, they met for a drink and love blossomed from there. Sam proposed to Harriet with his great, great, great grandma’s ring while the couple were on holiday in Tulum, Mexico. “He managed to get us a nest in a treetop restaurant and asked the waitress to take a photo of us,” Harriet remembers. “When he then proposed it was a complete surprise,” Harriet remembers. The couple characterise themselves as outdoorsy people, so they were on the lookout for a venue with bags of character and plenty of outdoor space for firepits and marshmallows in the evening. They viewed a number of barns in the Cotswolds, but something was missing. “I went for dinner with an old school friend who asked if I’d looked at The Mount Without,” Harriet explains. Despite growing up in Bristol neither Harriet nor Sam new it existed, tucked away as it is in the heart of the city. The church had stood empty for years before being bought by ambitious business partners who lovingly brought it back to life, while maintaining the characterful crumbling walls, impressive stained-glass windows and stone floors. “There’s an energy about the place that makes you feel like you can be unapologetically and authentically yourself and have a sense of belonging, which is exactly what you want on one of the biggest days of your life,” Harriet says. So, they wasted no time in securing their date for 19th August. Read on as the bride tells us more. SETTING THE SCENE Harriet and Sam decided to style their day in a modern, chic palette of white and neutrals. A stunning asymmetric floral installation stood on the steps of the church, which included white roses and gypsophila. Harriet’s bouquet meanwhile featured flexed white roses, and the bridesmaids’ held gypsophila posies. Centrepieces were made of dried flowers to tie in with the pampas grass already at the venue. The couple ditched the traditional wedding favours in favour of tequila shots as a nod to Mexico, where they got engaged. They decorated their banquet-style reception tables with white tablecloths and layers of cheese cloth to create an elegant draped linen effect. The tablescapes featured off-cuts of stone, ceramic vases with dried flowers, and candle sticks holding white candles, while beige napkins were placed alongside guests’ places. Place names were kept simple, printed on white card with a sprig of gypsophila adorning each plate. FOOD FOR THOUGHT WITH THE FOLKES Local caterer Bianchis provided the couple’s mouthwatering wedding breakfast, while Milk Thistle created their cocktails. They closed out the day with pizzas as dancefloor fuel. Canapes Mac’n’cheese Goats cheese and salsa taco Confit datterini tomato Goats cheese crostini Starter Sicilian aubergine caponata (v) Mozzarella and basil (v) Pumpkin and picos blue pasta fritti with Calabrian chilli honey Sun blushed tomato and oregano arancini (v) Bianchis focaccia (v) Main course Gnocchi with courgette, pea and mint in a West Country pecorino bechamel sauce (v) Truffle, mushroom and leek orzo risotto (v) Violet aubergine lasagna ‘alla Norma’ with smoked mozzarella (v) Dessert Classic tiramisu (v) Limoncello polenta cake with mascarpone (v) Cocktails margaritas and espresso Martinis. REAL WEDDINGS 29
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