made their daughter’s Christening cake. For the wedding she made lemon and elderflower, and salted caramel tiers. It received great acclaim with guests commenting on how delicious it was. The venue provided the catering, which was outstanding and delighted all assembled. An acrylic welcome sign was decorated by local company Balloons & Ribbons to complement the colour palette. Anna was lucky enough to win the hire of the flower wall and neon sign from a competition on Instagram. LOOKING THE PART Anna wore a Sophia Tolli gown. “When deciding what to wear, I was very drawn to the Italian style of tight-fitting, lace dresses and particularly wanted long sleeves,” she explains. She tried on many gowns in various boutiques across Somerset and Gloucestershire, eventually coming across Sophia Tolli on Instagram. So, she found a boutique that stocked her designs and fell in love with Finley. “It was lacey, elegant with a slight boho twist and the back was gorgeous. I had alterations made so it fit me like a glove. By the end of the night it was ripped to shreds but I was having too much of a good time to care!” Mat wore a Marc Darcy suit, while his groomsmen’s attire in a similar dark blue tweed was hired. The groom’s stood out, but was complementary enough that it was perfectly set off. The gents all wore ties and pocket squares to match the bridesmaids’ outfits. The bride tribe was dressed in long nude chiffon dresses. “I found a gorgeous cowl neck style that suited everyone,” Anna says. The flowergirl meanwhile wore a beautiful mini wedding dress in ivory with a cute heart detail on the back. “Our guests haven’t stopped talking about it being the best wedding they’ve ever been to!” – Anna TIME TO CELEBRATE Anna and Mat arranged for a personal song to be written and performed by Jamie Mathias at the wedding breakfast as a surprise for their guests. It was a huge success and loved ones cried “encore,” so he performed two more songs. The room was alive by 6pm. To add to the festivities the bridesmaids organised a game of Mr & Mrs, where the newlyweds needed to answer questions on who was better at certain things and raced to drink a shot. They also hired a sax player for the evening reception. He entered via the balcony during the first dance, also a surprise for the guests. The first dance started to Tom Walker and mixed into Jubel by Klingande. The saxophonist then continued to play throughout the evening alongside the DJ. MEMORABLE MOMENTS On wedding morn, the bride woke up to a robin singing outside her window. This was significant to her as her grandad always told her he’d come back as one. “At every milestone in my life there’s been a robin there,” she says. The couple’s daughter who is five did a reading during the ceremony. One of Anna’s friends was due to do the honours but gallantly stepped aside after she witnessed the couple discussing it one evening, at which point little Eva piped up: “I’ll read it mummy!” How could anyone say “no” to that? Anna remembers: “On the day, after only one practice, she stood up and read it so beautifully. It’s a moment that really stands out to me.” REAL WEDDINGS 27
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