Emily met Joe at a gin bar while she was in her final year of college. There was an instant attraction from both sides. Joe credits the cobbled streets of Bath, at least in part, for the success of their first date. When walking Emily to the bus stop she was wobbling around on them in her high heels and he was able to offer his arm to assist her – “And that was really where our love story began,” Emily says. Joe proposed while the two were away on a trip to Latvia. They’d been walking around the snowy city for a time as Joe looked for the perfect spot to pop the question. When he thought he’d found it, he asked Emily to pose beneath the tree for a picture, but as she walked towards it, she turned to him and said: “I need a wee!” So, they ended up having lunch in a nearby restaurant so that Emily could find a loo, before heading back to the hotel. Plans only slightly scuppered, Joe thought on his feet and finally asked her to marry him as they stood on their hotel balcony looking out over the snowy landscape. When the couple started looking for a wedding venue, top of their list was somewhere that could cater for all of their guests. “We wanted space for our young cousins to run around and explore, while also having quieter areas for our older family members to escape from the madness,” Emily explains. A friend had told them about Old Oak Farm and its fabulous marquee, so they got in touch to book a viewing. It was then they found out that plans were underway to build a wedding barn ready for 2023. So, taking a huge leap of faith, they booked it for 1st July 2023 despite having only seen some architectural plans of the proposed venue. “When we got to see the finished barn in the May we couldn’t have been happier,” Emily shares. “It was everything we’d imagined and more. The beautiful combination of rustic charm with natural materials was exactly what we wanted.” Read on as Emily tells us the story of the big day... SHARING IS CARING Emily spent a long time thinking about what gifts she could give guests as favours that they’d genuinely enjoy. She decided to collect various books from charity shops that reflected the two of them as a couple, and put these next to a sign saying, “Thank you for being part of our story, please take a book to celebrate our next chapter.” Any left behind they simply donated back to the charity shop. The couple have always loved sharing food and wanted to bring this aspect of their personalities to their wedding “We knew we wouldn’t be nervous as we’ve never made an easier decision.The morning of, there was nothing but excitement while getting ready.” REAL WEDDINGS 29
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0NTE=