arrangements looked! She used white avalanche and spray roses; scented white stock and white phlox mixed with plenty of foliage.” Because Gemma and Chris had so many flowers used to decorate their ceremony, these were moved to the tables as centrepieces. “The hotel features beautiful fireplaces so we had large floral arrangements made for them,” Gemma tells us. “The grand staircase in the entrance hall was decorated with flowers wrapped around the spindles from the top to the bottom – it created the wow factor as soon as our guests walked in.” Gemma and Chris used a large mirror with a gold frame that a friend had given to them to create their table plan. “We used a mirror writing pen in white and sage green to mark the table numbers and our guests’ names,” Gemma tells us. “The team at the hotel wrote our place cards for us and as favours, we had white biscuits with sage writing saying ‘The Bateys’. The couple’s three-tier Victoria sponge cake was decorated with flowers matching their other arrangements and the talented kitchen team at the hotel provided their catering. “The food tasted delicious,” Gemma tells us. “When we visited the hotel for our menu tasting, they asked us what our favourite meals were - mine was fish and Chris’s was steak. LOOKING THE PART Gemma wore a dress by the brand Made with Love in a rosey crepe material. “I purchased it from St Ives Bridal boutique in Cornwall and Tiffany there was fantastic to deal with!” she tells us. “She made me feel so comfortable and did everything she could to help me find the one. I found it difficult to choose between the beautiful dresses stocked there. I fell in love with this style because it was elegant and timeless, and the back detail offered something different.” Gemma teamed her gown with a plain veil and a pair of pearl-drop earrings while Chris chose a grey Ted Baker suit with blue tweed details teamed with a green waistcoat. “My groomsmen wore the same suits without waistcoats,” Chris says. “Our beautiful bridesmaids chose sage-green gowns and all looked stunning.” TIME TO CELEBRATE The couple hired the Plymouth-based band called The Busketeers. “They were amazing, our guests loved them,” they tell us. “They played all of our favourite songs and everybody was dancing the entire evening!” “We were both very excited on our special day!You spend so long planning a wedding so when the day finally comes, you just want to enjoy it and have the best time together. Having our two children with us was special.” - Gemma and Chris REAL WEDDINGS 27
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