Donna and Richard met when she purchased her first property and he was her mortgage advisor. “After a couple of professional meetings, it was clear there was a spark between us,” Donna says. “I was attracted to his easygoing and kind nature and we shared a love of good food and spending time together with friends, something we prioritise in our relationship. His handsome good looks didn’t hurt either!” Richard adds, “When we first met, I was taken aback at how stunning she was. As time went on with me helping her, I decided to take the plunge and ask her out on a date which was the best first and last first date ever and the rest is history.” The couple became engaged during a trip to Venice, Italy in February 2019. “We had visited before and both fell in love with the city, so it was the perfect place for the surprise proposal!” Donna tells us. “Richard asked me to marry him on 11th February on the Rialto Bridge with a beautiful platinum and diamond ring that resembles the bridge from the side. The weather was misty and the streets were lined with fairylights so it looked beautiful.” Richard adds, “The week before we were due to fly to Venice, I spoke to Donna’s parents to ask their permission. Whilst in Venice, I took the ring out with me every night until the time I proposed.” SETTING THE SCENE The couple chose The Moonraker, a hotel located in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire as their wedding venue. They tell us, “The hotel offered the relaxed atmosphere that we were looking for, one that would make our guests feel at ease. We liked the beautiful setting, the neutral colour scheme and the stunning fireplace that we would be married in front of.” Donna and Richard also liked the fact that they would have sole use of the venue for their entire day and evening, with rooms for their guests to stay over. “The deciding factor was when we stumbled upon the Hennessy plaque in the bar – Hennessy being my father’s surname,” Donna tells us. “At the time, he was very unwell (he sadly passed away in 2020) so this was a sign that the venue was meant to be. I went home to tell him and we set up a photograph of him in that corner of the bar on our special day.” Donna travelled in style to her wedding venue in a baby blue vintage Fiat 500. “It was called Bluebell and perfect for our photographs!” she tells us. “After waiting two years for our special day, I was so happy to be marrying Richard and his vows were wonderful, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.” Just before I walked down the aisle, a robin flew down the aisle and perched on top of the ceremony chairs for a moment, in front of all the seated guests. It returned for the speeches which felt like a special someone was not going to miss our day.” Richard adds, “Donna looked so beautiful and the first time I saw her in her dress, I had to turn away to stop myself from crying - there was a tear in my eyes.” The couple’s pink and burgundy colour theme enjoyed a retro disco theme. “We used a brilliant stationary supplier called Sundown Paper to design our table plan and invitations with a fun, retro vibe in pink and burgundy,” Donna tells us. “We wanted our guests to open their invites and know that they were going to have a fun day!” The table names were things that reminded them of Venice where they became engaged. “This included Aperol Spritz,” Donna says. “For our favours, we gave each guest a scratch card which was the perfect icebreaker and a winning choice for some! I attached a shiny penny to each place name card with a pink heart on it, so everyone had a lucky penny to scratch off their cards with.” For their centrepieces, Donna and Richard chose a selection of gin and champagne bottles filled with fairylights and small 39 REAL WEDDINGS
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