and Dan had spent time with them there. “So many people commented on this personal touch, and it a great talking point between guests!” adds Katie. Everyone had their own menu, which doubled up as the place name too, it was adorned with a personalised wax seal in the midnight-blue theme running through the day. The wax seals were also a feature on the table plan, which was headed with a Taylor Swift lyric ‘And at every table, I’ll save you a seat’ from her song Lover. FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD As a huge cake lover, the bake was a big must for the bride! She comments, “My idea of the perfect post-wedding debrief is sitting down and having the cake with a big mug of tea! We had three layers, one for me, one for Dan and the top a traditional fruit cake, hopefully for a christening! We have very different cake tastes so I opted for a champagne sponge with fresh strawberries and buttercream while Dan picked a chocolate sponge with Biscoff buttercream. Lots of people said the cake’s design was like my dress, which was not planned but it tied in beautifully with amazing fondant ruffles with little sprigs of gypsophila. “Now the catering was one of my biggest stresses. As I said before, food is so important to us as a couple. We’re big hosts and wanted our wedding to almost be the ultimate dinner party. I also used to be a chef so the number of comments I got from friends beforehand staying things like ‘oh my god we cannot wait for the food’ added extra pressure! We did a competitive tasting to be able to decide between the caterers, which was really fun and boy did the teams bring their A-games. We went with Vanilla due to them being so flexible but also having outstanding food. I created the menus, and we did a tasting of three different starters, pastas, mains and desserts. The team really listened to what we wanted and I loved the chef’s take on my description. I grew up in Hong Kong, so far east Asian flavours are very close to my heart, so this was the theme of the canapés. We also wanted an Italian theme and we added an extra flair by doing a wine pairing for each course. We didn’t enforce this and didn’t over complicate it, but the wine waiter was brilliant! I think people drank things they normally wouldn’t and everyone loved the excitement of paired wines. I think, especially on tables when you have different groups of people, it created a talking point too. It’s no mean feat to bring out the calibre of food for so many people and Vanilla were exceptional, everything was perfect! The evening snacks of croque Monsieur were amazing too!” LOOKING THE PART The bride knew she wanted a Halfpenny London dress and absolutely loved the relaxed but dramatic styles. She had an idea of what she wanted but didn’t have any expectations during the three appointments she had to try on a range of dresses and styles. Katie tried on a lot of dresses she loved, including a divine Sassy Holford gown, but the Halfpenny London dress absolutely stole the show thanks to the quality of the fabric and design. She comments, “I ended up in what I loved originally, the Dove corset and skirt. It had the exact amount of drama without feeling like the dress was wearing me − it was so exciting! The care and attention at every moment fro the boutique was just wonderful, a truly magical experience. “Everything had come together perfectly on the day and I was so happy. I loved the reveal to my dad and then to my bridal party as I kept it a secret as I love a bit of drama!” “Our wedding was traditional and especially being in Somerely, it was only ever going to be morning suits for everyone including the guests. Dan was very specific about the style he wanted, and we spent a long time finding the right level of modern yet traditional morning suits. He opted for a slim trouser leg style in a dark blue rented from Anthony Formal Wear, which he was really happy with. My dad actually wore the morning suit that he got married in, in the same church 36 years ago! Dan stood out from his groomsmen by wearing an ivory waistcoat, so when he took his jacket off during the reception, we would be both in white.” The bridesmaids wore midnight-blue dresses with pearl button detailing from Maids to Measure, and the two bridesmen wore midnight-blue smoking jackets and bow ties. As a gift to them, Katie brought all the girls a drop pearl necklace and the boys, pearl cufflinks. The groomsmen were gifted socks, personalised washbags and pocket watches, which they all wore − Dan gifted these to his bride’s dad and brother too. 37 REAL WEDDINGS
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