Even though they had probably known each other beforehand, Hannah’s first memory of Sean was of a (slightly worse for wear) stranger knocking on a friend’s door to take a break from winding his merry way home from a wedding. He leaned against the kitchen counter and the rug slipped out from under his feet, leaving him in a heap on the floor. Hannah comments, “Our mutual friend tried to convince me to give Sean a lift the rest of his way home, but that wasn’t going to happen!” Sean’s first memory of Hannah is about a year later when she came into the bar that he was running to get that friend’s number. Sean was conscious of personal security and offered to pass Hannah’s number on instead. She fell for it, and a few months later, they started dating! The couple had been dating for about 11 years before getting engaged. Sean comments, “We were talking about something when the conversation took a turn, ending with me saying, ‘I guess that I’m looking for a ring then’. There was no significance to timing. I sent Hannah off on a treasure hunt of significant locations throughout our relationship while I went to the stables to get help plaiting roses into her horse’s mane and tail. I walked out with the horse when Hannah arrived and got down on one knee.” SETTING THE SCENE The couple booked the wedding twice over the ensuing years, but life just got in the way, and the wedding never happened. But in 2022, Sean started thinking about it again, thanks to standing opposite Katie from Clearly Wild Photography at a couple of wedding fayres! He didn’t mention it to Hannah, just in case it didn’t happen, but a plan started to solidify in his mind. In September 2022, he reached out to Rownhams House to see if the date he wanted to tie in with Hannah’s 40th birthday was free and contacted the suppliers he knew they wanted to use. Sean comments, “Whilst out for a meal celebrating our 20th anniversary, Hannah mentioned that she liked the restaurant and if our wedding were ever to go ahead, maybe we could just book a table of ten or so there for the reception. I then spilt the beans that I’d booked Rownhams and reeled off the list of suppliers lined up and ready. I got called a few choice names, lunch went cold and there were lots of happy tears! “The wedding goal was to celebrate our love for the people who have stood by us through the tough times and to make sure they had fun! Also, I wanted to ensure that the friends who are wedding suppliers didn’t feel like it was another day at the office.” The couple had plenty of experience in the wedding industry as owners of Hunter & Greys, a men’s attire brand. Rownhams House was built in 1762, the Georgian house and the Medieval Coach House are surrounded by 12 acres of manicured lawns, woodland areas, a picturesque lake and an ice house – the perfect setting for many stunning photo opportunities. It was the ideal setting for the couple’s big day. Sean says, “Nigel and Helen at Rownhams House are just the loveliest people who want their couples to have the best day ever, and their love for their beautiful house is very clear. The rooms are striking and elegant; they need no dressing up. The grounds are fantastic, and the backdrop of the Coach House is just stunning. As a bonus, the venue has never been ‘work’ to us or any of our guests who also work in the industry.” After meeting Owen from Little Lillies at a wedding fayre in 2015, Hannah knew he was the person to create their wedding flowers. The pair had seen his work many times at other fayres, and it had never crossed their minds to look at anyone else. Hannah knew she wanted twisted hazel centrepieces but not much else! During the consultation, they talked about colours and themes, but with a creative genius like that, they let him do his thing! The couple knew they didn’t want a traditional setting for the day and, during wedding research, came across a styled shoot by a friend at Rownhams featuring blacks and metallic shades, which got their creative juices flowing. The groom says, “We decided to source dark, Art Decoinspired chairs to provide a more luxurious feel to the room, as well as coloured linen for the table. From that, the gold chargers, cutlery, rim 47 REAL WEDDINGS
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