Faye and Damian met during a half marathon at Hever Castle in 2021. “We know you’re wondering, how on earth do two people meet at a half marathon?” says Faye. “When we first locked eyes, I was chatting to my running companion in the registration queue when we accidentally joined the wrong line. Damian saw our mistake and jumped into the conversation to point us in the right direction. A short while later, we bumped into each other again while buying coffee in the athletes area, which prompted a smile from Damian. We met for the third and final time that day during the run, where we came face-toface on either side of a kissing gate. Damian, kindly let me pass through first, remarking, ‘I promise I’m not following you!’ I smiled and later, encouraged by my friend and convinced the third meeting was fate, found Damian on Instagram, and the rest is history.” Damian proposed on Christmas Day after they’d done a park run in Southampton. “It was a total surprise,” shares the bride. “We got to spend the entire Christmas period sharing the happy news with our friends and families.” SETTING THE SCENE “Hever Castle is where we met, so we couldn’t get married anywhere else,” explains Faye. “We wanted the décor to feel light and magical, so we asked Becky at Your Beautiful Day to decorate the room and outside area with fairylights and hanging lamps. Our table names were inspired by the fact that I work in film and TV, so we chose to name them after films about weddings. These were handwritten by my grandfather, which added a sentimental touch. We added small flower bud vases created by our lovely florist Emma from Fuller-Wilke Florals to the tables and candle holders with white taper candles. “Hever Castle also provided the catering for the day,” adds Faye. “The food was wonderful. Our guests ate stream trout, sirloin of beef and dark chocolate fondant. We had some wonderful options for those who were vegan and/or vegetarian. We also took a lot of time and care over choosing the wine to be served.” Faye adored her wedding bouquet. “It had peonies, harper roses and anthuriums for a modern twist, and sweetpeas, which is our little girl Clara’s nickname,” recalls the bride. “The bouquet was really astonishing. I’m so grateful to Fuller-Wilke Florals for creating something so unique and special. I wanted to keep it forever, so it’s been sent off to be set in resin. “Damian and I decided against a cake as it felt too traditional for us,” continues Faye. “I surprised Damian with a sweet cart from Dolly’s Candy Cart instead.” DRESSED TO IMPRESS “I wore a beautiful ivory dress by a designer called Modeca from Chislehurst Bridal,” says Faye. “The dress was called Katy, which is my sister-in-law’s name. It had lace detailing all along the side panels and an open lace back. I also wore a custom-made veil designed and handmade by Lisa Carrington Couture. In the centre, it had mine and Damian’s initials. These were then surrounded by handmade sweetpeas 41 REAL WEDDINGS
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