Heather and Joe met while studying at university. “Although we were on different courses, we lived together in the same accommodation during our first year,” says Heather. “We were friends for a year and got together the following summer. I always found Joe attractive, particularly because of his bright blue eyes. He was always the funny one in the group, and we would spend a lot of time together as friends.” Joe proposed on Christmas Eve in 2021. “We had been together for over six years, but it was still a surprise,” shares the bride. “We were out on our annual Christmas Eve dog walk, and as we cut through some woodland, Joe ran off ahead to make sure we could get through a small field at the end. He then came back and said it was all fine, so we carried on walking. Up ahead in the field, there was a tree, and Joe told me there was a surprise waiting for me. As I approached, I could see there was something hanging off one of the branches. Once I got closer, I could see it was a Christmas bauble with the words, ‘Will you marry me?’ on it. When I turned around, Joe was down on one knee with a ring! Joe had handmade the bauble himself, which really showed how much effort he had put into the proposal. He had thought about making sure it was somewhere private but also somewhere we could visit often, as it was not far from our home. Every year, both sets of parents come and stay with us for Christmas, so it was even more special that we were able to celebrate with everyone together that night.” SETTING THE SCENE “Bartle Hall was the first wedding venue that we visited,” explains Heather. “The long driveway with the big gates and the stunning country house captured our hearts as soon as we arrived. We visited a few other venues in the area, but none of them gave us the feeling that we got at Bartle Hall. We also loved the fact that we had exclusive use of the entire venue, including the country house, coaching barn, and surrounding gardens. This meant we were able to have our ceremony in the house and our reception in the coaching barn. In addition to this, the bridal party were able to stay on-site the night before, where pizza and prosecco were provided by the venue. Not only was this a great place to have fun the night before the wedding, but it was also perfect for bridal prep in the morning.” The ceremony room was decorated by both Sophisticated Events and Creative Venue Stylist. “Creative Venue Stylist provided the white Chivari chairs, which were decorated with a white satin ribbon,” recalls the bride. “We also had a moongate that was at the end of the aisle. This was made with greenery and had white and lilac roses added to match our colour scheme. It made a beautiful backdrop for us to get married in front of and was later used behind the top table. Sophisticated Events provided pedestals with two matching large flower bombs for the end of the aisle, which complimented the moongate perfectly.” For their favours, the couple gave their guests mini candles. “These were a nice keepsake and added a personalised touch to the day,” adds Heather. “The candles were made with a vanilla and lavender scent to match our lilac/lavender theme. “Our table plan was ordered from an independent supplier on Etsy,” continues Heather. “We purchased it in a simple black and white design so that we could decorate it with artificial flowers that matched the rest of our decorations.” Heather and Joe made flower bombs for their centrepieces. “These were placed in tall vases and wrapped with white satin ribbons,” reveals Heather. “On the remaining tables, we had floating candles in three tiered vases and a matching floral wreath around the bottom. Sophisticated Events were fantastic at matching the flowers used in the centrepieces so that everything came together perfectly. They really went above and beyond to make sure everything was exactly how we wanted. “Our bouquets were made by Flowers by Jade,” adds the bride. “We went for lilac flowers and white roses mixed with sprigs of greenery.” 35 REAL WEDDINGS
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