Rhian and Adam met at university in 2008. “We lived in the same flat during our first year,” says Rhian. “After we moved out, we stayed friends and in our third year we started spending more time together. Before we knew it, we were inseparable, staying up all night watching films and eating takeaway. We knew from the start that we had something really special and after 11 years together, every day is still just as amazing as when we first started seeing each other. We always say we are like two puzzle pieces that fit together, as we love so many of the same things, but differ in ways that bring out the best in each other.” In an incredibly romantic gesture, Adam flew across the world to propose to Rhian. “I was on a family holiday in the Dominican Republic and he took a gamble by not telling anyone he was coming,” shares the bride. “He arrived at our hotel on the same day as us, managed to lay low for a day-and-a-half and in that time, brought my brother in on his plan to propose. On the second night of our holiday, Adam appeared on my balcony. I had been in my parent’s room with my brother, when I was asked to go back to mine to get the key we had ‘forgotten’. When I went back, I was met by rose petals leading me from the door to the balcony and there was Adam waiting for me on one knee. That was the biggest surprise of my life. It meant the world to me that he had gone so out of his way to not only surprise me, but to have my family be a part of it too.” SETTING THE SCENE “Having grown up in Tenby, it holds such a special place in my heart and Adam and I have lots of special memories there,” explains Rhian. “When we started planning our wedding, we considered other areas but kept coming back to Tenby. Once we settled on it, we knew there was only one place that we could tie the knot and that was St Mary’s Church, as it was a big part of my life growing up. When it came to looking for a reception venue, we wanted somewhere close by, with amazing food and a beautiful reception room. We also wanted enough accommodation for our bridal party to stay with us and we had some quite specific ideas of things we wanted to incorporate into our day, so flexibility was really important too. Trefloyne Manor gave us everything we wanted and more.” The couple asked Bee Davies Illustration to hand-paint their table plan. “Adam and I absolutely love all things celestial, so we named our tables after star constellations,” adds the bride. “We wanted to give people a little piece of Tenby to take away with them, so our place names were pebbles, handpicked from Tenby Beach. Bee Davies Illustration also hand-painted our welcome sign and order-of-service. She painted four quotes for us, which were taken from poems and raps Adam and I have written for each other over the years and we dotted them around the reception venue. We have since used these to decorate our home and remind us of our wedding day. “For our centrepieces, we chose beautiful individual flowers arranged by Forbesfield with pink and blue candles from Gifts on the Green,” continues Rhian. “We picked a relaxed coastal-style for our flowers, with lots of texture and light blue and pink accents. The bridesmaids’ posies were smaller versions of my bouquet and each was finished with Lancaster and Cornish silk ribbon. My mum and dad gifted me a charm the night before our wedding, which my bridesmaids attached to my bouquet whilst we were getting ready. We had a beautiful arch outside of the church, which was entirely out of budget but absolutely worth it! Our confetti was blue and white, but if you look closely, you will see dried red rose petals all the way from our engagement in the Dominican Republic. Following the wedding, we decided to have the bridal bouquet and Adam’s buttonhole pressed into a frame, that is one of our favourite keepsakes that we get to look at every day.” 41 REAL WEDDINGS
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