Siobhan met Nick when she started working in the same pub as him, and according to Nick it was love at first sight! The two clicked from the outset, having similar interests in music and games, but it wasn’t until Siobhan was due to leave for university some two years later that Nick plucked up the courage to express his feelings and they started dating. We fast forward to 2020 when Nick had planned a surprise weekend away to London for Siobhan’s birthday – it was just two months before the start of lockdown. He’d booked tickets to Cirque Du Soleil: Luzia, which had been a dream of Siobhan’s to see. After the show, they went out for dinner, but because Nick was so nervous by this point, he didn’t manage to pop the question until they were back at the hotel, alone. The couple planned a day of venue viewings and Southlands Barn was the last on the shortlist before going back to the drawing board. “The moment we pulled onto the driveway, our hopes were high,” Siobhan remembers. “As soon as we stepped through the doors into the barn we were in love. It was everything we were looking for, a beautiful blank canvas. We had no desire for a traditional white wedding and found that a lot of other venues put a big emphasis on this.” So, they didn’t even need to go home and discuss it. They secured the date right there and then, 13th October 2023. Read on as Siobhan tells us more... SETTING THE SCENE It was important to the couple to incorporate their pagan beliefs; particularly Nick’s love for Norse paganism and Siobhan’s love for the Greek pantheon. So, when Phil and Jamie from the venue told them they were planning to convert the big barn into a dining hall, Siobhan knew straight away that she wanted a Viking banquet vibe to the table layout. The couple were also keen to style the day in keeping with the venue’s rustic feel and chose wooden tables and chairs – “a no brainer,” Siobhan says. When it came to the centrepieces, Angela at Ginger Lily fully embraced the brief. The bride had described her vision of a woodland floor feel and straight away Angela began pulling together ideas for utilising moss and ivy, along with flowers to fit the theme. Then, when Siobhan told her about an arch with a stag’s skull attached that she wanted decorated with flowers, her response was simply: “Leave it to me.” Siobhan remembers, “She well and truly delivered. It was one of the most complimented pieces at our wedding.” Issuing an even bigger challenge to Angela, Siobhan didn’t want bouquets for the bridesmaids, instead chosing wreaths; and for the gents, pocket flowers instead of buttonholes. “When she delivered them on the day, they were beautiful. I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Siobhan says. For the table names the couple chose deities that mean a lot to them. Each table was then set up with mini altars dedicated to each one. When Siobhan made the place names, she added a little flower to each one to represent the deity the table was named after. The couple didn’t decide to have favours until two months before the big day. “At this point we decided it would be a great idea to handmake 100 wooden fridge magnets with a Viking bind rune of our initials burnt into the front,” Siobhan tells us. Nick spent many nights in the shed, cutting, sanding, and staining little wooden discs for Siobhan to then burn the runes into. “But it was worth it, as everyone loved them,” Siobhan says. In addition, Nic made more than 20 candle holders for Siobhan to scatter among the tables. They then purchased 15 roe deer skulls to tie together the table decor and bring their Viking woodland theme to life. As both Siobhan and Nick had worked in the catering and hospitality industry for years, food meant a lot to them. Happily, The Gourmet Chef excelled not only in providing food that suited the theme but was delicious to boot! “When I asked for a vegetarian main that wasn’t on the standard menu, they were able to elevate the idea and provide a gorgeous meal,” Siobhan explains. As both knew they didn’t want a big cake, but sharing a huge love of doughnuts, it seemed remiss not to go for both! So, when Molly at Truffles 29 REAL WEDDING
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