Your Sussex Wedding - October/November 2020 (Issue 87)

REAL WEDDINGS 41  D espite attending the same school, Chloe and Luke never shared more than the occasional chance meeting at the time. It wasn’t until a mutual friend encouraged Luke to join him at an Explorer Scout meeting, which Chloe was leading, that the pair started to get to know each other. They quickly hit it off and were out on their first date a couple of months later. Although they’d discussed the idea of getting married at some point in the future, when the proposal did come it was nevertheless a surprise for Chloe. “We were on holiday in Suffolk and visited Eye Castle where we ventured to the top of the viewing platform. I spent five minutes trying to read a plaque there, and by the time I turned round Luke was on one knee,” Chloe remembers. Fortunately, his joke over breakfast about her having something sparkly by the end of the day had completely passed her by! After viewing almost every venue in West Sussex, the couple agreed that Fitzleroi Barn was the one . “We loved how it felt like home and the barn itself is absolutely beautiful,” Chloe explains, and continues, “It was also important to us that we had full access the day before, as we knew we wanted to do a lot of the decorating ourselves.” Join us as the bride shares her account of their autumnal big day… SETTING THE SCENE The bride and groom opted to infuse their venue with a gorgeous seasonal feel, featuring hues of orange and teal. “We chose to get married in October, because we love the autumn, and wanted to nod to the fact that it was Halloween month with pumpkin centrepieces,” Chloe explains. Even the top and cake tables were adorned with pumpkins and gourds. The bouquets, buttonholes and top table arrangement, were all designed in a mix of autumnal orange and red shades to complement the bridesmaids’ shoes. The displays featured stunning chrysanthemum, crocosmia, amaranthus, orange roses and eucalyptus. The couple regularly holiday in Brittany, France, where they love nothing more than sampling the local cider. So, as well as having wine on the tables, an accompaniment of this cider was a clear winner. Chloe tells us, “In Brittany, it’s drank from traditional cider cups, so we decided we wanted to gift these to each of our guests to use at the wedding, and take home afterwards.” Being avid board gamers, the pair took their on-the-day stationery inspiration from one of their favourites – Ticket to Ride. The game involves train trips between cities, so they decided to name each table after a journey they’d taken together. Chloe owns a wedding stationery business so the stationery was designed by her, featuring the table plan designed to look like the game’s board. She also designed place names for each guest, with the menu inside. She then finished each one with a handmade ceramic leaf to complement the day’s theme. A week before the wedding, they discovered a maple tree in their friend’s garden that was dropping its leaves, and saw a further decorative opportunity. After a fair few nights of collecting, washing and pressing leaves, Chloe’s sister, Katy, then threaded them onto string to hang from the balcony and Chloe and Luke didn’t let the rain dampen their spirits when they said “I do” on 12 th October, 2019 Images courtesy of ICPhotographics FALLING for you