Your Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wedding - August/September 2020 (Issue 84)

40 I had always imagined myself getting married in a stately home while John wanted an outdoor English celebration. After seeing three venues that I thought I would like, I realised that a stately home doesn’t reflect our personalities. As we walked into the garden marquee at the Trunkwell House Hotel, something felt right for us both. We envisaged how the tables could be set up and where things would go as soon as we viewed our venue. Our table plan reflected our enjoyment of travelling. We chose a world map and the tables were named after places that we had visited together or that had made a big impact on our lives. I adore flowers so our centrepieces were a mix of my favourite three varieties - peonies, roses and hydrangeas in blush pink and white mixed with some greenery. John gave me full control over the wedding and I had plenty of ideas for the styling. I make my own candles and wanted our day to feature a memorable fragrance so these became our favours. Our hand-written place names looked so elegant on the tables. We also had a memory table decorated with a single stem white rose for those loved ones who couldn’t be with us on the day. “We both loved visiting Las Vegas so we entertained our guests with a Vegas-inspired selfie board handmade for us by my cousin.” – Claire We had a personalised floral arch made from peonies, roses and hydrangeas and we also had a flower wall that made an incredible photographic backdrop! “We had the best day and just having all of our family and friends around us to celebrate was a wonderful feeling. My parents were amazing – we couldn’t have done it all without them.” – Claire