Your Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wedding - December 2020/January 2021 (Issue 86)

R achel and Dan met online and enjoyed their first date at a coffee shop. "I wore my gym clothes and Dan turned up in shorts and a t-shirt, it was all very relaxed," Rachel tells us. "I was attracted to Dan's easy-going nature and he liked my sense of humour and the fact that I was always smiling." The couple became engaged after just a couple of months of dating. "Dan told me on our third date that he was going to marry me, and kept telling me it frequently after that!" Rachel says. "So after a couple of months, I called his bluff and said 'OK then, let's do it!' We booked the date and venue before we had even chosen the ring. When we had found the ring, we announced our engagement to our families and friends." SETTING THE SCENE The couple loved Monkton Barn as soon as they first saw it. "The main attraction for us was the flexibility of the venue because we wanted to have a big party and Monkton Barn allowed us to stay there until 3 am which was very important because it was New Year's Eve!" Rachel tells us. "I also wanted a relaxed, rustic-looking venue so it was perfect.” The couple chose a winter wonderland theme decorated with navy and silver touches. “Our centrepieces were a mix of glass milk bottles brimming with gypsophila and glass vases filled with silver and navy baubles and fairylights,” Rachel explains. “We also had empty wine bottles that we sprayed silver each holding a candle.” The table plan matched the couple's invitations with each table named after a country or special place that they had visited together and was presented, along with each guest name, on a sheet of paper featuring a navy and silver background suspended from a large wooden board using string and pegs. “As favours, we gave each guest a 50ml bottle of whiskey, gin or vodka, displaying a homemade label. We wanted to buy everyone a drink so thought that this would be a good idea and we gave the children and non-drinkers a non- alcoholic option,” Rachel says. The couple's guests were treated to canapés during the drinks reception, a hog roast as the wedding breakfast followed by a choice of two puddings, a cheese tower made with sausage rolls and pork pies, and slices of pizza for the evening buffet. “Our three-tier cake offered guests a fruit cake option, a delicious chocolate layer and a Victoria sponge cake,” Rachel says. Rachel Presnail, 34, married Dan Wells, 33, on 31 st December 2019 at Monkton Barn in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. REAL WEDDINGS 35 