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

“The cake topper was a Sylvanian Families bride and groom which were toys that I absolutely loved as a child.” LOOKING THE PART Rachel and Dan opted for plenty of green foliage, ivy and holly in their flower displays and Rachel's bridal bouquet contained thistles, gypsophila and green foliage. This was the finishing touch to her open-back lace dress which she chose for its vintage style. “My gown was my something new and my veil that was borrowed from my mother’s friend’s daughter which matched it perfectly was my something borrowed . I also wore a silver diamond necklace which had been given to me for my 21 st birthday as my something old and my engagement ring contained a sapphire so became my something blue. Because our wedding was in December, I also wore a furry jacket while we were outside to keep warm.” Dan hired a navy three-piece suit for himself and his three groomsmen. “Dan’s waistcoat was silver while the groomsmen wore navy ones,” Rachel says. “Dan and his best man Russ had silver ties while the groomsmen wore navy ones and my brother, who gave me away, also wore a navy suit and the same buttonhole as the groomsmen. Dan’s buttonhole included a thistle as a nod to our seasonal day.” The couple's bridesmaids wore navy floor-length dresses with a lace design around the collar. “They all looked so beautiful and were very emotional just before we all walked into the ceremony,” Rachel tells us. TIME TO CELEBRATE The couple had a violinist play traditional Irish music during their drinks reception and hosted a music quiz during their wedding breakfast. “The winning table received the prize of a magnum of prosecco which they loved and after dinner, we had a band who then DJ’d until the early hours,” Rachel says. "We had two black Friesian horses pulling a closed carriage that collected me, my brother and my bridesmaids from the Crowne Plaza hotel and transported us to the venue. After the ceremony, myself and Dan went for a short ride which was wonderful." - Rachel REAL WEDDINGS 37