Emma and Grant met almost 15 years ago aged just 17 through mutual friends. “Our first date was in the local Harvester!” Emma tells us. “We grew up together throughout those years and then finally moved in together.” The couple became engaged when Grant proposed on Emma’s 30th birthday at their home. “We were getting ready to leave for a special family meal at the Oxo Tower in London and I came down the stairs to find him on one knee!” Emma tells us. “It was a memorable day and we got some lovely photographs by the Thames - it was worth the wait!” SETTING THE SCENE Emma and Grant visited a few local reception venues before deciding on the Royal Berkshire. “Not only are the grounds stunning and immaculate but the staff were so helpful and went out of their way to make us both feel special,” Emma says. “Like many couples, we had to rearrange our wedding due to the pandemic but the team at Royal Berkshire made this as easy and stress-free as possible - we will be forever grateful!” Their chosen theme was blush pink mixed with plenty of greenery. “We both love gardening so the beautiful high-and-low floral arrangements created by Emma at our chosen florist, Stems of London, really set the scene. We included roses, eucalyptus, thistle, astilbe and astrantia which are some of our favourite varieties. The table and seating plans matched our invitations and we wanted to make some of the finer details ourselves, such as the order of the day sign and the guestbook - these little details made it more personal and were worth the effort.” The couple designed their cake with Helena from Clearly Cake. “We wanted to keep it simple and elegant along the same theme so we included sugar flowers to look like the varieties in my bouquet,” Emma explains. “Our favours were handmade traditional Sri Lankan wedding cakes and during the week leading up to our special day, the entire family helped put the boxes together and pack the cakes!” “We felt very regal driving throughWindsor in a beautiful 1951 Rolls-Royce SilverWraith and the bridesmaids followed in a 1960 Austin Princess.We remember the beeps and waves from passing cars and still smile!” – Emma REAL WEDDINGS 41
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