Your Bristol & Somerset Wedding - Apr/May 2019 (Issue 70)

IN THE SUMMERTIME Orchardleigh Estate provided the perfect backdrop for Francesca and Kieren’s pretty nuptials Images courtesy of James & Kerrie Photography F rancesca and Kieren’s first meeting wasn’t exactly what you’d call romantic. “He’s a paramedic and knew my sister,” Francesca says. “I was in A&E with her when he walked in, and she introduced us.” A few months later, they bumped in to each other again and started chatting in the more traditional setting of a pub. “We had to work around Kieren’s shifts to fit in our first date, but then our second and third all happened within two days – so it went well,” she laughs. To celebrate Francesca’s 30 th birthday, the couple went to Norway with her family to see the Northern Lights. “In a stunning starlit valley somewhere a couple of hours from Tromsø, Kieren got down on one knee in the snow and popped the question,” she says. “Although we had discussed getting married, I had no idea that he was going to propose on the trip.” The romantic groom-to-be smuggled the ring into the country with the help of Francesca’s sister and even had a bottle of champagne chilling in the snow so they could celebrate straight away. The couple decided on a short engagement and set the date for 4 th August, 2018, with a church ceremony followed by a reception at the Walled Garden at Orchardleigh Estate. We chatted with the bride to find out how they planned their dream wedding in just eight months… 53  REAL WEDDINGS