Your East Anglian Wedding - Page number 29 - October/November 2021 (Issue 51)

grandmother’s ring reset especially for her. Even her beloved pet got a bit overwhelmed. “My sausage dog whined during the service because he wanted to be at the front with his pawrents!” she laughs. Afterwards he hitched a ride outside on the back of the train on her wedding dress, much to everyone’s amusement. The Great British weather was as unpredictable as ever which meant everyone was outside with umbrellas for the drinks reception. “It didn’t ruin the celebration though,” adds Alex. They dodged the showers and made the most of the magnificent grounds for standout just- wed shots and garden games. ALL IN THE DETAIL The flowers were a major focal point of the day with an abundance of beautiful country-style blooms. “They were really important to us and we went full out,” says Alex. “We hired trees and had two large urns filled with flowers and boxes with trailing greenery. For the reception we had jam jars filled with pastel-coloured wildflowers down the middle of the long tables. They were arranged ombre-style in shades of blue, mauve, pink and peach with a mauve silk runner ruffled up around them.” “Niche Flowers was absolutely outstanding. I’ve never seen such beautiful flowers and they also came up with loads of ideas to really make the venue pop!” – Alex Due to COVID and all the last-minute changes to the guest list, they made their own table plan. “We bought a huge chalkboard, some chalk pens and voila!” adds Alex. “We love the personal touches so the table names were handmade as well and we asked a sibling to put their calligraphy skills to good use.” The favours were personalised pick ‘n’ mix bags of sweets and as neither of them are great cake lovers, they opted for delicious desserts instead. Other decorative details included a homemade welcome sign, light-up initials and a postcard guestbook. “We collected postcards from our travels together and our guests picked one with some significance to them and wrote their well wishes on the back,” explains Alec. The catering was another highlight of the day. “The food was incredible,” raves Alex. The menu featured canapés representing different parts of their lives including sticky sausages and mini roast beef Yorkshires, Middle Eastern dishes for the main course followed by white chocolate cheesecake and brownies. TIME TO CELEBRATE The fun began from the get-go with family, bridesmaids and groomsmen joining them at the venue for the whole weekend. After setting up on the Friday and checking into their rooms, they had time to relax, unwind and enjoy a pizza-fest. “Luca Pizza was just incredible they accommodated all our requirements and it was wonderful sitting around with the pizzas flowing,” recalls Alex. “My bridesmaids also got me a night-before-the-wedding box with facemasks, sleeping spray for my pillow, lip balm and garters of course!” REAL WEDDINGS 29