ceremony and glitter heels, which she later swapped for a pair of white high top Converse. “Best decision I ever made!” she laughs. “I was comfortable all day, it was easy moving about the grounds for photos and I got to dance all night long.” Ben and his groomsmen wore smart, dark navy morning suits with dark green ties and pocket squares. To stand out from the rest of the gang, Ben had a grey tweed waistcoat and horseprint braces in a nod to them getting married in Newmarket – the home of horse racing. The two bridesmaids completed the elegant look in hunter green satin, fit-and-flare gowns. “For our first-look moment we stood either side of an archway, and on the count of three peered round to see each other. It was the best feeling to be able to take in how we both looked, have a cuddle, and reassure one another before the ceremony. It also gave me time to fix the hair sticking up on the back of Ben’s head!” ROMANTIC FLORALS Rather than having a specific theme or colour scheme they concentrated on the things they love combining a mix of beautiful hues to complement the setting and season with dark hunter green, the venue’s signature shade, as the main focus. With their floristry roots, flowers were always going to be one of the big wow-factor features of the day. From the entrance to the ceremony and all three reception rooms, they were blooming everywhere! Ella explains, “We wanted to channel Bridgerton vibes through the floral arrangements. Each room at the venue has a slightly different colour palette and we wanted to reflect that through our choice of blooms. For the wedding breakfast we used peach, creams and ivory shades to sit alongside the pale wood-panelled walls. In the silver-lilac wallpapered ceremony room we had two statement pedestal arrangements and swathed the mantles in shades of lilac, pale pink, cerise and blue. For the bar and lounge area we used jewel tones of red, purple, plum and coral to stand out against the burnt red and mustard furnishings. We also ventured outside, using the existing columns at the grand entrance to create a feature archway with large urns filled with summer blooms on the terrace.” THE PERSONAL TOUCH For the wedding breakfast, they adorned the tables with wonderfully loose and romantic floral designs combining large displays on silver plinths with pillar candles in glass cylinders underneath and low-level arrangements in pearlised ceramic bowls. Their statement four-tier cake was a stunning showpiece featuring dark green to white ombre icing and gold-leaf detailing with a small floral posy on top and a large circlet of matching blooms below. The laser-cut caketopper featured the title of the Etta James hit At Last. “It was the song I walked down the aisle to in recognition of our long-awaited wedding day,” adds Ella. Instead of traditional favours they gave their guests cards printed with a watercolour painting of their pet pooch adopted from the Dogs Trust, with a commemorative pin in aid of the charity. “Inside we had a poem explaining the reasons behind them, and what it meant to us,” adds Ella. 38
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