Samantha and Justin met whilst working at a brewery. “We instantly hit it off as friends,” says Samantha. “I found Justin extremely attractive, and he makes me laugh until my sides hurt. Justin says that my looks are what attracted him first, but he soon realised how alike we were and how easy our friendship was. Justin and I had both been married/in long-term relationships with children before meeting. We were at an age where we knew exactly what we wanted from life. Our children were late teens or early twenties, and all got on as though they had been brought up together their entire lives.” Justin proposed on New Year’s Eve during a magical firework display. “He was adamant that we went to London for New Year’s Eve to watch the fireworks, and I didn’t want to as I was working late that night,” shares the bride. “He insisted, so off we went. We went for dinner, then onto the riverfront to watch the fireworks and countdown to midnight. At midnight he said: ‘I love you Sam’, I jokingly said: ‘How much though?’, he then got down on one knee, pulled a box out of his pocket and while opening the box, he said: ‘This much!’ It was a complete shock, but of course, I had no hesitation in saying yes. Justin knew that I had always wanted to see the London fireworks in person, and he wanted to be the one to make it happen.” SETTING THE SCENE Oak Lodge Glamping is owned by the couple’s family friend. “It’s the most relaxing, beautiful informal venue and was exactly what I envisioned for our wedding,” explains Samantha. “We wanted a festival vibe to reflect our love of the outdoors and sociable personalities. We also wanted all of our guests to be able to stay over and continue the party well into the night, and it was the perfect place to do that. We provided complimentary glamping to all our guests, and Oak Lodge Glamping provided us with a beautiful caravan called The Showman which we used as the bridal suite.” Instead of favours, the happy couple provided a candy bar, an alcohol-free bar, and a custom-built prosecco and cocktail wall, which went down a treat with their guests. “We decided not to have a table plan,” recalls Samantha. “We had straw bales around the ceremony and reception areas, blankets and picnic tables. It was really important for us that everyone mingled and got to know each other rather than sitting at their designated tables. For our centrepieces, we chose a mixture of gin and rum bottles (our two favourite drinks) with eucalyptus and lights in. The flower displays we used for the ceremony were brought over by the bridal party to dress the tables. “All of the bridesmaids wore leaf and wax flower crowns with matching wrist corsages,” adds the bride. “I had a larger eucalyptus and waxflower full crown, with a hand-tied, unstructured bouquet.” To continue their boho theme, Samantha and Justin placed quotes in frames around the venue. “We also had a beautiful vintage bike at the start of the aisle with a basket full of confetti for the guests to throw for the ultimate confetti shot,” continues Samantha. “We had a firepit for toasting marshmallows, handmade festival signs, a photo booth, a chill-out lounge with luxurious leather sofas and a cigar and whiskey bar. There were also apple crates, with additional gypsophila, eucalyptus and lanterns dotted around everywhere.” As Samantha isn’t a fan of cake, it was up to Justin to choose their big-day bake. “He went with his and hers Colin the Caterpillars, as they are his absolute favourite,” says the bride. “The cakes were personalised with our names and were surrounded by 100 mini rolls for our guests to pick at. “For our main food, Hog Roast Catering Company Ltd come 41 REAL WEDDINGS
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