Your Glos and Wilts Wedding - Jun/Jul 2019 (Issue 15)

REAL WEDDINGS 29  S imona and Daniel met at work, where he tried to impress her with his Slovakian language skills, and she liked his goofy attempts! They got engaged at home, with him preparing a three-course meal ahead of his surprise proposal. “He got down on one knee after we had enjoyed our main course,” Simona tells us. “And then we skipped dessert to head to the pub to celebrate!” SETTING THE SCENE The couple wanted a church wedding followed by a reception in a local old country house. “We only had a few to choose from,” Simona explains. “And as soon as we saw the house and gardens at Westonbirt School and met the organiser, James, we knew it was the place for us.” The couple are both creative, arty people, and lots of their friends and family wanted to help with the preparations, so they decided on a mix of help and hiring local wedding suppliers. “Simona’s auntie is a florist, so we took a day trip to the New Covent Garden Market to have a look at different flower varieties in our chosen baby pink colour theme,” Daniel tells us. “We ordered everything then and there, and she made stunning floral arrangements, decorations and displays with them. Our favours were traditional Slovakian biscuits, brought over to the UK by Simona’s mum, and our table plan was made by us using an old gilt-framed mirror, with the place and table names organised by my younger sister.” The couple visited a wedding fair in Wiltshire to find inspiration from local suppliers. “I fell in love with our wedding car as soon as I saw it,” Simona tells us. “It was the type of car that I had always wanted to have at my wedding.” The chef at the venue was fantastic at creating a menu that combined Slovakian food with English dishes. “He made a Slovakian chicken soup that Simona said was the best she had ever tasted,” Daniel says. ALL YOU NEED is love Simona and Daniel’s traditional church wedding and elegant reception incorporated touches of baby pink Images courtesy of Nick Adams Photography Simona Botkova, 28, married Daniel Cocker, 37, on 2 nd June, 2018, at All Saints Church in Sutton Benger, Wiltshire, followed by a reception at Westonbirt School.