Your Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Wedding- August/September 2020 (Issue 22)

REAL WEDDINGS 29  Patrick made the couple's personalised table plan. "Because my new married surname was going to be Hill, we decided to name all the tables after the hills found in places relevant to both of us," Rachel describes. The hand-crafted plan was in the shape of a hill decorated with fake grass and flowers." The couple gave each guest a packet of seeds as favours while the children received a crochet frog handmade by Rachel's auntie. Rachel and Patrick decided to serve their guests an afternoon tea followed by a barbecue during the evening. "I had my heart set on an afternoon tea for our garden wedding," Rachel explains. "Everything was homemade and the caterer did an excellent job. There was so much food that I was just sad that I couldn't sample it all! We hired the local butcher to take care of the barbecue that worked well." The icing on the cake was the three-tier lemon, chocolate and carrot cake made for the couple by a family friend who runs a small cake-making business. "Delicate handmade sugar paste flowers decorated it," Rachel tells us. "There wasn't any planning between the florist who made our bouquets or the cake designer but the flowers matched perfectly. We have some of the carrot cake left in the freezer ready for our first anniversary!" LOOKING THE PART “I wore a dress from Victoria Kay (style no 1555)," Rachel tells us. "It was the fourth one that I tried on. It had a sparkly belt and lacy straps that weren't my style although, without them, I loved it, especially the lace detail on the skirt and the way that it flattered me around the waist. I added a simple belt and a lacy bolero to wear during our church ceremony.” The couple's four bridesmaids wore the same dress in different colours. "I chose blue, green, yellow and lavender to represent the main shades of the garden flowers," Rachel explains. "They all looked so beautiful. Patrick and his best man coordinated with them in their navy suits with lavender ties and pocket squares." TIME TO ENTERTAIN “We had a DJ playing during our evening reception which was fun for all of our guests,” Rachel says. “Lots of our loved ones had contributed to our special day, along with a team of talented local suppliers, so it felt like the community had gathered together to support us.” “ I couldn't stop smiling on my wedding day - it shines through in our wonderful photographs. ˮ - Rachel.