Hannah and Simon met when they both worked in The Bakers Arms country pub in Cirencester. “Simon was the head chef and I was a waitress,” Hannah tell us. “He was so kind and calm and he tells me now that it was my eyes and smile that he fell for.” The couple became engaged on Christmas Day in 2018. “Simon proposed to me at his mum and dad’s house while the family were exchanging presents,” Hannah says. “Simon’s mum was handing out the gifts and he had asked her to save mine until last. As I opened it, Simon presented me with a card saying ‘Happy Christmas to my Fiancee’ before getting down on one knee with a ring box in his hand and asking me to marry him. I was in shock and disbelief and I started crying happy tears! He explained that he had asked my dad’s permission which was a big deal for me because my dad is fighting cancer so it gave him something to look forward to. We set a date for the wedding hoping that my dad would be well enough to attend and walk me down the aisle, which he did.” SETTING THE SCENE Hannah and Simon chose the DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham as their venue because it was a hotel that they regularly visited. “The gardens are beautiful and the staff are very friendly,” Hannah tells us. “We had booked a wedding package allowing 80 guests to attend during the day and 100 in the evening but because of the restrictions in place at the time of our wedding, we could only invite 30 guests for the entire day. Everybody needed to wear a face covering apart from myself, Simon and my dad but this didn’t bother us because it was amazing to have my dad and our close family and friends around us.” Hannah stayed at the hotel with her mum, sister and bridesmaid the night before the wedding. “The morning was so busy spent getting ready that the nerves didn’t kick in until I was dressed and about to meet my dad and stepdad,” she tells us. “Our amazing photographer, Aimee, got me to hide in the bathroom and as I came out and they turned to see me for the first time, I just started to cry and the nerves kicked in. Seeing their reactions was an amazing moment that I’ll never forget.” Hannah’s maid-of-honour Kelly, who is also her sister, did a fantastic job and nothing was too much trouble. “If my veil was out of place she was there to fix it, if my make-up needed touching up she did it, she was amazing, Hannah tells us. “She gave a surprise speech that had me in tears and our guests laughing. I really couldn’t have done it without her, she was my rock. I love her to bits and am so proud to be able to call her my sister.” The couple kept their table plan simple with everyone seated at two round tables and a long rectangular top table. “My mum made our centrepieces using Whitley Neil gin bottles that she had been collecting especially. She filled them with fairylights and placed them on mirrored plates. She also got silver and navy balloons to place in the middle of the round tables and at the ends of the top table. It looked simple yet beautiful, I really can’t thank her enough for all the help and support she gave us.” REAL WEDDINGS 31
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