REAL WEDDINGS 29 Jade and James had crossed paths as teenagers through mutual friends, but it wasn’t until years later that they matched on Tinder. Despite the time apart, the early stages of their relationship felt incredibly natural; they weren’t strangers at all. At that time, both were working unsociable hours, which made it challenging to see each other as often as they’d have liked. However, this only meant they cherished the quality moments they did have together even more. James always made Jade feel like a priority, making her realise he was the one for her. When James proposed during a holiday in Somerset, celebrating his 30th birthday, it came as a delightful surprise. By that point, they had been together for eight years, and Jade had nearly given up hope that he would ever pop the question. Staying in a converted shepherd’s hut nestled in the peaceful countryside, with a camembert baking in the oven, a bottle of Champagne just opened and their favourite artist playing softly in the background, the moment felt utterly perfect – a beautiful culmination of their journey together! SETTING THE SCENE The couple’s goal when planning their wedding was to have fun! They recognised that this would be the only day in their lives when their family and friends would gather in one place, celebrating their love. They wanted to create a day everyone would fondly reminisce about. When they first visited Hanbury Manor, the pair fell in love with the venue. The beautiful grounds and stunning buildings left them in awe, especially Poles Hall, where they held their ceremony and wedding breakfast. This space, a chapel from the original house, boasted grand chandeliers and large, original windows, all modernly decorated. No other venue offered that same wow factor. For them, Hanbury Manor was the perfect blend of old and new, perfectly aligned with their vision of a timelessly elegant wedding. James designed a personalised logo based on their colour scheme and theme, which they used throughout their stationery and decorative prints for the day. This included save-the-dates, invitations, their wedding website, the welcome sign, seating plan, place names and table numbers. They even shared this logo with their suppliers to incorporate into their wedding video and photo booth prints. Instead of traditional favours, the lovebirds decided to make donations in honour of their guests to two charities that held special meaning for them. For the centrepieces, they opted for tall gold pedestals adorned with faux arrangements of off-white flowers and green foliage, complemented by pillar candles underneath. The Chiavari chairs were enhanced with sage green sashes tied with small white bows, adding a lovely touch. The wedding cake was a simple two-tier design, featuring small bunches of the same flowers in their bouquets and buttonholes. They also topped it off with a personalised topper. The colours and styles chosen complemented the venue beautifully and worked seamlessly with their overall theme. LOOKING THE PART The bride wore an off-the-shoulder fairytale wedding gown called Harlem by Maggie Sottero. Every girl dreams of feeling like a princess on her wedding day, and Jade wanted that too, but she also sought something comfortable that wouldn’t overwhelm her petite 5ft stature. Her dress featured beautiful subtle details – delicate flowers, shimmering sequins and elegant buttons – and she adored the deep V back. The boning in the dress hugged her waist perfectly, accentuating the flowing full skirt. In that gown, she felt incredibly confident and beautiful, wishing she could wear it every day.
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