Your Hampshire & Dorset Wedding - Jan/Feb 2020 (Issue 78)

REAL WEDDINGS 33  T racey and Aaron met at a 30 th birthday party where her sister and a friend of Aaron’s, later to become his groomswoman, conspired together to get them chatting. They ended up talking all night and went on their first date a week later. “I fell for Aaron’s sense of humour and more than seven years on, we still constantly make each other laugh,” she reveals. POPPING THE QUESTION Aaron proposed shortly after midnight on New Year’s Eve 2018. “We were at a black-tie event in Oxford Street Southampton with friends and family when Aaron got down on one knee in the middle of the dancefloor,” remembers Tracey. “I always thought I’d know when it was about to happen as Aaron is terrible at keeping secrets, but I didn’t suspect a thing. I was still in a daze when people started congratulating us!” THE TIME AND PLACE Audleys Wood Hotel in Basingstoke ticked all the boxes for their romantic rustic theme. “It had a great sense of history with a lovely English country feel and as soon as we saw it we fell in love with the place straight away,” recalls Tracey. “The ceremony room in the conservatory felt like a chapel with lots of natural light. A long garden path led down to the outdoor pavilion, which was what really sold it to us. We wanted to have the wedding breakfast and evening reception somewhere private, away from the main hotel and the pavilion was perfect. Surrounded by trees with beautiful lighting inside and out, it created a wonderful atmosphere. The hotel even has its own resident Guinea fowl Dave and Davina who never leave each other’s side!” They set the date for 7 th September in memory of Aaron’s nan as it was her birthday. “She passed away a couple of years ago and Aaron was very close to her. As my gift on the wedding morning, I arranged for the best man to give him one of his nan’s brooches in the morning with a note saying, ‘so she can be with you every step of the way’. He kept it close to his heart, in his inside jacket pocket all day.” LOOKING THE PART Tracey wore a classic ballgown by Sincerity with a tiara and a full-length Bianco Starfire veil with Swarovski crystals. “I wasn’t looking for a particular style as I wanted to be open-minded, but my dress really stood out. It had beautiful sparkling detail on the bodice and I accessorised with pearl earrings and a bracelet.” Aaron opted for a traditional-style grey Cavani Porto three-piece and his groomsmen wore light grey Cavani Reegan suits. They all had dusky pink handmade ties and pocket squares to complement the bridesmaids’ maxi dresses and Tracey’s nieces looked pretty in matching white lace flowergirl dresses with pink ribbon belts. The bouquets were made from dried flowers to Shades of dusky pink and lavender set the tone for Tracey and Aaron’s English country wedding theme Images courtesy of HS Photography RUSTIC ROMANCE