Rebecca and Julian met in London at a salsa class. Rebecca had only recently moved to London from Germany following her studies; while Julian had been studying in the Capital. “We got on very well during the class, and after a few days of texting Julian asked me on a date to a salsa club,” Rebecca remembers. Needless to say the date went well, so we fast forward a few years to November 2021. Julian had organised a private guided tour of Hever Castle, one of Rebecca’s favourite places; it was the first day of the Christmas decorations being up so the place looked magical. Alone in the castle together, Julian got down on one knee with an engagement ring he’d designed himself. He’d even brought a bottle of champagne and flutes in with him. Another Kentish castle picks up the story from here. “The moment we stepped through the gates of Lympne Castle visiting one of their wedding fairs, we knew this was our place,” Rebecca says. “I only considered castles for our venue as I really wanted to be a princess.” It greeted the couple with blue skies and a seemingly endless view across the sea, and they found themselves captured by its charm. Rebecca continues, “I wanted a venue that could host our morning preparations, ceremony and reception, and be a private place for us and our guests. Lympne Castle was all of this and so much more.” Read on as the bride shares her memories of their very special day, 3rd April, 2023... SETTING THE SCENE Rebecca and Julian wanted wedding favours that guests would appreciate rather than something that’d be left behind. So, they gifted each of their loved ones a little wooden box bearing the wedding’s logo and motto (meant to bee) on one side, with a drawing of Lympne Castle and their names on the other. These also acted as the place names. They filled each one with a packet of seeds and instructions on how to plant them. Julian learned how to use a laser cutter and made all of the boxes himself. In addition, the couple set up a goodies table, which contained some little extras for guests to take such as delicious cakes and locally-produced jars of honey and jam. As a nod to their rustic theme, there were also bee’s wax candles and tulip bulbs, which guests could feel free to take. They were the same orange tulips that featured in the bride’s bouquet. The couple put their skills into action again to create the table plan, and Rebecca learned how to vinyl cut. Each table was named after a Medieval or Tudor castle that the pair had visited and meant something to them. Julian found pencil drawings of each one and laser engraved them onto wood. The centrepieces beautifully reflected the theme. Each one included a set of log slices, log candles, and floating candles in jars, which were decorated with burlap. The tonic bottle and tulip pew ends from the ceremony were also repurposed to sit on the reception tables. Rebecca’s auntie is a wedding florist, so naturally she was enlisted to create the bridal bouquet, as well as the bridesmaids’ posies, and buttonholes. “My favourite flowers are tulips and everything tied in with our orange and green palette,” Rebecca says. “My bouquet was a little wild to complement my fairytale princess dress, and it contained English ivy to mirror the vegetation around the Castle.” The bride’s auntie also decorated the staircase she was due to descend on her way to the aisle as a surprise. “It was so beautiful, I felt like Sleeping Beauty walking from the forest into the castle,” Rebecca remembers. Their second florist decorated elements of the castle such as the welcome sign, signing table and various mantelpieces, again perfectly in keeping with the palette and theme, ivy and the orange tulip being the main feature throughout. The three-tier big-day bake featured a bark effect and was decorated with orange fruits and flowers. 31 REAL WEDDINGS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0NTE=