Your Kent Wedding - July/August 2020 (Issue 91)

REAL WEDDINGS 31  T ime stood still for Zac the very first moment he laid eyes on Hannah at the department store where they both worked, during their late teens. “I hadn’t met her before as she worked mostly weekends, when I was off. So, when I saw this beautiful brunette walk through my department, everything went by in slow motion,” he says. Once Zac had picked his jaw up off the floor, he asked a colleague for her name, and found her on Facebook. Hannah remembers, “We couldn’t stop messaging each other right from day one. Zac’s confidence and determination are what attracted me to him, plus I love a tall fella!” The couple had always wanted to go to the U.S. and in 2018 decided to take a trip to New York, which seemed like a good place to start. Hannah says, “We’d been together for five years at this point, so I was thinking he might propose.” And right she was! Two days before Valentine’s Day the couple were sightseeing in Central Park and Zac set up his tripod on the premise of capturing a scenic shot of the park. But as he posed with Hannah for the all-important photo, he popped the question. “I was totally surprised and it turned out he was videoing the moment so we’d have it to look back on for the rest of our lives. It was the perfect way to get engaged,” Hannah explains. The search for the perfect venue, didn’t take long at all. “We’re very impatient people, and can easily make quick decisions,” Hannah says. So, when she found Cooling Castle while browsing the internet one Saturday, she arranged a viewing and secured the date all in the same day. She explains, “I was blown away. Everything was in one place and a lot of key elements were included in the package. How could we say ‘no’?” Join us as the bride shares her treasured memories of their romantic wedding day… SETTING THE SCENE Cooling Castle’s beautiful barn was decorated with a rustic vibe using a palette of blush pink and navy. The couple gifted their guests little hessian bags filled with Love Hearts in a personalised wrapper, fitting the theme nicely. They opted for the table plan supplied by the venue, crafted from hessian-covered board and framed. Hannah turned her hand to designing the place names, which she had printed before hand writing each one. The bride also decorated jam jars with garden string and wooden love hearts, which acted as centrepieces. Some were filled with fresh white and blush pink flowers, while the remainder held tea lights. These were placed beneath white blossom trees, which were hung with more tea lights. The venue was dressed further with light-up Z & H letters positioned on the upper level. Hannah says, “They lit up the room and gave it that wow-factor.” She created her own guest book corner, using three crates. The bottom two were filled with baby photos of the happy couple and the other with pictures depicting the early years of their relationship. She also got hold of a wooden palette and used a Sharpie to draw up the order of the day. “It took a few hours to do, but added a great look to the day,” Hannah recalls. FOOD FOR THOUGHT The catering was supplied by the venue: “We opted for Peroni and prosecco to enjoy after the ceremony where canapés where also being served. Then we went for a three-course meal for the wedding breakfast, and in the evening, we had an American barbecue buffet, which went down a treat,” Hannah says.