Your Kent Wedding - Page number 37 - November/December 2021 (Issue 99)

each tier, including lemon and elderflower, chocolate and sea salt, and Victoria sponge. It was adorned in royal icing with sugar paste ruffles and hand-piped pearls. Penshurst’s recommended caterer, Seasoned Events, took care of everything from the drinks reception and canapés to the three-course wedding breakfast and the evening bar. The menu featured a matcha chicken and Parma ham starter, followed by a sea bass and vegetable main, and a Kentish strawberry trio of strawberry and basil cheesecake, strawberry macaroon and mini Eton mess. LOOKING THE PART Hannah searched high and low, but couldn’t find the perfect wedding dress for her and eventually went for a custom gown. She explains, “The style was more important to me than the designer label, so I chose a backless fitted ivory lace dress with satin-covered buttons down the back and a big bow, which I tied around my waist. It had a slight train and I loved the scalloped lace edge along the bottom.” The bride wore her hair in a beautiful chignon bun complete with delicate pearl hairpins. James had always dreamed of wearing black tie for the big day and found the perfect tux and dress shirt at Reiss. He finished the look with black leather monk shoes from Joseph Cheaney and his bride was very impressed indeed that he managed to tie his bow tie himself! His dapper Hackett waistcoat set him apart from his groomsmen. The beautiful bridesmaids wore long blush pink dresses with dove grey feather boleros for the ceremony. TIME TO CELEBRATE The Penshurst String Quartet performed as loved ones arrived, during the ceremony and at the drinks reception, which seemed to be in perfect keeping with the history of the venue. Hannah shares, “They were fantastic and played a mix of classic and modern songs. Our guests commented that they felt as though they were in the Netflix series Bridgerton !” The newlyweds’ shared a first dance to Etta James’ At Last as their nearest and dearest looked on. Indeed, the song couldn’t be more fitting for a third wedding date. MEMORABLE MOMENTS After two postponed dates due to Covid and nine months of waiting, the couple were both incredibly excited to finally get married, and had the honour of being the venue’s first Saturday wedding following the easing of restrictions from 19 th July. “We felt extremely lucky that we could welcome all 70 of our guests without the need for masks, as well as having a DJ and dancefloor for our reception,” Hannah says. The bride continues, “After nearly two years of planning, seeing our vision and dream day come to life, as well as seeing our guests enjoy it was truly special. Some of them hadn’t seen each other in months, so it was a real reminder of how important weddings and special occasions like this are in bringing everyone together.” Hannah smiles as she remembers a couple of comical incidents from the morning: “The mother-of-the-bride made us late! She was the last person to get ready making it a rush to get to the venue. Our guests were waiting in the ceremony room for about 45 minutes. Then my sister, one of my bridesmaids, stepped on my veil on more than one occasion as we walked down the aisle. I can tell you she got the death stare from the bride!” On the day we tried to remember that it was all about us as a couple and didn’t leave each other’s sides. REAL WEDDINGS 37