Your West Midlands Wedding - Apr/May 2019 (Issue 61)

50 S andra Phillips and James Hinch actually met in 2008 at a funeral of all places! “He asked for my number and we’ve been together ever since,” recalls Sandra. They were both instantly attracted to each other but it was their shared sense of humour that made them fall in love. “We are both from Dublin and lived there until May 2015. James joined the Royal Irish regiment of the British Army and is stationed in Tern Hill Barracks, not far from Shrewsbury. We were sick of being apart so I moved over and we haven’t looked back since,” adds Sandra. James proposed on July 13 th 2018 on top of The Market Hall in Shrewsbury, it was a complete surprise to Sandra who had been lured there under false pretences of going for a picnic in The Quarry Park. “I should have known something was up as we walked to the park a different way than usual and he had the picnic all ready when I came home from work!” recalls Sandra. “When we passed by The Market Hall James said we were going upstairs and Kevin (market hall staff) was waiting to bring us up in a lift. We had been to an event on the roof in the past at Gindifferent so I thought it was something like that. When we got to the roof there was a table set up with flowers, champagne and glasses and James popped the question immediately. It was a beautiful, unique and romantic surprise.” The date was set for February 19 th 2019, with The Lion Hotel and Henry Tudor House setting the scene for the day. Here we find out more about the finer details... SETTING THE SCENE The couple knew they wanted their wedding in Shrewsbury as they love it so much, but wanted to accommodate the 30 guests they had coming over from Dublin ensuring they didn’t have to travel anywhere. “We live, work, shop and socialise all within the town centre of Shrewsbury and chose venues and as many local suppliers as possible to reflect this,” shares Sandra. “The Lion Hotel was where we stayed when we first came to Shrewsbury on a trip to find a place to live. We loved it’s old world charm mixed with a very comfortable feel. We always feel at home there, and we wanted our guests to feel that too.” The couple tied the knot in the ballroom, a stunning space very special to them both, and had their drinks reception around the beautiful, large open fireplaces – a very relaxing and cosy setting complete with fresh scones with jam and cream along with tea, coffee, prosecco, beers and juices! The reception was an intimate gathering of 40 guests held in the couples’ favourite restaurant in Shrewsbury, Henry Tudor House, “We have brought friends and family there over the years when they visit and we recommend it to everyone,” shares Sandra. “We knew the food was amazing and it’s literally next door to The Lion Hotel. The function room on the top level has a high beamed ceiling and amazing chandeliers.” THE FINER DETAILS “James’ mother Rose and my aunt Lily have passed away and were missed on the day so we made our own confetti out of lilies and roses,” shares Sandra. “It was our way of remembering them and including them in the celebrations. We dried our own flowers in the weeks running up to the wedding and sorted them into little boxes tied with navy and gold ribbon to match James’ suit. We set these on the chairs for when people arrived along with a running order of the day so everyone knew what was happening throughout.” After the ceremony, the couple’s second drinks reception was downstairs in the main bar at Henry Tudor House, as they wanted guests to enjoy the fabulous, quirky feel of the bar area with its unique paintings of various deceased artists such as Amy Winehouse, David Bowie and George Michael. “Henry Tudor House is a Medieval building with plenty of beams and original features,” shares the bride. “We love the intimate feeling of a candlelit room so used only candles to decorate the long banqueting tables. We bought old candelabras from the Antique Centre and used them in the centre along with a couple of smaller candles, also gold. To keep the