Your West Midlands Wedding - Jun/Jul 2019 (Issue 62)

REAL WEDDINGS 47  C harlotte and Daniel met via a dating app and had their first date at the Manor House of Whittington. “We instantly got on and we made each other laugh,” recalls Charlotte. “Dan was thoughtful and caring from day one, I’d never met anyone like him. I knew he was the one after our first few dates.” Less than a year later Dan proposed at Himley Park on 14 th July 2017, “We had been to choose the ring together a few weeks before so I knew we would be engaged soon after” shares Charlotte, “but Dan had planned the surprise proposal at Himley Park (our favourite place) and had organised our friends to meet us at the Manor House for celebratory drinks afterwards.” The big date was set, 2 nd January, 2019 at Curradine Barns: here, we find out more about their day... SETTING THE SCENE Curradine Barns was already on Charlotte’s radar and the couple visited it as soon as they were engaged. “Dan fell in love with the venue aswell; the rustic barn, the bridal room to get ready in, the scenic views for our photographs and the farmhouse accommodation, was perfect for us,” shares the bride. “I could imagine myself getting married there immediately, every element was beautiful, we didn’t view any other venue and had booked our date within a few weeks!” For the finer details of the day the couple opted for props and styling reflective of the setting. The table plan was hessian and lace cards with twine attached to rustic wooden ladders, while the centrepieces were different sized jars also wrapped with hessian and lace. “I had also bought small white birdcages for each table and large ones for the top table displaying a candle inside,” shares Charlotte. Venue Styling by Floyd then added gypsophila into the jars, sprinkled some sparkle onto the tables and provided log slices as a base. The table numbers and place names were wooden and handmade by Mawbespoke. For the big-day blooms, the bride’s bouquet and buttonholes were all silk, navy and white, provided by Silkblooms. The bridesmaid bouquets were courtesy of Venue Styling by Floyd in keeping with the rustic, simple theme. The centrepiece of the reception, the cake, was a naked design of Victoria sponge including navy berries to tie in with colour scheme – it was provided by Kimmy Loves Cake. Other décor details comprised twinkly lights, light-up LOVE letters in the ceremony room and lights displaying ‘C&D’ in the bar area. “This venue is so beautiful that we didn’t need to go over the top with décor; the beauty of the rooms in themselves are enough,” ends Charlotte. LOOKING THE PART The bride wore Octavia by Rebecca Ingram, bought from Y.A.P. Bridal Boutique when with her mam, sister and bridesmaids. “I thought I wanted a big princess dress but after choosing our venue and trying on this, I instantly knew it was the right style,” recalls Charlotte. “It was ivory lace with a small train, I then added a bustle and belt. As my something borrowed , I used my best friend’s beautiful cathedral-length veil with lace detail around the edges which completed my bridal look. For my something new , my bridesmaids bought me some beautiful Swarovski crystal earrings and I had gypsophila in my hair. For my something blue, I wore my mam’s garter which included a blue ribbon intertwined.” The groom on the big day looked smart in a three-piece grey tweed suit with tan shoes from Dapper Dan’s in Wolverhampton. They also wore tweed navy ties to complement the colour scheme and their buttonholes. “Tom (Dan’s twin) owns a barber shop Enjoy in Stafford so they all had a trip there the day before the wedding for their haircuts!” says Charlotte. The bridal party wore navy, floor-length, strapless dresses which they all loved, wearing shoes of their choice with their hair curly and down.