Your West Midlands Wedding - Dec/Jan 2019 (Issue 65)

REAL WEDDINGS 43 S ometimes the best things in life are unexpected and can take you completely by surprise, that’s what happened when Paul confessed his love to Faye. The pair had known of each other through friends and on a night out, Paul let his feeling known. Faye says, “I wasn’t attracted to him at first, but agreed to meet up again without alcohol this time, and we both felt there was chemistry between us. We realised we have a lot in common and fell in love.” Fast forward to a holiday in Jamaica, Paul had a very important question to ask. He knew he wanted to propose on Faye’s birthday but panicked over where or when. Luckily, he trusted his instinct and went with what felt right. Faye says, “Just before midnight on a stroll around the beautiful hotel grounds we stopped on a lovely gazebo overlooking a lake where he proposed!” SETTING THE SCENE When it came to a venue, the couple searched for the perfect one but was having no luck, even though many were beautiful they just weren’t right. Faye says, “We came across Chateau Impney, which had the complete wow factor on the drive up through the grounds.” She adds, “This venue ticked all the practical boxes.” When it comes to the details of the wedding, little personal touches show-off the couple’s personalities. For favours, the pair choose a box of TicTac with ‘mint to be’ on it as well as the couple’s names and wedding date. For the centrepieces, Faye says, “We had gold candelabras with pearls draped over them and a pastel colour flower arrangement, which reflected the elegance of the venue.” The bride’s bouquet and groom’s buttonhole were pastel colours just like the table plan while peach and white were used for the bridesmaid’s flowers and the groomsmen’s buttonholes. For the cake, the couple bought a macaron tree which of course was pastel coloured with a small top-tier in red velvet to share with family. Faye says, “Table names were a gold ornate frame displaying a photo of us with the year it was taken which worked to fit in with the number of tables we had.” Other decorations used were a flowerwall as a backdrop for vows and a vintage gold frame with a vinyl welcome sign attached. LOOKING THE PART The bride went for a fit-and-flare dress called  Rexana  by Sophia Tolli as she always pictured herself in a fitted dress and didn’t look at any other styles. Faye says, “I also loved the idea of mixing old and newer trends with satin and lace. I went to a wedding show with no intention of looking for a dress at that stage but ended up trying on Rexana and fell in love. I looked back on my Pinterest and realised I had pinned the same dress months beforehand – it felt like fate!” To match the dress she added simple crystal pear-drop earrings and a plain cathedral-length veil. With the desire to look and feel classic on the wedding day the groom picked a black tux with a white shirt and black satin bow tie to stand out from the groomsmen that wore peach bow ties. On the special day the only bridesmaid was the bride’s sister who wore a long peach dress with gold heels. MEMORABLE MOMENTS On the day the bride was calm as there was no more planning to do and fully relaxed and enjoyed the day. Faye says, “Paul on the other hand was emotional, crying through most of the day which was a complete shock to me as I have only seen him tear-up once or twice before, but never fully ugly cry!” 