Your West Midlands Wedding - Feb/Mar 2020 (Issue 66)

REAL WEDDINGS 43  A bbey and Ben were first introduced nearly ten years ago through a close group of friends in their local town of Dartford, Kent. After various dog walking, coffee and dinner dates it was clear there was a bond between the couple, much stronger than a friendship. Abbey continues, “Ben proposed on the 15 th December 2017, while we were on a winter break in New York. It was our first time exploring the city, and on the last day Ben popped the question on a snowy Brooklyn Bridge much to my surprise. Of course, I said yes!” The big day was set, 7 th September, 2019, and here we find our all about the finer details of their day... SETTING THE SCENE The couple are originally from Kent and have no connections to Worcester, however Stanbrook Abbey Hotel offered something which no other venue could offer. “The building is so dynamic and it was able to offer an amazing abbey (Callow Great Hall) for the ceremony, a marquee for the wedding breakfast and a room for the evening dancing,” shares Abbey. “It has so much character; it used to be an old convent and aspects of this still remain today.” For the table plan the couple emphasised their colour palette of navy, silver and white in the design, as they did with the the cake. “It was in a complementing design with quirky cake favours; gin and elderflower, coconut and lime and prosecco and raspberry,” shares Abbey. Fitting the venue, the centrepieces were elegant candelabra with draping around the stem of the candle, while there was also blossom trees and petals in the abbey, and a light-up Mr & Mrs sign. LOOKING THE PART The bride was a Dando London gown Embrace, an elegant style reflecting Abbey’s personality. “This was the first dress that I saw in the first shop on the mannequin, and knew it was the one.” recalls Abbey. The dress was ivory with detail and beading on the back, complemented by a handmade lace veil, a simple bracelet, embellished shoes and blue earrings to match her bridesmaids. Ben work a dark grey three-piece suit from Anthony Formal Wear and stood out from the rest of the groomsmen with an ivory tie. Stanbrook Abbey Hotel set the scene for Abbey and Ben’s day complemented by a navy, silver and white colour palette Images courtesy of Still Light Photography, Katie Whitburn A BEAUTIFUL DAY