Your West Midlands Wedding- August/September 2020 (Issue 69)

REAL WEDDINGS 31 C harley and Daniel met online. “I was hardly using the dating site at the time and popped online out of boredom,” says Charley. “There was a message from Dan saying he knew who I was, which intrigued me. We exchanged messages before agreeing to go on our first date. We went bowling as we didn’t want to have an awkward dinner.” Daniel popped the question in February 2018. “We were in the front room of our flat,” shares the bride. “It took me completely by surprise, as I was sitting on the sofa in my pyjamas relaxing after work when he walked in wearing his best suit. He then said he’d written a poem for me and began to read it. It was about our relationship, and around halfway through I realised what was happening! I, of course, said ‘yes’ right away.” SETTING THE SCENE “I actually work at Manor Hill House and was the wedding coordinator at the time, so I knew how much time and effort the team put into making each wedding perfect,” explains Charley. “I have a close relationship with the staff and would often see more of them than my family, so it was important that they were part of our day. Dan loved the venue as well, so it was a really easy decision for both of us.” The lovebirds decided to give their guests heart- shaped biscuits as favours. “They were personalised with our names,” shares the bride. “They tied in perfectly with our afternoon tea theme and tasted great.” To display their table plan, the couple used rustic ladders from Manor Hill House. “We only had four tables, so we didn’t put a lot of thought into the names,” explains Charley. “We had printed luggage tags that we tied onto teacups as place names.” The couple’s big-day bake was made by Merrivale Cake Co. “We opted for a semi-naked design with a drip effect,” shares Charley. “Each tier was a different flavour, so there was something to suit everyone.” Charley and Daniel decided to incorporate beautiful flowers from Bluebells of Droitwich into their décor. “I mentioned to our florist, Tanya, that we wanted blue flowers, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to source any at that time of year,” says the bride. “I was pleasantly surprised when she managed to create blue and baby pink bouquets.” “We also incorporated our theme into our centrepieces,” reveals Charley. “Dan’s mum, who used to be a florist, made floating teacups that looked amazing. To decorate the rest of the space, I had personalised bunting printed and hung above our table. We also had large light up letters that spelt out our last name.” Charley surprised Dan by organising for a white 