Your West Midlands Wedding- February / March 2021 (Issue 72)

G ill and Simon first met in Bognor Regis in 2001. “Simon was visiting for work,” says Gill. “He was staying at my local pub, and we got chatting over a game of pool. He was only due to stay for one more night, so we made plans to go into town that evening. The next day instead of heading home, he decided to stay. We remained in contact for several months over the phone, and in December of that year, a bunch of beautiful lilies were delivered to the travel agency where I worked. I realised then that he’d been thinking of me and how kind and thoughtful he was. We continued to have a long- distance romance for the next three years, travelling 160 miles either way at every opportunity we had. We quite often got up at 4:30am on a Monday morning to travel home for work so we could have a few more hours together. I decided to move to Warwick in 2005, and we’ve since moved to Leamington.” A few months after moving, Simon proposed to Gill. “We went for a chilly wander around Warwick on the 23 rd December picking up a few last-minute Christmas presents,” shares the bride. “Simon said he had somewhere he wanted to go and pulled me by my hand until we were outside Russell Lane Jewellers. He proposed to me outside and then took me inside to collect the ring he had already purchased. I was so surprised I didn’t even put it on, and as we went for a celebratory drink it was still in its box! We were able to share the happy news with our friends and family the next day on Christmas Eve. We went on to have a 13-year engagement and had two beautiful daughters in that time. It was lovely to return to Russell Lane all those years later to purchase our wedding rings.” SETTING THE SCENE “Warwick House was the perfect venue for us,” explains Gill. “Having stayed at multiple hotels and venues throughout our relationship, we knew what we liked and didn’t. I always remember hearing about the opening of Warwick House, so I had it in the back of my mind from the offset. Over Christmas 2018, we decided it was finally time to get married, and we’re so thankful that we did with the subsequent pandemic and how it affected the wedding industry. We visited the property during an open day in January 2019, and fell in love with it and booked it on the spot for just nine months later. It’s so unusual to have an exclusive use venue at such a reasonable price. The team were so amazing to work with, and we’d highly recommend them.” The couple decided to donate to the Birthmark Support Group instead of giving favours. “They’ve supported our family for many years as our eldest has a facial port-wine stain birthmark,” explains Gill. “We gave each guest a card explaining our donation and our connection with the charity, along with a badge for them to wear. For the children, I made each of them a bag containing an activity book, a disposable camera, a Lego set, pencil, balloon and glow sticks.” Their big-day bake was made by Cake Actually. “We only needed a small design, so we went for a two-tier option,” shares Gill. “It was made up of a traditional fruit cake and chocolate. Our talented cake maker hand-crafted a beautiful spray of cascading lilies that looked amazingly realistic.” Simon and Gill chose candles and silver candelabra for their centrepieces. “It was the natural choice for our theme and colour scheme,” says the bride. “Our top table had a beautiful display of lilies, roses, eucalyptus and gypsophila from Jacqueline The Florist. We had this same display for my bouquet, Simon’s buttonhole and a corsage for our youngest, Phoebe. As my dad passed away nine years ago, I had a memory charm with a photo of him attached to my bouquet.” The lovebirds decided to make their stationery. “We did all the  REAL WEDDINGS 33