Your North West Wedding- August/September 2020 (Issue 63)

The table plan was an alcohol take on the 12 days of Christmas. I found Handmade by Rose on Etsy and asked her to make our table plan, welcome sign and order-of-service. The signs were on a white background with silver writing to make it look wintry. Abbey House Hotel & Gardens was the first and only venue we viewed. We knew straight away it was the one for us. It ticked all our boxes, and the separate rooms made it feel like different spaces without the need to travel. We also liked the idea of everyone being able to stay the night before in case of bad weather. Our centrepieces and flowers were made by Efflorescence. I’d seen their work on Instagram via Abbey House Hotel & Garden’s page. As they were familiar with the property, we knew they were a good choice. The centrepieces were a combination of baby’s breath and floating candles. The team also made our bouquets, buttonholes, aisle runners and arch. Matthew’s mum is no longer with us, so we replaced favours with a message asking people to donate to Bolton Hospice. We decided to have Abbey House Hotel & Gardens provide our catering. We had a delicious meal, and they also provided a buffet the night before the wedding for all our guests staying over. It was a great way for all our loved ones to relax and mingle before the big day. For our cake, we decided to use a local company called Sugar Pie. We had a tasting session with Cheryl and were sold straight away. We chose a combination of flavours, including buttercream, jam, chocolate and salted caramel. The bake was white and covered in pearls that looked like drops of snow. 24