Nia and Carwyn met online during the pandemic. “Our story was a bit of a whirlwind, from talking online and meeting families on our second and third dates to Carwyn moving in after a month and a half, but we knew we were meant to be,” says Nia. “By the time we had our first date, Carwyn had already proposed over messenger three times! When we finally met, something just clicked; we didn’t let go of each other’s hands the whole time. In 2022, Carwyn organised a romantic date at The Bear to pop the question. Neither of us is sure if I even said yes, but here we are today!” SETTING THE SCENE “I’ve always loved Hensol Castle,” shares the bride. “My dad used to play cricket on the grounds and my mum would score, so I loved that family connection. I’ve always adored the countryside and with Carwyn coming from West Wales, I really wanted to reflect our country upbringing in the colours I chose. I wanted to incorporate my love of delphiniums everywhere! I work in fashion, so I am obsessed with anything to do with design, which I really wanted to show in the day. It was super important to us that the wedding felt like us, so we made sure we incorporated lots of personal details and mixed traditional elements in. “Our centrepieces were created by Lumi Event Design and were delphiniums in tall glass vases,” adds Nia. “We also chose dark wooden signage along with sage green napkins from The Knotted Napkin Co. We made our welcome sign more personalised by adding funny details as a nod to Carwyn’s ice hockey playing days. I made the milk churns, with the help of my mother-in-law, using churns from my family farm. They’ve been used at a few family weddings now, which I have done the arrangement for, so it was a pinch-me moment that I finally got to arrange these churns for my own wedding!” The couple gave money to charities that were close to their hearts as favours. “We chose Marie Curie in memory of my wonderful gran, along with The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, in honour of Carwyn serving in the navy,” explains Nia. “To celebrate Carwyn’s love of golf, I surprised him with a golf-themed table plan and table names using courses he’s played at. I also designed our very own crest, which featured at the top of our table plan and on all the menus that I created. I also hand-tied 96 blue bows around each of our guests’ menus, as I’m obsessed with the little details!” The couple’s beautiful two-tiered wedding cake was made by Forage Farm Shop & Kitchen. “The flavours were red velvet and Guinness, two of our favourites,” recalls the bride. “We asked Gail Armytage Florist, who lives nearby, to decorate the cake using flowers.” DRESSED TO IMPRESS “I fell in love with a dress called Beata by Milla Nova from Laura May Bridal,” says Nia. “I’d been looking at designs with lace and that were fitted, so I didn’t think I would go for an A-line with an epic train! I wore my gran’s pearl necklace along with some pearl drop earrings from an important family friend. My bespoke veil was from Richard Designs and my hair clip was borrowed from Carwyn’s great aunt. 31 REAL WEDDINGS
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