Your South Wales Wedding - Mar/Apr 2020 (Issue 72)

REAL WEDDINGS 45  L aura and Bart met at a party. “He doesn’t remember meeting me,” says Laura. “I was living in London at the time and had gone to visit a friend in Antwerp for the weekend. We went to an after-work party, and while I was there, I noticed this guy with the craziest dance moves. I thought he was quite funny and we started talking. When we left the bar I gave him my number, and he called me a few days later. I didn’t answer because I thought it was too direct so I text him asking who it was, little did I know he took that to mean I’d given him a fake number! I messaged him again, and we hit it off. Two weeks later, he came to London to see me and there was an instant connection. By the end of the weekend, we agreed to try a long-distance relationship. One year later, I moved to Antwerp to start a new job and live with him.” Bart popped the question in 2018. “I’d just returned from a work trip to Rome,” shares the bride. “I went for dinner with some of my friends, and after the meal, we decided to go to a bar across the square. As we were crossing, I noticed Bart standing there. He walked towards me and asked me to turn around. As I did, I noticed under the arches of the building were 14 of our friends and family holding up a letter each that spelt out ‘will you marry me?’ It was a massive surprise, and I couldn’t have asked for a better proposal.” SETTING THE SCENE “We wanted to get married in a church, so we thought what better place than where my parents got married?” explains Laura. “We even had the same priest! For the reception, we wanted a property near the water. We looked at a few venues, but nothing stood out like voco St David’s Cardiff. We loved the outdoor terrace, floor-to-ceiling windows and were blown away by the décor. That combined with the professionalism of the events team, it was the obvious choice. On the day we were incredibly lucky with the weather, and everything worked out wonderfully.” The happy couple decided to give their guests Welsh cakes as favours. “Fabulous Welshcakes made beautiful heart-shaped versions in almost every flavour imaginable,” adds the bride. “We chose white chocolate, lemon and traditional fillings. They were definitely fabulous!” “We thought we would stress about the seating plan, but it was actually an easy process thanks to an amazing planner I bought from Paperchase,” says Laura. “We added personal touches to the décor, including disposable cameras and pictures of our guests.” For their flowers, the couple turned to Laura’s mum and aunt. “I knew I wanted white peonies as they’re my favourites,” explains the bride. “I asked my mum and auntie to include roses and greenery to match our green theme, and they looked amazing. The blooms were ordered individually from Tesco, but for the greenery, my auntie went foraging in forests and fields. For our centrepieces, I wanted to keep things quite simple, so we chose milk churns which made great gifts after the wedding. We also had love letters from Written in Lights that looked beautiful next to the dancefloor.” Laura and Bart opted for a rose gold cake. “My auntie made it for us,” says Laura. “It included hand-made sugar peonies and the attention to detail was overwhelming. The lace even matched my dress perfectly. It was simple but fantastically elegant.” Bart surprised Laura with a Volkswagon Campervan to transport her on the morning of the wedding. “It’s been my dream car for a long time, but it was a total surprise,” shares the bride. “It was the perfect start to the day, and I couldn’t have picked a better car.”