Your South Wales Wedding - July/August 2020 (Issue 74)

REAL WEDDINGS 31  H arriet and Jacob met at a rugby game in their last year of primary school. “Over the years our friendship grew, and we’ve been inseparable since we were 15,” says Harriet. “Jacob proposed to me on our 10 th anniversary. We decided to have a weekend away at De Vere Tortworth Court in Gloucester to celebrate. We were walking through the grounds when Jacob gave me an anniversary card. By the time I’d finished reading it, he’d got down on one knee and presented me with a beautiful ring. We were over the moon and couldn’t have been happier.” SETTING THE SCENE “We wanted a wedding venue that we could make our own,” shares the bride. “We visited so many that offered corporate packages and since we wanted to decorate it ourselves, have outside caterers and exclusive use, we decided that wasn’t for us. When we came across our reception venue, Cefn Tilla Court, we couldn’t believe our luck. We had access to the property in the week leading up to the wedding, which took some of the stress away. The staff were so flexible, and the hotel had so many beautiful rooms for our families to stay in. We also had the most amazing bridal suite with a free-standing bath, but as our wedding party was so big, it wasn’t large enough to accommodate everyone. Rob, the owner, was so helpful and let us hire a third-party company to pitch 11 luxury bell tents in the grounds to allow for 60 extra guests to stay. We couldn’t recommend Cefn Tilla Court enough. The team were so accommodating, and there was nothing they wouldn’t do to help.” The happy couple decided to give their guests engraved glasses as favours. “These were designed by Siân Ellis Wright,” adds the bride. “The glasses were filled with limoncello from an Italian restaurant that we love in Marlborough, and everyone took a shot as we entered the marquee.” “Our table plan and welcome sign were also designed by Siân,” says Harriet. “We didn’t have a theme, so we used numbers.” “We hired a gorgeous car from Holyoake Classic Car Hire to transport us to the venue,” shares Harriet. “The rest of our wedding party travelled in a vintage bus.” For their flowers, the couple turned to a family friend. “Ceri took me to the Cardiff Flower Market a few weeks before the wedding to discuss ideas,” explains the bride. “As I wanted quite a plain dress, I decided to go for a draping bouquet with lots of colours. Ceri ran a masterclass the day before the wedding for all of my bridesmaids to help them make their own posies while we enjoyed pizza and prosecco. Ceri also helped make our centrepieces, she filled vases with cellophane and water, which made it look like they were coated in ice.” Harriet and Jacon decided against a traditional cake. “We don’t really have a sweet tooth,” says Harriet. “So we opted for blocks of cheese instead.” To finish the décor, the lovebirds made a flower wall and purchased an order-of-the-day wooden pallet from The White Pallet Co. “My mum dried out flowers to use as confetti and Karen Evans, a family friend, put the packages together,” shares the bride. “Rob from Cefn