Your South Wales Wedding - September/October 2020 (Issue 75)

I’d been to so many weddings that I had a good idea of what I wanted. We opted for a simple celebration that reflected us and our priorities. The most important aspects were being able to have a Christian service, a relaxed atmosphere and our friends and family there. Hope Church Merthyr kindly gave us free rein to decorate and structure the ceremony how we wanted. The cakes, fruit and cheese platters were supplied by Merthyr Tydfil Leisure. The food was a big hit with our friends and family, especially the chocolate orange cake that disappeared before we even saw it! We chose Redhouse Cymru as our reception venue due to its proximity to the chapel. The staff allowed us to have a large number of guests which was perfect for our tea and cake wedding breakfast. A few good friends helped us transform the space with fabric, ivy, eucalyptus and paper fans. There were no place settings, so people were able to move around if they wanted. We decorated with flowers and foliage arranged in different bottles and vases. Instead of a traditional cake, we had a stack of Welsh cakes made by our nearest and dearest. We topped it with wooden pegs that were hand-painted by Rachel Benge Illustration. At the end of the night, the Welsh cakes were placed in sweet bags and given to our guests as favours. 28