Your South Wales Wedding - March/april 2021 (Issue 78)

L eena and Neil met in 2012 at a music festival in Derbyshire. “It was the last night and I decided to enjoy a few drinks with some friends,” says Leena. “In one of the tents, we saw three handsome guys and started talking to them. I was attracted to Neil’s looks and the fact he paid attention when we had a chat together. He loved my red lips and Scandinavian looks.” Four years later, Neil proposed during a getaway to Southwold Beach in Norfolk. “We were enjoying a trip with our eldest daughter, and I was eight months pregnant with our second,” shares the bride. “I was watching the waves and as I turned around our daughter, Lumi, was holding a box with a beautiful ring, and Neil was down on one knee. We had been talking about getting married for a few years, but I was still incredibly surprised.” SETTING THE SCENE “We decided to get married in the Brecon Beacons as I love the area,” shares Leena. “After looking at a few commercialised wedding venues, we drove up to Penpont and met with Davina Hogg, the owner, who still lives in the estate. I was amazed by the beautiful gardens, the cleanliness of the property and the overall atmosphere. We were able to rent the venue for the weekend, so my oversea friends and family could stay. Penpont felt personal and meaningful. I cried after we left and knew it was the place for us.” For their favours, the couple gave their guests Welsh love spoons that went down a treat. “Our reception was in the stables,” adds the bride. “We opted for flowers on the tables to create a very minimalistic but rustic look. For our seating chart, we mixed our international friends with British guests to help create interesting conversations." The happy couple chose white and green wildflowers mixed with fragranced roses. “Brecon Blooms provided our arrangements,” says Leena. “She lives a few miles from the venue and grew everything in her garden. The flowers were very important to me, so we placed them in different spots around the venue. We also had decorative birdcages which we used at the ceremony and moved later in the day.” “Our cake was a three-tier creation with edible white and green flowers,” explains the bride. “It was a mixture of chocolate butter with cloudberry jam and vanilla butter. We also had a smaller chocolate gluten-free bake from Cakes Especially. For our catering, we hired Prickly Pear to cook and serve our food. It was important to us that our friends and family enjoyed themselves and drunk as much as they wanted without having to pay for anything. Everything was delicious, and many of our guests still remember the food.” DRESSED TO IMPRESS Leena opted for a Ronald Joyce dress called Jamie from Fleur de Lys Bridal. “I wanted something simple and classy,” shares the bride. “I accessorised with Jimmy Choo heels, diamond earrings and a small headpiece.” Neil and the groomsmen wore T.M. Lewis black dinner suits with bow ties. “My bridesmaids came from Norway and Finland, so we couldn’t buy the same dress for all four ladies,” explains Leena. “They all wore something different, but in a blue colour palette with matching bouquets. One of my maids even made her dress, which was wonderful!” REAL WEDDINGS 29