My first memory of George is him drunkenly giving me a fireman’s lift during freshers week at university,” Alice says. The two lived in the same halls accommodation and were part of the same friendship group. It wasn’t until they moved into a shared house of 10 people for their second year that they grew closer. The two shared the same taste in music, which led to George offering Alice his spare concert ticket to see The Killers. Despite trying to convince their families that they were just friends, George asked her out a few weeks later. George popped the question on their first night on holiday in Spain. He found a private spot complete with stunning views that he knew from previous family holidays growing up. “I was caught completely off guard, as we’d been so busy that I was hoping for an uneventful bit of rest and relaxation!” Alice remembers. Needless to say though, once she’d said “yes” she was both excitable and emotional for the rest of the week. “I wouldn’t have changed it for the world,” she says. The couple began their venue search locally and Southend Barns immediately became a top contender. “When we were welcomed to the venue the first thing we noticed was the wonderful attitude of the wedding coordinators who showed us around,” Alice remembers. “They were genuinely interested in our story, and you could tell that they really cared about making our day special.” A stunning, sophisticated barn venue, the duo also found themselves attracted by the fact that it didn’t require too much additional decor. The chefs were open to the idea of a fully vegan, bespoke menu, which was important to the couple. “They even seemed excited by the challenge,” Alice recalls. “They were also exceptionally considerate of the environment. Big celebrations can often be very wasteful, which is something we wanted to avoid.” So, with the date set for 5th October 2024, Alice now shares her memories of this super-special day... SETTING THE SCENE When Alice and George set to work planning their wedding, they devised a dark green palette with sunflowers and selected the venue’s Amber Sunset table settings package. Centrepieces were burnt orange vases handmade by Alice at Matt C Smith Ceramics, a pottery studio in Charlton Barn where she and George had been attending classes for two years. Sunflowers, carnations and leaves were crocheted by Alice and her mum, Sandy. It was a huge undertaking involving many hours of work but looking back, Alice says it was worth it, although maybe not recommended for anyone with a busy schedule! The bridal bouquet, the three bridesmaids’, 12 centrepieces and 15 buttonholes were also crocheted by Alice with help from her mum. She included carnations daisies and a variety of different leaves. Alice’s maid-of-honour is a graphic designer and created all of the couple’s stationery and signage. Using a dark green monotone theme, she included sunflowers and baby’s breath floral linework around the borders. There were more lovely, crocheted sunflowers in the corner of the table plan on a background provided by Southend Barns – their vintage table planner. The gold border place names were purchased from Amazon and Alice handwrote the guests’ names. They opted for table numbers rather than names – with 12, coming up with anything creative would have been a real challenge! George works for Rolls Royce and as a perk for employees, they offered a free car for their wedding day. So, the couple selected the elegant Rolls Royce Ghost in Arctic White. FOOD FOR THOUGHT Southend Barns’ caterers, Roots, offer an array of set menus, but since the couple wanted a fully vegan meal, the team created something bespoke. This opened with a selection of five canapés for guests to enjoy during the drinks reception. The wedding breakfast started with poppadoms served with chutney. This was followed by a festival sharing style main course of curries and other Indian inspired “ 25 REAL WEDDING
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