Your Sussex Wedding - April/May 2020 (Issue 84)

REAL WEDDINGS 31  A lison and Peter met at a house party hosted by mutual friend, ex-politician and Great British Railway Journeys presenter, Michael Portillo. Alison tells us, “As soon as we bumped into each other we had a jokey, verbal jousting kind of rapport, and there was an instant attraction.” As the couple’s relationship developed they had spoken generally about marriage, but it still came as a wonderful surprise for Alison when Peter proposed. He had wanted to pop the question while on holiday in Chile, visiting the Atacama Desert, however, things didn’t quite go to plan. Alison explains, “When we arrived, the driest place on earth was flooded and declared a catastrophe zone, so it didn’t seem appropriate.” All was not lost though, as the day they were due to return to the UK happened to be Valentine’s Day, and Peter already had a table booked at the Salt Room, their favourite restaurant. It was here that he asked Alison to be his wife. Join us as the bride shares her memories of their very special day on 11 th September 2019… LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Brighton is the town that this couple calls home, so naturally it’s where the venue search began. On the wish list for the ceremony was a romantic setting with a sense of drama and occasion, and there’s somewhere in this iconic seaside location that can tick all of these boxes with ease – The Royal Pavilion. Next on the agenda was a space to host the celebrations and where better than their favourite eatery and romantic engagement spot. Alison says, “We wanted a restaurant with fantastic food, and an edgy vibe. The Salt Room has exposed brick walls, with industrial copper light fittings, which contrasted fabulously with the soft glamour of the roses used in our venue styling.” SETTING THE SCENE Flowers were integral to the wedding’s theme, and were a priority for the pair right from the very beginning of the planning process. Alison explains, “We wanted them to be glamorous, romantic, dramatic, and luxuriant, with a real wow-factor. Because the tables were narrow, we knew the main arrangements had to hang from above. It wasn’t possible to suspend anything from the ceilings, so I had the idea to use an industrial-style copper pipe frame that would stand over the tables. These didn’t seem to exist, but Steph and Tim from Chirpee Flowers, who more than fulfilled our brief, found someone who could make them for us. Draped with roses and candles hanging in glass baubles, they really gave the venue a spectacular fairytale-effect. It was magical.” Further glorious floral features were used to bookend the top table, with guests being met by the heavenly scent of roses by the entrance. The bouquets included more roses with dahlias, lilies and grasses, in red, burgundy, pink and blush, which all looked stunning against Alison’s red dress. The guest list was kept to 60 to maintain the intimate restaurant atmosphere. The wood and metal tables contrasted beautifully with glamorous etched wine glasses, blush crystal water glasses, copper candlesticks and cutlery. An abundance of candles made everything sparkle and gave the space a warm romantic glow. The menus had each guests’ name printed at the top accompanied by their food choices, and the place cards were embossed with copper foil on blush card with a subtle green wash. The tables were named after different rose varieties, which featured in the arrangements. Alison remembers, “Steph came up with some fabulously named red and burgundy roses for us to use. The top table was Flaming Love, and the others were: Kiss, Blooming Romance, Blind Date, Black Tie, and Passion.” The big-day bake was a simple yet beautiful design with three layers. Each tier was a different flavour sponge: cherry bakewell with kirsch cherry compote and amaretto icing, red velvet with white chocolate icing, and blueberry crush with fresh blueberries and vanilla icing. It was topped with red roses and dahlias, mirroring the bride’s bouquet. Alison says, “We remembered to have some saved, which we froze and enjoyed when we returned from our honeymoon.” An excellent tip. A silver vintage Jaguar 1964 3.8 S-Type with red leather seats served as a most fitting means of transport for the newlyweds. The bride recalls, “David, the owner, had put red ribbons on her to match my dress.”