Chloe and Ray met, covered in neon paint, following their university’s freshers week foam party. And from celebratory beginnings came a festive proposal. While putting up the decorations at Christmas in 2019 Ray produced several tree baubles he’d made featuring photos of the two of them. When they were finished they stepped back to admire the tree, Michael Buble’s Christmas songs playing in the background – “I remember thinking what a lovely moment it was,” Chloe says. But it was about to get even better, as Ray announced he had one more decoration to add. He handed her a handmade box, which contained a hand-painted ceramic disc with a Christmas tree on one side and on the other, as she turned it over to discover, were the words, “Will you marry me?” As she looked up she found Ray on one knee holding out her engagement ring, and somewhere amongst the happy tears Chloe managed to say, “Yes.” The couple looked at a number of venues before they settled on Blackstock Country Estate. “It was by far the best and the most comfortable. It was warm and cosy, but also beautiful. We both grew up in the country and knew we wanted a countryside wedding, so it had everything we wanted,” Chloe explains. Join us as the bride gives us the lowdown on the big day, 18th October 2021... LOOKING THE PART “The style of my dress wasn’t one I’d even considered until I tried it on, but it just looked right and I fell in love with it.” Chloe remembers. She accessorised with a rhinestone belt, silver sparkly shoes and a foliage and white flower crown. It was also important to her to wear her nan’s butterfly brooch – “She passed away recently but would have been a very special guest at our wedding,” the bride explains. While each member of Chloe’s bride tribe wore a different style, the gowns were all sage green and floaty. “My bridesmaids picked the look they wanted, so they all felt comfortable and individual,” she shares. Ray wore a navy suit, which looked super-smart accessorised with a sage green tie to complement the bridesmaids’ dresses. In order to stand out, the groom’s buttonhole was that little bit more special than the groomsmen’s, who all wore matching suits. SETTING THE SCENE Having embraced a countryside theme with a palette of sage green and pastels, the bride chose wild flowers for her bouquet and the bridesmaids’. The latter then featured at the wedding breakfast as centrepieces. The posies were popped into glass jars, which also held the table numbers and sat on top of a large log slice at the centre of each table. Two smaller jars decorated with hessian and lace surrounded them, accompanied by tea lights, wooden-heart confetti and eco-friendly pastel paper confetti. Cute little hessian bag wedding favours also adorned the tables. These were labelled “Chloe & Ray were meant to bee,” and filled with a flower bomb and wild flower seeds. A little wooden bee sat on the front of each bag and the whole thing was eco-friendly, which was important to the couple. The place names, which also fit the theme beautifully, featured a sprig of sage green foliage and slotted into rustic wooden holders. The big-day bake boasted three tiers of lemon and poppyseed, carrot cake and cream and jam. It was all covered with a thick layer of buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers to complement the bride’s bouquet. Chloe assures us it tasted incredible! REAL WEDDINGS 27
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