Your Surrey Wedding - Apr/May 2019 (Issue 76)

REAL WEDDINGS 41  F rancesca “Chess” Wilkinson and Damien Sharkey met while at work and were actually desk-buddies working on a design for a skyscraper together! “We spent many late nights model making, designing, drawing and chatting over hot chocolate,” recalls Chess. “Our shared love of design and construction soon developed into a relationship and will no doubt continue to define our marriage.” Eight years later, Damien surprised Chess on a visit to her family farm in Ripley, Surrey, whilst walking the family dog Jack along the Wey Navigations he got down on one knee on a very muddy path and asked the question! “I was so surprised I couldn’t speak, cried and nodded!” shares Chess. “Damien had already primed my parents and they were waiting at the gate with champagne! “Damien’s rationale for the proposal setting was flawless – he reasoned that as it was unlikely Jack would be able to attend the wedding (being an enormous German Shephard) he should at least be there for our engagement! He then whisked us down to the New Forest for a surprise night at Burley Manor en route to visit my recently widowed grandma to tell her the news first. There were a lot of happy and sad tears! We then continued our ‘engagement tour’ and flew to Ireland where we spent a week visiting Damien’s parents and extensive family!” The happy couple set 6 th October, 2018, as their wedding date, with St Marys Church, Hampton and Hampton Court House, both setting the backdrop for the day. Here, we find out more... SETTING THE SCENE Damien and Chess fell in love with Hampton Court House the first time they saw it; the picturesque grounds, charming Grade II listed façade and grandeur of the interiors all appealed. “The main hall has two massive fireplaces which are so romantic,” adds Chess. “These aesthetic considerations paired with the practicalities of the exclusive hire of the whole house and corkage free service resulted in us booking there and then!” As the couple are both passionate about design, getting the decorations right was a top priority! The favours were homemade sloe gin decanted in miniature bottles, branded with the pair’s bespoke logo, which Chess designed for the event. “For the non-drinkers I made homemade creamy fudge and similarly branded the packaging with our logo,” shares the bride. “The table plan was a hand-illustrated architectural drawing titled ‘Our London’ mapping out the significant buildings which Damien and I have worked on together and individually over the last decade. This took over three weeks of illustrating to complete! “ Styled by Fairynuff Flowers, the centrepieces were alternate designs of tall candelabra with flowers ringed around the base, with the others having a bridesmaid bouquet placed in a central vase with votives ringed around. “This approach of half-high half-low provided visual interest without THE SKY’S THE LIMIT Chess and Damien’s day epitomised romance Images courtesy of Jo Hughes, Captive Photography