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

REAL WEDDINGS 43  impeding sight lines which are important for speeches and catching smiles across the room,” adds Chess. The bridal party bouquets featured fabulous blush and deep burgundy blooms with greenery, matching the garlands on the fireplaces and the arch to the dining room. The cake was a work of art – finished in a rose gold-coloured, and marble and slate effect it was designed to be on-theme but also featured some of Chess’ favourite materials used in architecture and interiors. Chess’ talented sister Gen made the cake starting three months in advance and describes it as “her best yet”! For the other venue décor the couple went all-out with a carnival-vibe in the conservatory with a fairylit glass roof, 50 metallic rose gold ombre paper lanterns, a painted and decorated candy cart, handmade large flower hoops, a ‘whiskey bar’ (a step ladder draped with ivy and 12 different types of whiskey), candles, petals and so much more! LOOKING THE PART Chess wore a fabulous gown called Hepburn by British designer Caroline Castigliano. She wanted something elegant and simple which would also make a statement. Exquisite Bridal altered the dress to have even more of a sweeping back than the original design and Chess styled it with a sparkly belt to add focus to the waist together with LK Bennett shoes! Accessories were simple, only pearl earrings a gift from her sister, and a diamond bracelet that Damien gave Chess years ago which she broke but had fixed for the wedding! The whole wedding was black tie so Damien had to stand out – he wore a made-to-measure tux with a midnight- blue crushed velvet jacket tailored by Dressed 2 Kill in London. It was essential to differentiate as his best man was his (almost identical!) twin brother. When it was party time and the jacket was flung off he had a fitted black waistcoat. The groomsmen looked handsome in their black tie, they kept on-theme with burgundy braces and pocket squares paired with socks with Sharks on! The four adult bridesmaids looked oh-so glamorous in full-length burgundy gowns, each in a style picked by themselves to suit their own tastes. The two teenage bridesmaids looked radiant in rose blush pink. The contrast between the light and dark really lifted the wedding party look! TIME TO CELEBRATE “At the church we kept it very classic, with a wind quintet playing Pacabell’s Canon in D on arrival and an organist for the hymns,” shares Chess. “When we arrived at Hampton Court House, via a red vintage routemaster, we had a caricaturist waiting, rapidly drawing cartoon portraits of our guests, keeping them entertained during reception drinks and canapés; giving us a chance to sneak off for our photos. “The Atea wind quintet who played in the church also came back with us and continued to play until dinner time excelling in a repertoire of classical music. “After dinner, we had a cocktail hour, we provided ‘His, Hers and Bertie’s’ drinks; ‘his’ was Damien’s fav a classic mojito, ‘hers’ a Kir Royal and Bertie’s (named after our cat!) was a non- alocholic ginger and lime mocktail. We had a fantastic pianist playing jazz and pop on the grand Piano, this gave guests a chance to recover post dinner but also doubled as a welcome reception for our evening guests. We cut the cake in this hour too, Genevieve, who made the cake gifted us with a gorgeous engraved Vera Wang knife and cake slice for the occasion!” After cocktail hour it was party time! Chess and Damien kept the guests entertained with their best go at a little English waltz with plenty of dips, twirls and lifts; before the live Irish Band The Mighty’s took over, they played some Irish and British classics. Lisa and Shauna Sharkey, also performed an Irish Dance routine which astounded everyone with their legs flailing with rapid precision! ”Both girls compete at an international level and it was a real treat to see them in action!” shares Chess. “At 10pm the DJ took over and kept the tunes lively until midnight when we ended with sparklers! Throughout the evening we had The Luxestar photo booth – the most stylish, vintage-looking photo booth around! Jo from Captive Photography manned the camera and made sure guests got a copy of the photo and also stuck a copy in our guest book – simply the best record of our friends and family capering around posing with hearts, lobsters, hats, glasses and giant hands! We also had Dough and Deer providing sourdough pizzas in the evening, whipping up a selection of veggie pizzas they went down a storm.”