Your Surrey Wedding - Feb/Mar 2020 (Issue 81)

REAL WEDDINGS 47  S harika and Leslie met through work. “Leslie was designing books, and I was the project manager,” says Sharika. “We always had a great time talking to each other, and the time would fly by. When one of our mutual friends didn’t turn up for an evening get-together, and it was too late for either of us to cancel, we met up and gradually became closer. It surprised us both when we are realised we might be becoming something more. During one of our meetings, we kissed, and things went from there.” Leslie popped the question during a holiday to Sicily in 2017. “We had talked about getting married and had even spent one afternoon looking at rings, but I still didn’t expect the proposal,” shares the bride. “We were visiting Punta Secca where Inspector Montalbano was filmed when he asked me. The ring came in a giant box, so Leslie had wrapped it in foam and lots of sellotape. He was struggling to get the tape off and had to use his teeth. I still didn’t believe he was being serious until I saw the ring gleam in the sun. He’d designed it himself and had it made by a man called Vincent Loveland. Now every time we watch Inspector Montalbano, we point to the place where he proposed.” SETTING THE SCENE “We wanted a venue that was within easy each reach of our friends and family,” explains Sharika. “With the number of people who stayed the night, we almost had Warren House exclusively. The staff did a great job of separating the wedding party and the other guests. We also loved that the venue had separate areas for the ceremony and reception.” The lovebirds decided to make their invitations, place names and table plan. “Samuel, who is Leslie’s youngest son, did a few drawings of us getting married when he was five or six years old,” shares the bride. “We used these on our invitations and table plan.” The couple’s big-day bake was made by Designer Cakes by Elle. “We chose a three-tier design,” shares Sharika. “Two of the layers were lemon sponge, and the other was Victoria sponge.” Sharika and Leslie decided to have a yellow and white colour scheme. “We chose beautiful flowers and incorporated lemons into the arrangements to represent Sicily,” says the bride. “We hired Flowers by Brian Kirkby, and the results looked amazing.” “We would definitely recommend our photographer, band, florist and the cake designer,” reveals Sharika. “We visited the home of one of the band members and sat around having tea for an hour. It was important for us to have suppliers who we bonded with and would use again. Now I just need an excuse to throw a giant party!” DRESSED TO IMPRESS Sharika purchased her big-day gown from Sanyukta Shrestha. “I tried on several dresses with varying price ranges,” says Sharika. “I