Your Surrey Wedding- August/September 2020 (Issue 84)

42 A nna and Craig began talking on a dating app. “Just after we met, Craig went away with the army to Sierra Leone,” says Anna. “He forgot to tell me that he was going into the jungle and would have no means of messaging me, so after a few months of thinking he’d ghosted me, he reappeared, and we started talking again. On his return he invited me to a formal dinner at his regiment, however, he forgot to say that the dinner was being held in Norfolk, which was three hours away! Upon discovering this critical piece of information, I insisted we went on a date before the dinner and that he met my parents so I could put them at ease. Craig got the train to London, and we spent our first date at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. We had a great time, and I managed to convince Craig to come to my family home and meet my parents for a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich. Needless to say, he charmed them, and with their blessing, we left for Norfolk. The dinner went well, and by the end of the month, I was in Portugal meeting his mum and dad for the first time. After three months of dating, Craig was deployed, and we spent six months apart. He returned in October and by the end of December, we were engaged.” Craig popped the question on their first anniversary. “After spending Christmas apart, we planned to go to Dublin to welcome in the new year and mark our first year together,” shares the bride. “Off to a shaky start, with both of our flights being delayed we finally met in Ireland. Craig insisted that we walked through St Stephen’s Green to visit Iveagh Gardens. As it was nearly dusk, I pointed out that there was no rush as it would be open the next day, but Craig was adamant that we went. Moving quickly to the gardens, we found them chained shut with no way in. It was getting dark, and we eventually found ourselves wandering around the grounds of Trinity College Dublin, where we stumbled across a rose garden. In a quiet spot, under a large cherry tree, Craig finally asked me to marry him, and the rest is history.” SETTING THE SCENE “We’d booked Taylor’s Farm Retreat in Dorking for our wedding,” explains Anna. “It’s a beautiful barn on a working farm that breeds and drives carriage horses. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, our venue had to cancel. This all happened three days before our big day. Our 120 guest list had been reduced to around 30 people, so we decided to host our reception at home. We live close to the church, so it worked out perfectly.” The couple’s big-day bake was made by Cake Maid by Catherine. “It was made up of lemon, elderflower, coconut, lime and carrot,” shares Anna. “As it was originally made for 120 people, our 25 guests were each able to take a big slice home.” Anna and Craig chose light pink roses with lots of foliage. “Most of our flowers were imported from Holland, and due ot the lockdown the supply chain was in chaos,” says the bride. “Despite this, I Do Wedding Florists provided us with some stunning arrangements.” For their centrepieces, the couple purchased log slices and jugs that they filled with lights and placed around their home. “For our transport, we had a cream convertible from Deluxe Wedding Cars,” explains Anna. “It was decorated with a flower wreath and a picnic basket filled with bottles of prosecco.” The lovebirds hired The Frying Squad for their catering. “They very kindly changed the venue and time to provide food from our apartment’s car park,” shares the bride. “The fish and chips were NOTHING CAN KEEP US APART Anna and Craig tie the knot in an unconventional wedding just before lockdown Images courtesy of The Light Painters