Your Surrey Wedding- October/November 2020 (Issue 85)

REAL WEDDINGS 43 R uth and Richard met at work. “He was my duty manager, and I worked in the kitchen,” says Ruth. “We both love food, and my mastery of the bacon, egg and sausage butty must have swayed him towards me.” Richard popped the question during a romantic evening at home. “We were watching a live Meatloaf concert in the living room while snuggling on the sofa,” shares the bride. “About halfway through I’d Do Anything For Love , he asked me to marry him. I was in complete shock and remember telling him he was a jerk for surprising me like that. I then hugged him and said ‘yes’ over and over again. He got down on one knee a few weeks later, and we picked the perfect ring together.” SETTING THE SCENE “We didn’t want to have our reception in a hall and viewed a couple of outdoor spaces until we came across Zinnia Gardens,” explains Ruth. “We fell in love right away and adored the beautiful gardens and secret bower area. There was plenty of room for all of our guests and lots of places to take photos, including a grand staircase with a lovely red carpet.” The couple gave their guests small boxes filled with blue and white sweets as favours. Their big-day bake was made by a family friend. “It was a gorgeous four-tier design,” shares Ruth. “The top layer was sponge to give our loved ones a bit of variety.” Ruth and Richard chose white flowers with lots of foliage. “A friend of the family made our centrepieces and floral arrangements,” says the bride. “She put everything together herself and also created my bouquet and the groomsmen’s buttonholes.” For their table plan, the lovebirds chose to name each table after a different band. “My father gave us lots of help,” explains Ruth. “We also created a postbox with A5 pieces of card, so all our guests could write a message. We then bound these together to create a book that we read after the wedding.” 