Your Surrey Wedding- December 2020/January 2021 (Issue 86)

Anthony decided to make our table plan in the week running up to the wedding. Due to my dad’s health, we were unsure who might be there and using pegs for the names gave us the flexibility to adjust right up to the last minute. We decided to go with long trestle style tables because it meant we could be part of the celebrations instead of on a head table. We chose to donate to Prostate Cancer UK and gave pin badges to each of our guests. My dad spent several years battling prostate cancer and unfortunately passed away from it just before the wedding. This was one way we felt we could honour him and keep him in our hearts on the day. We were attracted by how cosy Cain Manor was. We knew we wanted an autumn wedding and felt the venue would lend itself perfectly to our theme. We regularly visit a nearby National Trust area with our dog, so it was nice to choose somewhere that meant something to us. There was also an option to have the property the night before and enjoy a family-style dinner, which was lovely. Every time we visited Cain Manor, all the wedding planners were incredibly friendly and welcoming, and we didn’t feel pressured at all. Dean was very helpful and accommodating, nothing was too much trouble, and he put us at ease. Jeni also made our cakes. Our tasting session was one of the best parts of wedding planning. Anthony is gluten-free, so both our cakes were made to accommodate him, but you wouldn’t have known! We had a two-tier naked bake; one tier was flavoured orange, and the other was a Victoria sponge decorated with fresh fruit. We also had a Bundt cake that was cinnamon flavoured with orange drizzle and embellished with figs and berries. Jeni’s Cakes & Flowers provided our big-day blooms. We knew we wanted them to look quintessentially autumn, colourful but rustic and not too large. Jeni did an absolutely amazing job. She really understood our style and what we wanted. The arrangements were a combination of sunflowers, anemones, blue thistles, roses and foliage. We then re-used some of the ceremony flowers for our centrepieces. We placed them in old gin bottles and jam jars surrounded by low-level candles. We had a pillar candle that we lit near the cakes in memory of my dad and had photos of our families framed and dotted around the venue. We also hired a company called Party Lights to drape a canopy of fairylights in the main hall. 54