Your West Midlands Wedding - April/May 2024 (Issue 91)

In March 2016, Daisy arrived at a pub in Kington, Worcestershire. “I was there with another man,” says Daisy. “Barnaby, the barman and waiter for the evening, caught my eye. We chatted and flirted, but then I left with the other man. After a swift 24 hours and enlisting the help of my maid-of-hour, I hunted for this mystery bar man via the pub’s Facebook page, scrolling through hundreds of photos until I found him. I immediately added him on Facebook and the rest is history.” Barnaby popped the question in October 2021 at Watergate Bay Beach in Cornwall. “Being as subtle as a gun, I dropped hints like it was going out of fashion, even buying a ring measuring tool,” shares the bride. “Little did I know Barnaby had bought a ring five months before popping the question. He had meticulously planned the engagement, even hiring Tom, our wedding photographer, to capture the moment as it happened.” SETTING THE SCENE “Just four days after Barnaby proposed, I managed to get a viewing at Dewsall Court and instantly fell in love with it,” explains Daisy. “The charm and elegance of Dewsall Court oozes; its grand yet homely nature just makes you feel so at ease and relaxed. Weddings at the venue are three-day affairs. For a wedding I had dreamt about for many years, I thought, why not elongate it? “Stars have always been so central to our relationship, so we created a dine under the stars experience by suspending 15,000 stars through the canopy in the barn,” continues Daisy. “We also had laser-cut stars for all our place settings, as well as tiny pearl hair pins for myself and the bridesmaids. We had two long tables with hand-dyed muslin table runners, which were dutifully dyed about four times by Barnaby and I in the summer. On the tables, we placed small vases with fresh flowers and glass jars with dried versions, which had been collected from all our friends and families, all intermixed with candles in autumnal colours. Flowers are very important to me. I wanted to go for a berry and pink colour scheme with real autumnal berries, grasses and seed heads. I worked closely with Charlotte from Hilary’s Floral Design to create our dream arrangements; it was autumnal, but strictly no reds and oranges.” For their wedding cake, Daisy and Barnaby hired Perfect Cake Co to create a three-tiered design. “It was white yet had a small splattering of pink and beige to tie in with our colour scheme,” recalls the bride. “We had matching flowers on the second tier and our three cats were hand-painted onto the design, finished with our dog, Winnie, sitting on a log slice. “Barnaby and I are such foodies; this was one of the main reasons we went for Dewsall Court, as the food they produce is top-tier restaurant quality, as commented by our guests,” adds Daisy. “For our wedding breakfast, we had a variety of delicious options, including carrot and ginger soup, slow-cooked crispy pork belly and apple tart tartan. Just after dessert was served, we had an espresso martini tower and a custom-made bar menu dedicated to our four wonderful pets.” 27 REAL WEDDINGS

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