Keren’s Story

The Proposal

Some might say it was not the most romantic of proposals, but to us it was perfect! We were at the Dubai World Cup Horse Races in March 2006 and had spent the day in the Bubble lounge with friends. We decided it was time to move on and we ended up in another area alone after losing all our friends.

It was there that he looked at me, got down on one knee amongst the crowds and said “will you marry me?” It was so spontaneous that I think he even surprised himself and for a moment I thought he was joking, but when I looked into his eyes I knew it was real and I said yes! He then stood up and said – “I haven’t called your dad to ask for permission!” And with that he ran off to make the phone call and I was left on my own to take it all in!

Mark later told me he had wanted propose for about six months but hadn’t decided how, where, or when to do it, so he saw the opportunity that evening and took it.

The next few days passed in a blur of excitement and phone calls to friends and family telling them the good news they had been waiting to hear.

The Outfits

The Bride – My dress was by Ian Stuart. After sifting through lots of wedding magazines I realized I had only torn out Ian Stuart designs. Luckily the wedding dress shop near by stocked his dresses.

The dress I chose was ivory, raw silk with Swarovski crystals. It was quite plain from the front but the back was more detailed with buttons all the way down and a flower on the bustle with a small train. I knew it was “my dress” as soon as I saw it in the shop.

The Bridesmaids – They wore untraditional dresses in a mink colour that laced all the way up the back and came just below the knee.

The Groom and Groomsmen – The ushers hired suits in a dark grey colour with dark brown ties and pink calla lilly button holes.

The Wedding and Reception Venue

We have a huge number of friends and family so we needed a venue that could accommodate almost 200 guests for a civil ceremony and reception. We did a search on Country House Wedding Venues by number of guests, we visited a number of venues but not one of them stood out or felt right.

As soon as I drove into The Barn at Bury Court I fell in love with the venue and the surroundings. There was even a converted Oast house for the bride to get ready in or for the bride and groom’s honeymoon night. The inside of the barn had old oak pillars, wooden floors, brick walls, high ceilings and enough room for all our guests.

The Decorative Touches

Room decorations – The barn itself was beautiful so all we needed was fairy lights winded round the pillars, white linen table cloths and napkins and white crockery.

Table centrepieces – We choose very tall glass vases as the ceilings were so high in the barn. The bottom was filled with cellophane and the flowers were white gerberas and pale pink calla lilies mixed with bear grass. The bear grass was threaded with crystal diamante beads which forced the grass to hang over the side of the vase. They looked beautiful and we had a lot of compliments.

Favours – We didn’t have wedding favours as such we just placed bowls of Ferrero Rocher on the tables for guests to enjoy after the meal with the champagne toast.

The Cake

We had a pyramid cake made from over 100 individual chocolate mousse cakes! It was so big it took three people to carry it out, while all the guests were holding their breath hoping it wouldn’t topple over!

The Transport

I got ready on site in the Oast house so just had a short walk into the ceremony. The groom came with the best man and all the ushers in convoy from the nearby hotel where all of the guests were staying.

Advice to other couples

Don’t let it become a chore; it should be a fun, stress free experience as much as possible. At the end of the day you are getting married because you love each other. (If you can’t get flowers in the exact colour you want or the bridesmaid dresses don’t quite match the ushers ties, it doesn’t really matter.) The most important thing is that all of your closest friends and family are there to share a very special memory with you.

The Suppliers

Wedding Reception Venue – The Barn at Bury Court

Venue found through Country House Wedding Venues

Bride’s dress – Ian Stuart

Flowers – Heavenly Scent

Band – Groove Instinct

Photographer – Juliette Harrison Photography