Green and White Weddings

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Sarah and Giles, May 2006
Chesworth House

Sarah’s Story

The Proposal

In February 2005 we went to Venice for a short break. One evening Giles took me out to a lovely restaurant; on our walk back to the hotel he stopped me on the Rialto Bridge and very traditionally got down on one knee to propose. It was a big surprise to me I wasn’t sure if to cry or giggle it was so overwhelming!

The Outfits

The Bride – An A-line ice blue strapless dress by Ian Stuart. The bodice was covered in French lace, beaded with tiny crystals, sequins and glass beads. The draped skirt ‘swept’ up to the back and had a three tiered French bustle, which split open to reveal the antique lace train. |The dress was trimmed with hand made roses and hanging leaves.

The Bridesmaids – My 2 closest friends were my bridesmaids and they wore mushroom coloured silk-taffeta strapless bodices’ and skirts from Monsoon.

The Groom and Groomsmen – Black suits, white diamond waistcoats and mushroom coloured ties made by Giles’ aunt to match the Bridesmaids outfits.

The Ceremony and Reception Venue

Ceremony – We chose St Mary’s Church in Storrington as we had both grown up in the village and wanted a church wedding. It was also just the right size for all our guests.

Reception – We fell in love with the grounds of Chesworth House as soon as we got there. The gardens are absolutely stunning – a small river runs through the garden and there was the promise of beautifully coloured azaleas and rhododendrons reflecting in the water in the month we wanted to get married. It looked like an amazing place for photographs and we had free rein of the garden where our marquee would be situated and also use of the Chapel for our drinks reception – a beautiful old building. The owners were very accommodating too and told us a lot about the fascinating history of the house.

The Decorative Touches

We wanted to keep the marquee looking quite simple and elegant – so all table linen was in crisp whites but the napkins were tied with magenta coloured ribbon. The menu’s, place names and seating plan had been designed by a graphic designer friend of ours. The theme was white with hints of magenta pink and the mushroom colour of the bridesmaid’s dresses. All artwork carried our butterfly theme through.

The Cake

My mother had made a 4 tier cake. A friend delicately decorated it with white icing and made beautiful white butterflies in various sizes with their tips tinged with magenta that were scattered all over the cake. Each tier was finished with a small row of pearls held on with tiny sugar flowers. On the top of the cake sugar Singapore orchids wired crystals and more butterflies were placed on tiny silver wires to give the impression of movement.

The Transport

A friend of Giles’ family drove us in his lemon coloured Rolls Royce.

Advice to other couples

It was all wonderful – we both just felt so happy to be sharing our special day with our family and friends. Just enjoy every bit of your day as you will have worked so hard to make it your special day.