REAL WEDDING Something Blue 8120 views

Eve & Gavin
29 June 2008

They Met The couple first met in a bar in Bristol in 2003 when Eve was studying at Bath University. Things took off from that one drink together and Gavin proposed at 28 seconds to midnight on New Year’s Eve 2006. Poor Gavin was left in suspense for at least two minutes as Eve broke down in tears of emotion!

Wedding Venue After Eve and her mother scoured through hundreds of venues, they finally came across Halswell House and immediately fell in love with it! They liked the idea of friends and family being able to stay the night and making a weekend of it, as well as it being set in the gorgeous Somerset countryside with long, winding driveways and vistas all the way to Wales.

The Theme The couple chose a traditional country wedding theme to suit the setting, with the colour scheme of pearl and Wedgwood blue. They decided to concentrate on the little touches such as the white table linen with blue organza runners, as well as napkin rings made of the same organza ribbon with a pearl attached. They also made sure that the stationery matched their colour scheme, as well as favours of pocket mirrors in organza bags, filled with confetti, for the ladies, with luggage tags acting as place names. After an afternoon of cream tea and croquet on the lawn, the reception was held in the ballroom upstairs with a traditional hog roastL LED light balls created a relaxing atmosphere further enhanced by the courtyard outside that was filled with lanterns.

What They Wore The bride wore a beautiful, white tulle ball gown with a corseted top and sweetheart neckline and a huge skirt, by Mori Lee. She accessorized with a four metre long veil, which her Mum made specially for her as well as pearl jewellery from Belgium and a pretty pearl hair slide. For the evening celebrations, Eve changed into a deep red fishtail gown from Karen Millen.
The groom wore a traditional tail suit with a black jacket and grey herringbone trousers, with a white waistcoat and cravat from Young’s Hire. He also wore a buttonhole of a simple white rose, with the groomsmen wearing the same but with blue cravats and handkerchiefs.
The bride had four bridesmaids, the eldest three wore full-length, blue dresses with the youngest wearing a white dress and shrug from Debenhams. They teamed their outfits with matching headdresses of white and blue pearls with crystals, made by the bride. The couple gave the bridesmaids pearl jewellery with the groomsmen receiving matching cufflinks.

The Cake The couple chose a three-tiered cake with flowers between each layer, decorated with white icing and small pearl details. One layer was fruit cake, the next Madeira cake and the last, chocolate, all from Marks & Spencer.

The Flowers The flowers for the venue were all English country garden varieties, in shades of pale blue, purple and white, with the reception decorated with small bouquets in glass bowls, set on metal stands. For the bride’s bouquet, Eve wanted to capture the beauty of her parents' garden in the summer, choosing her favourite flowers of lisyanthus, roses, freesias, rosemary, thyme and lavender to make up a teardrop bouquet. The bridesmaids carried smaller hand-tied posies.

First Dance The newlyweds danced to Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol, which was played by their six-piece band, Pondlife. They entertained the guests with music from the seventies to the 00’s, keeping them on the dance floor all night!

A Moment To Remember The couple found their hand-written vows especially emotional and moving, as well as reading them in front of all the people they really cared about. They also liked it when both Mums lit a candle in memory of those who were no longer with them, including the groom’s brother, as well as lighting a candle together symbolising the two families uniting.

Honeymoon After their reception ended at midnight, they stayed in the honeymoon suite at Halswell House. The couple then jetted off to spend a three-week honeymoon in Singapore, Bali and Lombok.

Any Advice? Eve says, ‘Think about the details, your guests will really appreciate it and the day will run much smoother.’ As well as commenting that, ‘WeddingPath’s forums were invaluable.’ Gavin suggests, ‘Don’t try to plan surprises for the bride, if she wants it she’ll try to plan it anyway and book it herself, ruining the surprise!’

Eve & Gavin’s Contact Book:
Venue: Halswell House halswellweddings.co.uk
Caterer: Hallett & Hay 01278 653 800
Dress: Discount Bridal discountbridal.org
Groomswear: Young’s Hire youngs-hire.co.uk
Cake: Marks & Spencer marksandspencer.com
Flowers: The Flower Factory 01278 426 409

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