Haley and Craig - August Wedding Craig took Haley to Hanbury Manor in Hertfordshire to celebrate their 1 year anniversary. "Craig suggested we go for a walk. He led me into the gardens where we 'accidentally' came across a secret garden. I noticed that someone had laid out champagne, rose petals and chocolates. Craig said they were for me! He started talking about how much I meant to him and then told me he had spoken to my Dad and he'd agreed for Craig to ask me to marry him! I said yes and we sat for about two hours talking."

The Venue

Wasing Park was the first venue that Haley and Craig looked at. They found it by doing a Google search on venues near to where they lived in Weybridge. What they didn't realise, was that the venue was still being built! "We arrived and were shown around. We could tell instantly that this was where we would get married. We loved the Castle Barn that holds the reception and even though it had no floor and was surrounded by scaffolding, we could imagine what it would look like when finished." Wasing Park was booked about 18 months in advance.

The Outfits

After trying on lots of dresses and liking them all, Haley tried on a Maggie Sottero dress and knew instantly this it was the one! The one Haley tried on was gold, but she ordered it in ivory. It had a beaded crystal bodice and a riffled skirt. The corset was strong to hold in her stomach and give Haley a waist! (Her words!) Haley wore a tiara from Halo and a Swarovski bracelet borrowed from her sister-in-law's sister-in-law! Ivory shoes from Dune with sparkles, a high heel and platform completed the look.

Haley had 7 bridesmaids and a flower girl, so had to find outfits within budget! She found the perfect dresses in Warehouse, in the sale for £40 each! They were the exact colour and set the theme for the whole wedding! Her flowergirl’s dress matched Haley's and was from John Lewis. Craig wore a light grey suit with an ivory waistcoat and cravat. His groomsmen wore dark grey suits with ivory waistcoats and fuchsia pink cravats. The pageboy wore a suit in light grey to match Craig's which was bought from M&S.

The Flowers & Decorations

Haley's bouquet was beautiful and pulled all the colours together, with a mixture of different flowers. Craig wore a white calla lily and the groomsmen wore pink calla lilies. The bridesmaids carried white calla lilies. The tables had white linen and circular mirrors in the middle. On top of the mirror were tall round vases that had floating flowers in water and silver metal wire. The florist covered the tables in crystals and rose petals.

Favours & The Cake

Each female guest was given a personalised lip balm and a Molton Brown bottle inside a fuchsia organza bag. Craig was put in charge of the cake (his only job!). He ordered a white chocolate cake with white chocolate swirls all around the outside. On the top they had personalised figures, dressed to match Haley and Craig’s own outfits. Inside was a rich chocolate cake with Belgian chocolate filling, covered with chocolate ganache and finished off with a sprinkling of white chocolate. It was served with fresh cream.

Comments

When we asked Haley to name the high spot of her day, she said, "The best part for me was the ceremony as we asked family and friends to read and sing, which gave it such a personal and sentimental touch." We also asked Haley if there was anything she had learnt that she thought was an important tip for future wedding couples? "Book everything early! Enjoy the day, try and speak to everyone as I had so many people I didn't get a chance to even say hello to!"