Fiona and Steven - August Wedding Steven proposed to Fiona on a perfect day in May. "We were having a lovely meal in a restaurant when Steven proposed to me. When he presented the ring, I knew he was serious and of course I said yes!"

Here is Fiona and Steven's real life wedding story

The Venue

The wedding venue was a building site when Fiona and Steven first saw it. "I had come across the website and liked the proposed designs for the buildings and setting, so we went along as it wasn't far away and we didn't have anything to lose. The garden room where the ceremony would take place had been built and the reception barn was in the process of being finished. Even though we were walking across planks of wood and avoiding gravel pits, we instantly knew this is somewhere we would like for our special day. It was surrounded by beautiful countryside and we were made to feel so welcome." Wasing Park was booked about 14 months in advance.

The Outfits

Fiona's dress was a beautiful figure hugging Maggie Sottero silk taffeta dress called Sandrina. "It gave me the most amazing hourglass figure and I felt like a glamorous filmstar... despite a surprise pregnancy!". Fiona borrowed her sister's Swarovski crystal tiara, crystal necklace and earrings. She wore a silver and crystal bracelet, a present from her mother and father-in-law. Her mum pinned a medal on the inside of her dress that belonged to her grandmother and she had her grandad's trusty (and rusty) old penknife in her handbag.

The bridesmaids’ gorgeous purple dresses were from Belsoie in the style of Jasmine. The dresses were off-the-shoulder worn with silver sandals from New Look and silver satin handbags from Accessorize. Fiona gave them all an amethyst and silver necklace and earring set as presents. Steven and the male bridal party wore grey Prince Edward suits from Slater’s with lilac waistcoats and lilac cravats.

The Flowers & Decorations

As purple was the theme, they had a mixture of ivory and lilac summer flowers; amnesia roses, lavender, hydrangea, stocks, phlox, scabiosa, sweet peas, eucalyptus and herbs, such as mint, sage and rosemary. "The flowers were arranged to give a natural look. As Steven's surname is Scottish, we also had some thistles in the bouquets and buttonholes." The ceremony barn didn't need much decoration as it has glass walls and has stunning views of the garden and terrace. "I had made some ivory tulle bows with purple silk ribbons and ivory and purple roses, so my mum and bridesmaids tied them about the ceremony barn and the terrace." The table centrepieces echoed Fiona's bouquet and were simple hand-tied posies including a mix of flowers from the main theme. They were placed in clear glass vases that had been lined with green leaves. Each bouquet had a white dove perched within it, to complement the lovebird theme. The guests could take these home as gifts.

As the ceremony and reception were in one place, they didn't need any transport. After a week of dismal weather with a cloud and rain forecast, the day was perfect; a blue sky with not a cloud in sight and glorious sunshine. "After a relaxing lunch of sandwiches and Champagne, my Mum, Dad, bridesmaids and pageboy walked me down from the bridal suite over to the ceremonial barn, where everyone was waiting for us, albeit behind blinds that had been pulled down so my grand entrance was a surprise!"

Favours & The Cake

For favours Fiona and Steven gave chocolate purple love hearts and silver coins from Confetti. Fiona's, mum's friend Tina, made their wedding cake. 3 tiers separated with wine glasses filled with crystals. Purple ribbon and purple and ivory silk flowers surrounded the cake, and two lovebirds sat at the base.

Comments

When asked what was the best part of the day, Fiona says "For me, it was seeing my husband-to-be at the front of the room. After being very calm all morning, I got quite emotional walking down the aisle, with a few tears and as soon as Steven squeezed my hand, the tears went and I was so happy." We also asked Fiona if there was anything she had learnt that she thought was an important tip for future wedding couples. "Yes, don't get sucked into the whole wedding franchise! It can stress you out and be harmful to your budget. Think about whether having monogrammed napkin rings is really that important. Personal touches don't have to be extravagant. I made my own Orders of Service and on the front there was a photo of my Dad's parents on their wedding day, a personal touch that my Dad and Aunt really appreciated."