James told Hannah that they were going for quick lunch at a restaurant in Farnham town centre, but before the couple got to town, James stopped at Farnham Park and Castle grounds. James then surprised Hannah with a romantic picnic and as soon as he laid the picnic blanket out, he bent down on one knee! Hannah was so surprised that she didn’t even say yes properly! The newly engaged couple spent just over 2 years planning their dream wedding at Botleys Mansion in Surrey.
Hannah and James viewed 4 wedding venues during their search for ‘the one’. Botleys Mansion is classic, elegant and ticked all the boxes that were on Hannah and James’s wedding venue ‘must-have’ list. They were keen to book a wow-factor wedding venue – and this became instantly apparent when they entered the large gates on the approach to Botleys Mansion. The couple chose to get married in October, due to the fact that they had met in the month of October, 11 years previously.
After trying on a number of different wedding dresses, from numerous designers, Hannah decided to try on an ivory, lace, A-line gown with a reasonably long trail, ¾ length lace sleeves and detailed embellished on the belt, designed by Essense of Australia. She knew that this gown was ‘the one’ by the reaction on her friends faces when she came out of the dressing room. As she wanted to remain comfortable throughout her wedding day, Hannah opted to wear simple, white, flat wedding shoes with a hint of glitter to add a touch of glam.
Hannah walked down the aisle with her father to the sounds of the Piano version of Canon in D by Pachelbel. A couple of readings were read, the couple exchanged their vows, wedding rings and their first kiss as husband and wife. Hannah will forever have the memory of her mother and grandmother with her, as the couple chose to have Hannah’s wedding band handmade to include the diamonds from their engagement rings.
The wedding reception tables looked simply divine and the flowers were displayed in a mixture of tall trumpet vases and storm lanterns with a ring of floral detail surrounding them. The bridesmaids carried bouquets of white hydrangea and Hannah opted for a stunning, hand-tied bouquet featuring a variety of autumnal blooms.
When it came to naming their wedding reception tables, the couple decided to name them after places that were special to the couple. They included Botleys Mansion for the top table, along with the name of their first house, the locations that they travelled to on their stag and hen parties, Farnham Castle where the couple began their wedding story, plus, the pub that they celebrated their engagement party.
For the evening section, the couple invited a further 35 wedding guests to celebrate with them. During the evening, the couple cut through a gorgeous, four-tier, navy and white coloured wedding cake which had been designed by Alexander Taylor Cakes in Guildford. The navy tiers were filled with a Ferrero Rocher flavour and the white tiers were flavoured with fresh strawberries and white chocolate. The couple hired the Harper DJ to keep their guests entertained throughout the evening, and the newlywed couple danced their first dance to ‘Chasing Cars’ by Snow Patrol.
Suppliers
Photographer: Richard Galloway | Florist: Sonning Flowers | Cake: Alexander Taylor Cakes | Beautician: Bryony Holloway | Wedding Dress: Essence of Australia | Hair Stylist: Sharon Roberts | Wedding Suits: Ted Baker at Moss Bros
