Triumph over the weather!
The weather forecast during the week leading up to the wedding was appalling but the bride and groom were amazingly laid back about it and planned for the worst!
Friday saw a team of helpers descend on the marquee. This was provided by Western Marquees - www.westernmarquees.co.uk/- who had provided our first marquee and suggested that we start a wedding venue! With the weather in mind they kindly provided extra carpet between the tent and the drive. The marquee was lined in ivory and hand made bunting loaned from a friend was looped across the ceiling. A beautiful daisy light hung like a huge dandelion head in the centre.
The bridegroom's mother had grown the most beautiful hanging baskets which were arranged on special stands in the marquee and looked stunning.
Trestle tables were placed in a U shape and the tables decorated with a hessian runner and jars of garden flowers arranged by the bride's Aunt.
The bride had created many wonderful finishing touches over the previous year with the aid of the addictive "Pinterest". She said that unpacking them from storage was like an early Christmas! She had written all their notices in perfect script. A table was dedicated to those who could not be at the wedding including photographs of grandparents who are no longer with them.
They had thought of everything- an allergy to wasps by one of the guests was solved by garden cloches over each cake!
The bride arrived in a car that had once belonged to her father and which had been the pride and joy of a close family friend who had owned it since new.
The wedding ceremony for twenty five close friends and family took place in the dining room of Shillingstone House. Chairs were brought from the marquee and the room was decorated with jars of flowers from the marquee. The bride looked amazing with a stunning crown of flowers in her hair created by Jessie Copper of West Dorset Wedding Flowers - westdorsetweddingflowers.co.uk
Guests moved from the ceremony to the marquee for tea where the most wonderful array of cakes had been provided by Sturminster Marshall Evening WI where the bride's aunt is president.
A Gazebo was set up beside the marquee by The Perfect Pig, Hog Roast and Barbecue Co., run by a husband and wife team. Arrangements were made, in case the rain did not stop in time, for the evening guests to come and fetch their food but in the end the skies cleared. http://www.theperfectpig.co.uk.
Guests could then wander in the gardens where more decorations had been hung in the trees
With the sun shining , wonderfully natural and happy photographs in the grounds were taken by Claudia Vye from Claudia Vye Photography (who took all those in the blog not marked with a dot) www.claudiavye.com
The party continued until midnight, dancing to the sound of Sam EB, DJ from Middleman Solutions, (http://middlemansolutions.co.uk) when many of the guests retired to their tents in the grounds including the bride and groom who slept in our bridal Bell Tent in the walled garden.
Brunch was provided the next morning before the great tidy up took place!