Fantastic wedding despite the rain
The family gathered on Thursday to start decorating as soon as Collins from Wimborne has finished erecting the Marquee. With ultra-cool the bride did not arrive, apart from a quick visit on Thursday evening, until Friday lunch time as she was teaching. Her pupils sent her off in a tiara and sash and driving a car filled with pink balloons and decorated with foil!
On Friday, the forecast was dreadful but the family were really laid back about it. An extra small tent was put up close to the gazebo just in case of bad weather. Beautifully decorated baskets of flowers, planted by a family friend, arrived and sheltered here until the wedding morning.
The large canvas marquee was lined inside with white drapes and swags. Varying sizes of globe lights hung from the ceiling. Collins were enormously helpful in working with the family and making sure that everything was perfect. ( www.collinsmarquees.co.uk )
Large numbers of family and friends descended to decorate on the Friday. Flowers, provided by the family, were arranged in vintage looking milk churns on the tables, These had hessian bands bordered with lace laid across them and matched the napkin rings.
Bunting was strung round the sides of the marquee, a sweet table was put together, complete with brown paper bags with the couple's name on them and a easel with the seating plan, cards pegged onto little washing lines, was placed by the entrance. Outside a wonderful vintage bicycle was parked by the top of the steps with a "welcome" sign fixed to it. Later the basket was filled with flowers.
The wedding cake had been copied from a photograph of the Bride's grandmother's cake. Pale pink with very fine white patterns etched on it. On top was the same vase that her grandmother had used which was filled with flowers. It was really beautiful.
New Forest Bell Tents arrived to set up a camping village in the playground and some of the guests stayed Friday night. To accommodate this the couple had hired showers which were so big they had to be parked in front of the house. The groom set up a "make-up" gazebo by the bell-tents but on the day it was drizzling first thing so everything moved to the marquee which worked really well and ladies settled with much laughter infront of the mirror hung up for them. www.newforestbelltents.co.uk
Saturday brought the groom and his friends to put out the chairs and flowers in the wedding tent before nipping down to the Old Ox in the village for a quick pint. www.oldoxinn.co.uk
The Bride arrived with her bridesmaids, who went with her into the house to see the registrar, before accompanying her and her father across the lawns to the gazebo.
A string quartet played during the ceremony and continued afterwards in the marquee as guests chatted before the wedding breakfast.
The Rain held off until the Bride and Groom made their way back to the marquee.
Later when the rain had stopped they had photographs taken in the grounds by annaluciaphotography.co.uk who took all those not marked with a dot which are in house.
A delicious wedding breakfast was provided by Dorset Fine Dining from Sherborne. The staff were amazing, as at times, they had to carry the food round the tent in the rain. Nothing daunted them. They also provided a barbeque for the evening.(www.dorsetfinedining.co.uk )
While the wedding party celebrated inside a beautiful rainbow appeared over the top of the marquee.
The band - Groove on Up - came from London and they kept everyone dancing until the Midnight curfew.( www.grooveonup.co.uk/) Guests wended their way to the campsite where the party continued round the fire-pit until the early hours. The bride and groom spent the night in the walled garden in our "Indian" themed bell tent.
The next morning our wonderful village garage shop was raided for Costa Coffee, sausages, buns and bacon for a barbeque breakfast to wake everyone up enough for the great tidy up.
Another wonderful wedding came sadly to an end.