Fran says…
As soon as we saw Hayne House we knew it was the one for us! We’d seen the plans for the new Orangery online and thought it looked amazing and it didn’t disappoint when we saw it in real life (even though we saw it unfinished on a snowy, grey, horrible day back in March 2018!). We loved the flexibility it offered with getting married inside or out (let’s be honest, you just can’t rely on British weather!). The gardens are beautiful and the Orangery itself is perfect. Every little detail has been thought of based on the organisers’ years of experience. It’s so light and airy, a great blank canvas to make it exactly what you want, and large enough to be all under one roof!
My wedding dress was the first one I tried on! I tried on about 10 others but kept comparing them to the first one, so knew it was the one for me. It was a beautiful dress by Pronovias from Teokath of London, with a really unique lace, almost crochet effect on the top and simple flowing skirt. I went with a long plain, delicate veil as I didn’t want to distract from the dress and wore simple diamond earrings and a Monica Vinader bracelet. The bridesmaids wore dresses from Dorothy Perkins in a lovely blue/grey colour which were flattering on all of them. The girls had their hair and makeup done by Pipa from BeYou weddings who was amazing. We all went for different styles to suit their hair with natural, simple makeup. I also wore beautiful white flower hair pins from Eden B which went well with my dark hair. Alistair and his best man wore blue tailor-made 3-piece suits from Suit Supply with floral ties and pocket squares from Beau Tie on Etsy.
We wanted to go for a modern and relaxed style, with lots of foliage and white, making the most of the abundance of natural light in the Orangery. We went for simple centerpieces with roses and eucalyptus to match the bouquets, and the veranda where we had the ceremony was covered in foliage and fairy lights. We chose pale grey chiffon chair backs to bring some softness to the space and I made all the table numbers and signage myself as I do calligraphy in my spare time.
Our florist was Emily & Me. I wanted a loose bouquet filled with foliage – lots of eucalyptus! I chose white and pale pink roses which were gorgeous and smelled amazing. I also had white dahlias and white freesias (which were my grandma’s and now my mum’s favourite flowers.) The florist also helped me wrap a locket around my bouquet with a photograph of my late father inside, so he still got to walk with me down the aisle.
Our caterers, Touchays, were great and very flexible. We had lots of different canapés (from smoked salmon mousse through to steak with mustard dipping sauce) which were delicious, and chose lamb shank for our main course. Our cake was made by the incredibly talented Holly Clarke who matched our colour scheme perfectly and made the most gorgeous life-like flowers out of icing. We had three tiers (vanilla, lemon and chocolate) and still have some in our freezer for special occasions. One of the highlights was also the pick n mix bar in the evening!
Steve Wood was our photographer and he was great. We chose him as he specialises in candid, documentary style photography, and he captured the day perfectly with a mixture of colour and black and white photos. We also had 2 videographers from CS Weddings and we are so glad we chose them. The video is perfect and it’s so nice to see parts of the day we missed at the time!
Best part of the day
Our favourite part was how much our family was involved. My auntie and cousin played in the string quartet before and during the ceremony, my uncle and Alistair’s mum gave readings in the ceremony and my twin brother and sister-in-law played and sang our first dance.
From one bride to another…
It’s easy to say in hindsight, but don’t stress! It’s a day to enjoy filled with family and friends and you need to make the most of it. You might think that the little details make a difference, but as long as your favourite people are in one place with good food, drinks and music, you’ll be happy. And don’t forget to take time as a couple to sit somewhere quiet and just reflect on the day, as it goes so fast!
Venue Hayne House
Photography Steve Wood Photography
Film CS Weddings
Bridal Boutique Orobia by Pronovias, Teokath of London
Hair Accessories Eden B
Groom’s Attire Suit Supply UK
Ties and Pocket Squares BeauTieUK
Florist Emily & Me
Hair & Make Up BeYou Weddings
Band The Fiction, Bands for Hire
String Quartet Adriamus String Quartet
Signage and Stationery Fran Letters
Catering Touchays
Chair Dressings Bows Chair Covers