Charmaine and Ryan’s beautiful wedding had a whimsical, enchanted garden theme, which suited Charmaine’s dress perfectly.
Charmaine thought Ryan was a “little bit cheeky” when she first met him so wasn’t sure if anything was going to happen. It took him four months to pluck up the courage to talk to her at work, eventually they had their first date at a romantic, quiet Italian restaurant. The bride thought she was heading to Leeds for the weekend with Ryan, when really he had a cunning plan up his sleeve – they were really heading to Harrogate… Ryan told her he had booked afternoon tea at Betty’s Tearoom because he knows how much she loves afternoon tea. Then in the evening he took Charmaine to a beautiful two Michelin star restaurant where he had spoken to the maître d about arranging the perfect proposal! The food was amazing and when it got to dessert the waiter brought out a plate, lifted the cloche off to reveal a ring box right in the centre – Ryan then got down on one knee and asked Charmaine to be his.
Fairytale Weddings in Towcester was where Charmaine found her amazing Ian Stuart ‘Flowerbomb’ dress in taupe. It has a sweetheart neckline, silk dupion and lace fabrics with multicoloured flowers on the skirt. “It sounds corny but I felt like a princess!” says Charmaine. “I just knew it was ‘the one’, the reaction from my mum, mother in law and bridesmaids reflected how I felt in it.” She bought a tiara but in the end didn’t wear it because there was so much detail already on the dress. She wore earrings also from Fairytale Weddings and shoes from Dune that miraculously matched her dress perfectly.
Charmaine had three bridesmaids, her sister Gemma, sister in law Lianne and close friend Lesley – the bride found their gorgeous peach dresses as she was walking through Debenhams one day. The Jenny Packham gowns instantly caught her eye because they were exactly what she was looking for. They wore cream patent peep toes, diamanté earrings and necklaces, plus matching bracelets, which the bride bought as a thank you. Her groom Ryan wore a three-piece suit from Jack Bunneys in Essex, a family-run store with lovely customer service! He added simple touches like a pocket square and a pocket watch and chain (a gift from his granddad). Because neither Charmaine or Ryan are religious they opted for a civil ceremony at Tythe Barn with four readings that were all heartfelt and at times funny and light hearted. Charmaine’s father started the speeches off well and towards the end the couple asked everyone to raise a glass to both sets of grandparents who were both celebrating 60 years of marriage that year.
Because Tythe Barn has a secret garden feel to it, the couple chose Enchanted Garden as their theme and they wanted an outdoor ceremony because the venue has a beautiful wisteria pergola as the aisle in the garden. Flowers were by The Flower Fairies – Charmaine’s bouquet of David Austin Peach Juliet Roses, Kiera Roses, Quicksand, Bombastic and Sweet Avalanches left her speechless! The couple visited a local wedding fair before their big day where they found Rachel who made their amazing three layered cake of chocolate, lemon sponge and white chocolate. Their stationery was by Lucy Ledger, “stationery was important to us,” says Charmaine. “It’s the first impression you give your guests and Lucy’s stationery was perfect!” Rachel Maddams made the white chocolate rose lollipops the couple gave their guests as favours and entertainment was provided by DJ Rory, who kept the guests entertained all evening… As did a magician and garden games.
Suppliers
Ceremony: Tythe Barn, Oxfordshire
Dress: Ian Stuart, Fairytale Weddings
Bridesmaids: Dresses from Jenny Packham
Florist: The Flower Fairies
Stationery: Lucy Ledger
Entertainment: DJ Rory, Gigz Management
Honeymoon: Hong Kong, Koh Samui and Bangkok, Thailand
Photographer: Binky Nixon
Videographer: Frank Millar
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