on me but Arsenal, who I support was kicking off at the time of our ceremony, so I kept checking my phone until the best man confiscated it about two minutes before the bridesmaids walked in! Thankfully, my other groomsmen were updating me with finger symbols of the score as the ceremony commenced!” Sarah and Chris decorated their winter wedding with a seasonal green, navy and white theme. “Being a winter wedding in February, we wanted green and white touches throughout,” Sarah says. “Chris is an artist in his spare time and has a creative eye, so was able to explain his ideas to our florist, such as having a growing meadow placed on the top table made with the perfect blend of flowers. We also had an arch, in keeping with the meadow feel.” The couple first spotted the idea for their centrepieces at a wedding fair that they had attended at the venue when they became engaged. “We saw some beautiful centrepieces filled with flowers created by our chosen florist which incorporated golden stands that varied in size which suited the composition of the room,” Sarah says. As Arsenal fans, the couple named their tables after old and new Arsenal players. “This was my idea,” Sarah tells us. Chris adds: “This suggestion made me realise that I was marrying the perfect woman! Our table plan was named ‘Where you Gunner sit?’ because Arsenal is also known as The Gunners.” Sarah and Chris had wooden name plaques teamed with sprigs of flowers, fairlylights strung across the beams in the main room and up lighters placed in line with the pillars to add a dramatic feel to the lighting, which later changed to party lights for the disco and band. The couple had attended a tasting session at the venue before their wedding and fell in love with the food and wine. “Chris is a big foodie, a very good cook and really knows his wine, so we knew it was going to be tough to please him, but the team at the venue did a great job, Sarah says. “Because we were feeding our guests so well, and didn’t want anything go to waste, we decided not to have a wedding cake.” LOOKING THE PART Sarah wore a gown by Essense of Australia. “It was originally a sleeveless dress, but as we were having a winter wedding, I had lace sleeves added that matched the lace on the dress,” she tells us. “I also had a long, two-tier veil, and two pairs of shoes.” Chris wore a bespoke navy suit, a white shirt with his initials monogrammed on the cuffs and a grey waistcoat teamed with a dark green tie and pocket square plus a pair of brightly coloured socks with black brogues. “The groomsmen wore three-piece navy suits (so that Chris stood out in his grey waistcoat) with green ties and pocket squares, cufflinks to match the bridesmaids’ dresses and buttonholes with flower varieties to match those in my bouquet,” Sarah says. “Each was given a pair of colourful socks too!” The couple’s bridesmaids wore emerald green satin maxi dresses. “My wonderful bride’s man wore an emerald blazer paired with navy trousers and a navy tie,” Sarah tells us. “We also had three younger flowergirls - the older two wore pale green dresses whilst our youngest one wore a gorgeous white dress with a sage green sash.” TIME TO CELEBRATE “We wanted our wedding to feel like one big party, so we spent a lot of time choosing our entertainment suppliers,” Sarah and Chris tell us. “We hired a magician, who was a hit with all of our guests. He mingled with the crowd during the early evening. Our four-piece live band, including a saxophonist, played for three hours before the lead bassist turned into a DJ for the final two hours.” “The best man’s speech was so well put together and my new sister-in-law, who was our maid-of-honour did a reading that had me in tears. All of these made me feel very grateful for the amazing people I have in my life.” - Chris REAL WEDDINGS 35
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