Summertime ROMANCE Laura and Will’s July wedding enjoyed the beautiful backdrop of Burnham Beeches Hotel in Buckinghamshire Images courtesy of Hannah Mayling Photography Laura and Will met via a dating site, and Will proposed during a holiday in Cyprus. “We chose the four-star Burnham Beeches Hotel in Burnham as our wedding venue,” the couple tell us. “We were attracted to it because it was a local venue surrounded by so much natural beauty. The staff were fantastic; they took the time to show us around during our first viewing and explained exactly how we could host our big day there. Sky McGuire, the wedding coordinator, was amazing on the lead-up to our wedding, and on the special day itself.” The couple chose a lilac theme and named their tables after cocktails. “We had pretty lilac bows on the chairs and used orchids as centrepieces on the tables, which looked fantastic,” Laura tells us. “We had help from Louise Potton, the founder of Louise Potton Designs, who made the colourful table names, and the venue’s wedding coordinator, Sky, who made sure the design of the room worked well.” Guests tucked into breaded halloumi to start, followed by a main course of duck confit or a wild mushroom, leek, and thyme Wellington. “Our dessert was bitter chocolate mouse that tasted delicious,” Laura tells us. “The food tasted fantastic, all of our loved ones enjoyed it, and the portions were large, meaning our guests were well fed until the evening – it was the best food at a wedding that we have ever had!” The couple and their guests tucked into bacon, sausage and egg rolls during the evening. “They are still talked about now by our guests, and were a good way to sober up!” Laura says. “We also served our wedding cake, purchased from Sainsbury’s, and had sweets displayed in a sweetie trolley for everyone to enjoy. We also made sure that a good selection of wine and beer was served - the bar staff worked exceptionally hard.” Laura wore a fitted lace wedding dress with a keyhole back design called Nisha from wed2be in Milton Keynes. “I knew it was the one because it felt right as soon as I tried it on, and I loved the delicate lace detail on the back, which looked like butterfly wings – so many guests complimented me on it throughout the day,” she tells us. Will and his groomsmen wore fitted grey suits and orchid buttonholes, and the couple’s bridesmaids wore lilac dresses. “We let them wear whatever style they felt most comfortable in,” Laura explains. Laura and Will hired a magician to entertain their guests, along with a DJ, a photo booth, an audiobook, and a fireworks display as the grand finale. “The fireworks display was the only point in the day that we got to spend together, which was a beautiful moment,” Laura says. REAL WEDDINGS 21
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