Emily and Adam were in the same friendship group at school but drifted apart when they went to university. However, when the pandemic hit, they reconnected and formed their own social bubble during lockdown, taking long walks together and having fun being kids again. “We’re both determined and driven people.” Emily explains. “Helping each other achieve those dreams is the glue of us being a couple.” Adam’s proposal was like a fairytale to Emily, having chosen a dreamy spot on a cliff edge in the Algarve, Portugal, at sunset. “I had no idea, and Adam was so nervous he’d been talking about spies for 40 minutes beforehand!” Emily remembers. The couple fell in love with Combermere Abbey as soon as they set foot inside. The venue’s converted greenhouse ceremony room, designed to absorb the surrounding natural landscape with its rolling hills and peaceful lake, felt like the perfect spot for the two to say “I do.” What’s more, “The staff felt like instant best friends as soon as we met them, making our day that extra bit special,” Emily shares. So, with the date set for 28th August 2024, join us as the bride shares her memories of that very special day... SETTING THE SCENE Emily made plantable paper for the wedding favours, which contained wildflower seeds, allowing guests to grow their own flowers when they got home. She also turned her hand to making her bridal bouquet and her bridesmaids’ from dried wildflowers so that she and the girls could keep them forever. Meanwhile, the bride’s auntie made the centrepieces using dried flowers, log slices and recycled glass vases and candles. Adam is a musician and wanted to make the place names from recycled vinyl records. So, they placed custom-made stickers on them and had grandma write the guests’ names on them in calligraphy. Emily made the table plan using a huge picture frame, which held the seating allocations, and she filled the spare slots with family members’ wedding photos. LOOKING THE PART The bride wore a high neck, full lace, fitted dress with a long veil. Her hair was styled in a pin-curled high bun decorated with gypsophila. “Adam wore a black three-piece suit and the cutest bow tie I’ve ever seen!” Emily tells us. He accessorised with the wedding presents his bride bought him: a watch and socks saying, “In case you get cold feet.” The groomsmen had free rein and opted to wear all 36
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