Molly and Oli first met on Tinder back in 2015. After messaging back and forth, Oli planned dinner at his and the pair cooked a delicious meal together. “We ate food, listened to our favourite music, played a game and chatted until the sun came up – we couldn’t believe how quickly time flew by”, says Molly. She was attracted to Oli’s smile and personality, which was so kind and thoughtful. Molly adds, “From the word go, we were on the same wavelength. We had such different lives but so much to talk about; our stomachs hurt from laughing – thankfully not from the dinner!” Five years later, Oli knew it was the perfect moment to pop the question during a three-week holiday. Molly says, “We were on a small island called Bohol, and Oli had planned for us to watch the Sea of Clouds at sunrise. We trekked up the biggest hill and watched the sunrise as the clouds below us wisped by – it was gorgeous.” She continues, “I thought Oli was grabbing breakfast snacks from his bag, only to find him with a ring asking me to marry him – it was a complete surprise!” Here Molly shares details about their special day… SETTING THE SCENE The wedding took place on October 2nd 2021, and the couple created a day that perfectly represented them both. Molly says, “We both love autumn and wanted to highlight this in our theme. Originally, our first wedding was supposed to take place in September 2020, which was the venue’s only date available around that time. Our silver lining to the pandemic was getting to move our wedding date to October 2021, so our dream autumnal wedding was more realistic.” Molly grew up spending most of her childhood at Calke Abbey having picnics, walking her dogs, spending summer evenings with friends and dates with Oli. The couple was so excited to find out the estate had a wedding venue and booked a viewing at The Riding School. They fell in love with the blank canvas space, which allowed the pair to make the venue even more personal while matching their colour scheme. The Ivy House Weddings team were so welcoming and accommodating compared to other venues the lovebirds viewed. The couple hired in a wedding stylist, Sass Weddings, to help create a warm and cosy feel to the large reception room. To match the autumnal colour scheme, deep reds and rustic orange tones were used. There was foliage around the venue and warm lighting to mimic candles as no open flames were allowed in the Grade II listed building. The pair wanted to give their guests something they would enjoy for favours and gave loved ones tiny bottles filled with different tipples. Each one had a tag attached saying, ‘We’ve tied the knot, so take the shot.’ To make the wedding breakfast seem like a big family meal, the pair used four rows of banquet tables leading off of the top table. That way, everyone could see and talk to each other. The Black Peppermint Food Company, which works alongside Ivy House Weddings, created banquet-style sharing platters to encourage people to mingle and it worked! Due to the table layout and sharing platters, the pair opted for simple centrepieces with natural linen table runners and small vases full of fresh and dried flowers. For table names, each table had a number presented in a frame with pressed flowers. The Fabric Theatre provided lighting to the venue with warm festoon lighting and lanterns all over the dancefloor. The bride wanted an oversized bouquet and foliage flower crown to represent her love of florals. She says, “We wanted to be surrounded by blooms! For the venue, I’d been inspired by greenery draped over bare brick walls and felt this would be perfect for the property. Our florist and Ivy House Weddings exceeded our expectations by covering one section of our wall, draping the balcony and the windows in a fountain of fresh foliage – we were left speechless!” REAL WEDDINGS 21
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