Your Kent Wedding - July/August 2022 (Issue 103)

EVERLASTING LOVE A Kent-based small business has sown the seed for a stunning new method of wedding flower preservation. Owned and managed by Yasmin Balcombe, Bespoke Botanicals offers resin wedding flower preservation across a range of styles and designs. With traditional bouquet framing now falling out of fashion, this new take has proven to be a hit with stylish couples everywhere! Flowers can be set into resin in an assortment of different ways, from a photo frame containing the florals from your special day, to a set of botanical coasters or resin display blocks featuring everlasting blooms. Preserved wedding flowers can make a great gift to add to your wish list, while smaller designs work beautifully as favours on the day. Other designs include free-standing floral letters, ornaments of various shapes and sizes, framed dates and letters, keyrings, jewellery, ring holders and even a side table. If you’re thinking about having your bouquet preserved, be sure to reserve your date online in advance to ensure availability. Most flowers can be preserved, whether freshly cut, kept safe after the big day or already dried. Blooms are sent directly to the studio, where they’ll be carefully dried and arranged to maintain their natural shape and beauty. This process takes anywhere from three days to three weeks depending on flower variety. Once dried, they’ll be arranged in the mould and you’ll be given the option to collaborate on the ideal layout. As soon as it’s been approved, it will be cast in crystal clear resin becoming an everlasting heirloom. The entire process takes several weeks, with resin poured gradually in layers and left to cure, maintaining the natural vigour of each and every petal. Dates are filling up fast, so head over to www.bespokebotanicals.uk now to find out more. PERFECTLY AUSTEN Once a regular haunt of much-loved novelist Jane Austen, Goodnestone Park has announced a new state-of-the-art orangery – the ultimate space for weddings. A vast, privately-owned estate in the heart of the Kent countryside Goodnestone Park boasts a grand house, built in 1704. One of Jane Austen’s favourite retreats the property was home to her brother, Edward, who settled there shortly after he married Elizabeth Bridges. In fact, in 1796, Jane decided to use the estate as a writing retreat, penning her most famous novel, Pride & Prejudice there. Literary scholars believe Goodnestone Park inspired some of the houses in her works since she frequently wrote about it in her letters. The next stage in the stately home’s history sees it launching a custom-made luxury timber-framed marquee, which will be the first orangery to be built on the site, situated next to the House, overlooking jaw-dropping parkland. In partnership with marquee specialists LPM Bohemia, The Orangery will play host to weddings and other events. The design has been carefully considered, reflecting 17th- to 19th-century gardening trends and will be hand-crafted in the heart of Kent using locally-sourced natural materials and sustainably sourced timber. John Preston, director and co-owner of LPM Bohemia explains, “When conceptualising The Orangery’s design, we aimed to seamlessly fuse the historical setting of Goodnestone with a modern sensibility, while honouring the timeless gardens via the marquee’s botanical-themed lining.” You’ll be able to book the marquee for an all-encompassing Goodnestone experience, with private hire encapsulating the surrounding 15 acres of greenery, Serpentine Walk, additional guest accommodation at Bonnington Cottage and the option of an evening tipple and bite at the local Fitzwalter Arms village pub, owned by the estate. Expanding on its current wedding offering the venue has teamed up with The Wedding Dolls, a Kent-based wedding-planning service, which celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2022. To find out more, check out https://goodnestonepark.co.uk 10

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