Your Kent Wedding - November/December 2023 (Issue 111)

shot Hannah and Steve said “I do” at Inn On The Lake and opted for timelessly elegant style Images courtesy of TJG Photography Hannah and Steve met in a bar in Kavos, Greece back in 2018. Hannah had gone away with her best friend and Steve was on holiday with two of his mates. They got chatting over shots and soon discovered not only that they lived just 10 minutes away from each other, but also that they shared a mutual friend. The two spent the rest of the holiday getting to know each other, then having arrived back in the UK they met up the same evening to go for a meal. They couldn’t stop talking, it was the start of something wonderful. Steve proposed to Hannah on her birthday at Lands End in Cornwall. “I pride myself on my intuition and never thought he’d be able to hide the fact that he was going to propose, but he did!” Hannah shares. In fact, Steve had put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes, finding the perfect ring, asking her parents for permission and sharing his plans with friends. He says, “When we got to Cornwall, everywhere we went I was trying to find the perfect location, but I realised the only place I could do it was Lands End, as I’d go to the ends of the world for her.” Having worked at King Charles Hotel in Gillingham for many years, Hannah was very familiar with its sister hotel, Inn On The Lake and just knew she wanted to get married there. She did however book some appointments to view other venues, not wanting Steve to feel pressured. Happily though, it didn’t take him long to agree wholeheartedly that Inn On The Lake was the place for them, having also fallen for the beautiful location, woodland walk and ample guest accommodation. So, the date was set for 24th June, 2023. Read on as Hannah tells us all about it... SETTING THE SCENE The couple were aiming to give their venue styling a timeless feel, which was why they opted for green and white as the palette. Hannah knew she wanted white peonies as they’re one of her favourite flowers, and paired these with plenty of lush foliage. For the centrepieces, they chose a variety of single-stem flowers arranged in small vases. “We wanted the centrepieces to be low, as we’ve been to weddings where they’re so tall you can’t see the person opposite and it hinders the flow of conversation,” Hannah explains. “I must admit, when I walked into our wedding breakfast room my breath was taken away by just how gorgeous our flowers were.” Place names were decorated with foliage, as were guests’ chair backs. The chairs themselves were adorned in green sashes to complement the rest of the styling. Each place setting included everyone’s food order, eliminating any confusion when it was time to serve the wedding breakfast. Hannah also created some table talkers, which challenged guests to various activities, one of which was a time capsule. For this, the bride created note cards with numbered envelopes. Guests were then asked to write the newlyweds a message for the anniversary that correlated with their table number. “Already I can’t wait to open these,” Hannah says. As the couple met over shots back in that Greek bar, Steve was keen to begin his speech by doing a shot with everyone. So, these were gifted as wedding favours. “We bought some shot bottles and stickers online and filled them with various flavours of Sourz. Just before the speeches our bridesmaids and groomsmen handed them out,” Hannah tells us. FOOD FOR THOUGHT The couple decided against a huge, elaborate cake in order to avoid wastage and went for a semi-naked bake decorated with flowers. When presented with an opportunity to include their gorgeous dog, they were going to take it, so they had a model OUR BEST 37 REAL WEDDINGS

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