Your West Midlands Wedding- Page number 35 - June/July 2021 (Issue 74)

B eth and James met at a bar in London. “I was studying at university, and James had recently moved there for a graduate scheme,” says Beth. “We started chatting to each other, exchanged numbers and then met a week later in Covent Garden. That was in 2013, and we’ve been together ever since!” James popped the question during a camping trip in May 2018. “We went to the New Forest, and after setting up our tent, we went for a walk in the countryside,” shares the bride. “As we were walking along, James stopped, looked at me and asked me to marry him! It was a really big surprise, but I immediately said yes! It was my perfect proposal – just the two of us, the sun was shining, and the area was beautiful. That evening we went to a pub for dinner and had a glass of prosecco by the campfire. It was such a happy weekend and one we will never forget.” SETTING THE SCENE “As soon as James and I got engaged, we knew exactly where we wanted to get married,” explains Beth. “I grew up in Herefordshire and knew Broadfield as a local vineyard. It was the first venue we visited, and straight away James and I were blown away by the beauty of the house and gardens. The house itself was undergoing renovations, but we still loved it and knew it would be the perfect setting for our big day. We love the countryside so really wanted to have a rustic, country wedding and Broadfield fit our theme perfectly. Throughout the whole process, Helen and her team were super helpful. Helen created a full schedule of the day and helped us think of details that hadn’t even occurred to us. On the day itself, Helen was there to make sure everything ran smoothly and everyone was so friendly, which helped us relax!” The happy couple gave their guests wildflower seeds in personalised packets as favours. “Each table was named after a different wine, and we placed bottles on a frame for our table plan,” Beth adds. “We decorated each table with jam jars filled with flowers to complement the milk churns placed at the entrance to the marquee. We also included bunting and paper pompoms in a variety of colours to tie in with our colour scheme.” The flowers were supplied by Stokesay Flowers. “I did a lot of research for florists as we mainly wanted a soft, natural look,” says the bride. “Victoria was really helpful and so knowledgeable. We wanted wildflowers and roses, and she helped us pick colours that complemented each other.” “Our cake was provided by Cathy at The Stables Pantry,” shares Beth. “We had a three-tier design made up of chocolate, lemon and fruit. We wanted a combination of our favourite flavours while also being a little traditional. Having a country wedding, we wanted our design to have a rustic, natural look too. We trusted Cathy as we didn’t know much about cakes and we’re so happy we did. It looked beautiful and tasted incredible!” Beth and James used a local caterer called A to Zest. “For canapés, we had a British sharing board with scotch eggs, pork- crackling straws, sausage rolls, cheese, pickled onions and so on,” explains Beth. “We then went straight onto the main and pudding when we sat down.” DRESSED TO IMPRESS “I was really nervous about getting my wedding dress,” recalls Beth. “I had an idea of what I wanted, but so many designs looked over the top and too girly. I went to Castle Brides, a local bridal shop that was recommended by a friend. Angela, who owns REAL WEDDINGS 35