Gina and Daniel’s relationship starts with the overcoming of some very difficult times. With the loss of a dear friend and the approaching lockdown, they had a lot to overcome in a short amount of time. They may have started as flatmates, but the bond that flourished has created what is now, a beautiful relationship. Whilst lockdown was a tumultuous and daunting period for a lot of us, this time gave Gina and Daniel plenty of opportunities to get to know one another and to partake in some of the classic lockdown activities. Gina adds, “we were both locked down in the flat – we used to play lockdown bingo, which made for plenty of our own adventures.” Gina and Daniel now live happily ever after with their son and dog in Cardiff. But before we jump to the end, how did this gorgeous couple become newlyweds? Daniel and Gina found Gina’s engagement ring together when they were travelling in Madrid in 2022. They bought it there and then and carefully carried it around with them for the rest of the day. Daniel then popped the question in Bruges, in September that same year. Gina knew the engagement was coming but wasn’t sure when, so this still came as a nice surprise. Daniel even did it on the bridge overlooking Lovers Lake – how romantic! The date was set for 18th October 2024, here we find out more about their special day... SETTING THE SCENE When it came to selecting their venue, Gina and Daniel started with a wedding fair at Margam Park in 2023, it was here that they found their dream venue. Gina recalls, “as soon as we walked in, we knew it was perfect! It felt really special, but the main thing for us was that we could visit in the future, unlike an exclusive-hire venue.” Whilst some couples like the idea of having a venue to themselves, it can be beneficial to have frequent access to your venue, to be able to visually plan the day out. For transportation to the venue, Gina and her father had a very important chauffer. Gina’s grandad from Ireland drove them from Swansea to Margam Park in his 1995 Mercedes – his pride and joy. Gina adds, “my grandad is a very special man to me, so it was very important that he drove me and my dad to the wedding. The months before the wedding, he was making sure it was in tip top condition – which was just so sweet.” When it came to setting up on the day and for the general vibe of the wedding, Gina and Daniel wanted the day to feel like one big party. Starting off with the table plan, they opted to name each table after pubs with sentimental value. For example, The Duke of Sussex was their local pub in Chiswick, where every week they took part in the Sunday quiz. Who doesn’t love a pub quiz? They then paired the table names with simple sketches of the pubs. For wedding favours, Gina and Daniel gave everyone a scratch card and a silver coin, engraved with the couple’s initials, for people to use and then keep as a memento. Gina adds, “Dan loves collecting coins, so that was an important touch!” Along with the scratch card, each guest was also given a drinks voucher to redeem before the speeches. The voucher came with a note saying it was a drink from the father-of-the-bride – Gina details that her dad was known for always buying people drinks, so this felt like a natural addition. Their cake was laced with sentiment and was quite the showstopper! Daniel’s sister, Laura, baked and decorated the cake for the big day and included homemade blackberry jelly in the bottom vanilla layer; this delightful addition was made by Gina’s nanna, Delia. The vanilla and blackberry bottom layer was accompanied by a top layer of red velvet and the exterior of that cake was decorated with white, green and gold marbling. All finished with some spectacular blooms provided by the florist. To enable other aspects of the wedding to stand out, Gina and Daniel kept the centrepieces minimal. They didn’t want the table to be overcrowded, they wanted to ensure people could see the table names, and they wanted the venue to speak for itself. With this in mind, three of the nine tables had tall pillars with spheres of greenery and the other three 19 REAL WEDDINGS
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