Rianna and Andrew met while working together at a dental practice. “Andrew would come into work on particular days, and I’d always look forward to seeing him as he was so smiley and made me laugh,” Rianna remembers. The two realised they had much in common and after some persuasion he managed to get her to go on a date with him. Andrew chose their favourite restaurant in the beautiful town of Vejer del la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain, for the setting of his proposal. It would be a surprise for Rianna that nearly didn’t happen though since she wasn’t feeling well on the night they’d booked a table. Luckily, though Andrew was able to rebook for the next evening and all went perfectly. “We knew we wanted an idyllic barn-style venue as we love walking in the beautiful Sussex countryside,” Rianna explains. As soon as they set eyes on the views from Bury Manor Barn, they knew it was the venue for them. Amberley Castle was the first place they’d stayed together as a couple and being able to see it from the Barn felt like a full circle moment. The couple didn’t hesitate in securing their date for 3rd August 2024. Here, the bride tells us all about it... SETTING THE SCENE The stunning floral centrepieces pulled their joint boho, vintage and English countryside themes together. The bride’s brief to Laura at Wild Willow was to create a just-picked-from-a-meadow vibe and she delivered it to perfection. “I didn’t want anything too curated and envisioned flowers to reflect the season in the Sussex countryside,” Rianna explains. “Flowers were the main and only decoration we had, and they were beautiful.” The couple have been blessed to travel extensively together, so they decided to name each table after a destination they’d visited along with a photo of them there. Neither Rianna nor Andrew have a sweet tooth but love nothing more than indulging in cheese and biscuits after a meal, so a cheese tower wedding cake seemed fitting. They served it as their evening food along with some Cornish pasties made by their caterers. “Everyone loved this in the evening after a few drinks,” Rianna remembers. Taste Caterer spent a lot of time sitting down with the couple to discuss the foods and flavours they love when planning the wedding breakfast. “We’re real foodies, so we feel the menu really reflected us as a couple,” Rianna tells us. DRESSED TO IMPRESS Rianna looked every bit the ethereal, romantic bride in Lily of the Valley by Rembo Styling. “I loved the intricate lace in this dress, it suited my vision of something vintage, boho and floral,” she shares. She accessorised with a flower crown made by their florist, along with pearl jewellery borrowed from her mum and grandma, plus a long veil adding to the vintage vibe. Andrew wore a relaxed linen suit, setting himself apart from the rest of his party with the addition of a tie and waistcoat in the same shade of green as the bridesmaids’ dresses. “We wanted a relaxed look to fit the mood of the day,” Rianna says. The bridesmaids all wore different dress styles, which they chose themselves as Rianna was keen that everyone should feel comfortable and at their best. The only stipulation was the colour – a gorgeous shade of sage green. LET’S PARTY! During the drinks and canapé reception, a magician went down a storm with guests. In fact, the couple still get friends telling them they can’t work out how his tricks were done! The bride knows singer and guitarist Dessie through friends, so he performed following the ceremony too setting the perfect tone. “We were so pleased we chose to have live music for this part of the day,” Rianna says. During the evening, live band Blue Dakota entertained all assembled. “They knew just how to get everyone involved and the set list had something for everyone,” Rianna shares. “The lead singer is my maid-of-honour’s older sister, so it was really special having her there.” The newlyweds took to the dancefloor for their first dance to the sounds of 500 Miles by The Proclaimers. They chose the version from the film Sunshine on Leith which begins slow. “Guests recognised the song but couldn’t place it at first!” Rianna says. 23 REAL WEDDING
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