Escape to the country

Posted by Danielle Harvey on 17 June 2022

Chloe and Ray met, covered in neon paint, following their university's freshers week foam party. And from celebratory beginnings came a festive proposal.

While putting up the decorations at Christmas in 2019 Ray produced several tree baubles he'd made featuring photos of the two of them. When they were finished they stepped back to admire the tree, Michael Buble's Christmas songs playing in the background – "I remember thinking what a lovely moment it was," Chloe says. But it was about to get even better, as Ray announced he had one more decoration to add. He handed her a handmade box, which contained a hand-painted ceramic disc with a Christmas tree on one side and on the other, as she turned it over to discover, were the words, "Will you marry me?" As she looked up she found Ray on one knee holding out her engagement ring, and somewhere amongst the happy tears Chloe managed to say, "Yes."

The couple looked at a number of venues before they settled on Blackstock Country Estate. “It was by far the best and the most comfortable. It was warm and cosy, but also beautiful. We both grew up in the country and knew we wanted a countryside wedding, so it had everything we wanted,” Chloe explains.

Join us as the bride gives us the lowdown on the big day, 18th October 2021...

Couple kiss in pavilion Having embraced a countryside theme with a palette of sage green and pastels, the bride chose wild flowers for her bouquet and the bridesmaids'. The latter then featured at the wedding breakfast as centrepieces. The posies were popped into glass jars, which also held the table numbers and sat on top of a large log slice at the centre of each table. Two smaller jars decorated with hessian and lace surrounded them, accompanied by tea lights, wooden-heart confetti and eco-friendly pastel paper confetti.

While each member of Chloe's bride tribe wore a different style, the gowns were all sage green and floaty. "My bridesmaids picked the look they wanted, so they all felt comfortable and individual," she shares.

Ray wore a navy suit, which looked super-smart accessorised with a sage green tie to complement the bridesmaids' dresses. In order to stand out, the groom's buttonhole was that little bit more special than the groomsmen's, who all wore matching suits.

Couple ride golf cart Having embraced a countryside theme with a palette of sage green and pastels, the bride chose wild flowers for her bouquet and the bridesmaids'. The latter then featured at the wedding breakfast as centrepieces. The posies were popped into glass jars, which also held the table numbers and sat on top of a large log slice at the centre of each table. Two smaller jars decorated with hessian and lace surrounded them, accompanied by tea lights, wooden-heart confetti and eco-friendly pastel paper confetti.

Cute little hessian bag wedding favours also adorned the tables. These were labelled "Chloe & Ray were meant to bee," and filled with a flower bomb and wild flower seeds. A little wooden bee sat on the front of each bag and the whole thing was eco-friendly, which was important to the couple.

The place names, which also fit the theme beautifully, featured a sprig of sage green foliage and slotted into rustic wooden holders.

Big day bake The big-day bake boasted three tiers of lemon and poppyseed, carrot cake and cream and jam. It was all covered with a thick layer of buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers to complement the bride's bouquet. Chloe assures us it tasted incredible!

Pumpkins at end of the aisle The ceremony featured a nod to the season with clusters of pumpkins at either end of the aisle and autumn leaves, which the bride collected the day before, scattered along the runner on either side.

Canapes The venue's restaurant took care of the wedding breakfast. Chloe tells us, "The options were fantastic and catered for all dietary needs. Guests commented that it was the best wedding food they'd ever eaten."

Speeches When time came for the speeches, Chloe's mum and dad formed a double act showing photos of their daughter on a big screen. They were followed by best man Dan who hilariously hosted a game show he'd created, where all guests could take part by holding up cards and guessing the mischief the groom had gotten up to over the years. "It was brilliant and filled the wedding breakfast with roars of laughter," the bride remembers. The newlyweds shared their first dance to Michael Buble's Everything. The dancefloor provided one of Chloe's highlights as she enjoyed so much dancing with her mum, bridesmaids and flowergirl while seeing their evening guests arrive.

First dance Chloe tells us, "Receiving an unexpected card from Ray while I was getting ready, then seeing him for the first time at the end of the aisle were very special moments, as was calling him my husband for the first time.

“The whole day was so relaxed. The venue did a fantastic job in making everything flow smoothly. The food was absolutely incredible and the staff were attentive and helpful too.”