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Early days…
Hannah and Daniel met at university and remained friends for a couple of years until she went to America for a year as part of her degree."I didn't expect to see Dan again when I returned to the UK, as he was in the year above me and had already finished his studies," says Hannah. "However, during the first week of my final year, I spotted Dan walking down the street, so decided to run after him to say 'hi'. The rest, as they say, is history."
The proposal…
"We'd been together for six-and-a-half years, travelled around the world together and own a house, so I thought that Dan was never going to ask me to marry him," says Hannah. What she hadn't expected was a surprise proposal on Valentine's Day in 2008.
"Dan booked dinner at a local Michelin-starred restaurant. We arrived early and went for a walk along the river. He then suggested that we walk towards a particular tree on the river's edge and say 'I love this tree', which I thought was a strange thing to do. At that point and underneath the stars, Dan got down on one knee and popped the question. Now I love that tree too."
Hen and stag parties…
Hannah went to Center Parcs at Longleat with 11 girls. "For our night out, my so-called friends dressed me up as Buzz Lightyear. On our way to the entertainment complex, children were stopping me and asking to have their photo taken with me. Then when we arrived, everyone thought that I was part of the entertainment, so I ended up having a long line of kids posing for photos, signing autographs and dancing in the middle of the dancefloor with about 30 of them!"
Daniel and 14 friends headed for Brighton where the groom-to-be went quad biking in a mankini. This was followed by a night out on the town dressed as a scuba diver, complete with fins and a replica brass diving helmet handmade by one of the ushers out of papier-mâché.
The venues…
The couple got married at Beaulieu Abbey. "It is a lovely small country church next to a river, with a beautiful courtyard at the rear," says Hannah. More significantly, it is situated opposite the site where the couple got engaged.
The couple fell in love with Rhinefield House as soon as they laid their eyes on it. "It's right in the heart of the New Forest and the building and gardens are stunning - perfect for drinking Pimm's on the lawn," says Hannah.
The attendants…
Hannah's bridesmaids were her two best friends and her sister-in-law, and they each wore a dress made of raw silk. "The dress was handmade by my very talented mum," explains Hannah. Her two little sisters were the flowergirls. The ushers were Daniel's best friends and his brother-in-law, and they all wore suits with cravats and handkerchiefs made from the same material as the bridesmaids' dresses.
The dress…
The Sylvia Rose ivory taffeta dress worn by Hannah was accented with embroidery and pearls. For accessories, she wore her nan's vintage pearls and three small silk flowers in her hair. Something old was the necklace, something borrowed was her aunt's handkerchief, and something blue was a garter. There was also a silver sixpence in her shoe.
The transport…
"An ivory Volkswagen camper van drove Dan and the groomsmen to the church first, then collected me, the bridesmaids and flowergirls," says Hannah, who also arranged a matching Volkswagen Beetle to drive her mum and dad to church as a surprise.
"We were due to leave the house at 11am, but at 10:45am one of my bridesmaids realised she didn't have her shoes with her. Luckily, she lives only 10 minutes away, so my dad drove to her house to collect them just in the nick of time!"
The decorative touches…
The décor revolved around chocolate and cream, plus a touch of Cornwall, owing to Dan's Cornish roots. Each table centrepiece had a vase filled with flowers matching the bride's bouquet. There were also gold hearts and brown flower-shaped confetti.
The couple gave their guests individual chocolates and drinks vouchers for the evening bar as favours. Hannah's aunt made them a three-tier cake of fruit, carrot and lemon. And for something truly special, Hannah, her mum, aunt, Dan's mum, aunt and sister all went to a chocolate-making workshop and made lots of sweet treats with which to decorate the cake.
The honeymoon…
For their honeymoon, the couple spent two weeks in the Maldives. "It was absolute luxury, with plenty of sunshine and great scuba diving," recalls Hannah. They stayed at Veligandu Island for the first week, then at Meeru Island for the second. "Veligandu is a tiny island, you could practically walk all the way around it in about five to 10 minutes. The accommodation, service and food were outstanding. Meeru, on the other hand, is one of the larger islands and caters for families as well as honeymooners. We stayed in the 'adults only' end of the island so it still felt exclusive. There were lots of activities available, including pitch and putt golf, windsurfing and kayaking, as well as a choice of restaurants.
Useful Contacts:
Bride's dress
Wedded Bliss Bridal Studio
www.weddedblissbridalstudio.com |
Bridesmaids' accessories
Wedding Tiaras and Jewellery
www.weddingtiarasandjewellery.co.uk |
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Photographer
Focal Pix Photography
www.focalpix.co.uk |
Venue
Rhinefield House Hotel
www.handpickedhotels.co.uk |
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