Dhara & Guy

It's hard to believe Syon Park is just a few miles from Charing Cross in London. Its historic house, charming gardens and orangery feel like you are in a secluded part of the countryside. If you've never seen it before prepare to fall head over heels in love. Dhara & Guy's sartorial style suit the venue perfectly, with Dhara choosing a timeless dress from Etsy and Guy wearing a tailored suit from Savile Row. All the Autumnal blooms add to the botanical beauty of the reception as do the wicker card box and elegant gold table plan details. It's been a while since we've seen the lovely Hayley Savage Photography grace our pages, but we're SO pleased she shared this beauty of a day with us as it and her gorgeous photography has literally blown our minds. Enjoy.

Venue

Dhara the Bride: We love historic buildings and just fell in love with Syon Park – neither of us had visited the place before even though I grew up a stone’s throw away. The balance of the beautiful stately home for the ceremony and the great conservatory for a rocking party really impressed us. I could imagine all our friend and family, drinking cocktails, dancing and having a great time in that space.

Dress

I took the leap and ordered my dress of Etsy. I wanted something pretty and floaty and saw the perfect dress online. It was a bit daunting, but when the dress arrived, it was perfect and fit like a glove. I wanted a bit of sparkle for my shoes and spotted the silver/gold glitter stilettos in the Banana Republic sale section. They were the last pair they had…. And my size. It was fate!

Flowers

My best friend, Kate, was the best maid of honour/wedding planner I could ever have hoped for. She had offered to make my bouquet and spent countless weeks practicing and perfecting her flower arranging skills for the big day – and it paid off! I loved the autumnal colours and beautiful shapes she created, with peony roses, hydrangeas and seeded eucalyptus – not to mention a sprig of myrtle that had originated from a bush grown from Queen Victoria’s bouquet for extra luck (Kate had collected this many years ago from Fulham Palace).

Colour Scheme & Decor

We took all of our design inspiration from the venue and although we didn’t strictly stick to a colour scheme, we tended to opt for golds, creams and greens. We opted for a Ginger Ray guest book and naked wedding cake, to keep it classic and simple.

Drink

I love cocktails and had always wanted some at my wedding, but with a limited budget we had to think creatively about how we could work it in to our plans, relatively inexpensively. I investigated a few options, but we ended up going with three large glass drinks dispensers and martini glasses, and my sister stepped in as bartender (she makes a mean mojito!).

The Proposal

A business trip took me to Paris in July 2015, and Guy joined me for a long weekend. He arrived on an idyllic Friday evening and we met at the Gard de Lyon, and decided to take a stroll along the Seine. Guy proposed on a small bridge behind Notre Dame, between the South Bank and Ille de Cite where we started putting locks on the bridge (following the removal of locks from the Pont des Arts). I haggled over the price of the padlock, and got it down from 5 euros to 3, while Guy insisted 5 euros was fine. I instantly was suspicious. Purchase made, I quickly inscribed the padlock. Guy threw in 2 of the 3 keys and then went to put the third in his pocket, but I told him this was bad luck. He told her she'd see what he wanted to replace it with and got out the ring, went down on one knee, told her he loved her and proposed. I think I said yes, but was distracted by the sparkling. The Pont de l'Archevêché was empty apart from a single American tourist, who congratulated us. Guy told me later he had prepared a whole speech, but had been too nervous to say it (he won't get away with that excuse for the wedding speech). He told me parts of what he'd planned to say as we were walking around the city, and when we came into view of the Eiffel Tower, it lit up.

How We Met

We met bright-eyed and bushy-tailed almost 10 years ago on a sunny September day at university. Although we both studied History at Royal Holloway, I chose modules on the bloodthirsty crusades and ancient philosophy while Guy chose the Cold War and the modern middle east so our paths did not cross again until a Peregrine Horden lecture in medieval medicine about the four humours in our second year. Guy was unhappy at missing out on his first, second and third choices and having to discuss mucus in a seminar. It wasn't however until Hallowe'en when we met properly, introduced by Eloise, a mutual friend. We got to know each other a bit more as friends, hanging out at such Holloway haunts as the Monkey's Forehead, Crosslands, Medicine and hallways in the McCrea building. After Christmas, I plucked up the courage to ask Guy out, and we had their first date at London Zoo. We have since been to zoos in Paris, Munich, Delhi, Boston and Melbourne. Despite our careers taking us in different directions and to different locations over the last 8 1/2 years, we have taken this distance in our stride, and it has made us a stronger couple - distance did make the heart grow fonder!