Natasha & Paul

I am shocked that this gorgeous wedding at Farnham Castle in Surrey is in fact a Winter wedding. Maybe it is List member Sarah-Jane Ethan's gorgeous style of photography or maybe it is the delicious pink & gold colour scheme? Everything is so incredibly romantic. From the gold sequin bridesmaid dresses creating a warm glow to the deep pink blooms and bouquets. Bride Natasha looks absolutely incredible in a lace backed wedding dress, and by her side complimenting her beautifully was her groom Paul in a tweed suit and bow tie. If you like pretty, then you're going to love this wedding.

The Wedding

Natasha the Bride: Neither of us had ever thought about what our wedding be like and at first it was daunting knowing where to start. But we knew it had to personal and had to reflect us. Choosing the colour scheme of pink and gold, to create a warm glow on a winter wedding was a great decision. So many people asked us if we were going for a Christmas theme or a valentines theme. We saved a few people a valentine’s day dinner and now we have no excuse for ever forgetting our wedding date! I loved coordinating all the fine details and sourcing the perfect decorations and making some. I made the bracelets for the bridesmaids and Pauls wedding present.

The Dress

My wedding dress was from a local shop, I only went to a couple of shops with my mum and after trying on a variety of styles I was back with the style I initially thought I was looking for. I really wanted a dress with lace detail and buttons on the back. I was so pleased to find a dress with just the right amount of detail on the top and a simple skirt. I bought the silk ribbon from a seller on Etsy and it made the outfit complete. I was very honoured that I was able to wear antique family jewellery (necklace and earrings) on the wedding day and it felt very special to have such a treasured borrowed item. I am so pleased I wore flat shoes all day!

Grooms Attire

The groom wore a tailor made Herringbone tweed suit from a company in North London called Jennis & Warmann. After struggling to find a hire company that offered tweed suits we managed to find a reasonable suit company that would be able to make tailor made suits to order. The bow tie and pocket square were from a designer on Etsy, as were the superhero (groom’s favourite) cufflinks.

The Venue

We stumbled across Farnham Castle by accident whilst looking at wedding venues in Surrey. When we saw it ticked all the boxes, just the right amount of glamour but not too much, close enough to home but far enough that it felt like an escape. We especially like the building, it had a romantic almost French feeling about it and was the perfect backdrop for us to add all the personal details that we wanted. The light airy rooms and stunning architecture and brickwork is beautiful and looks amazing in the photos. The staff at Farnham Castle were a delight to work with from our first visit.

Flowers

I was sure of the flowers I wanted and worked closely with the florist to create the perfect combination of rununculous, roses, wax flower etc. A particularly difficult feat for a wedding on valentine’s day! We were however determined not to have red roses!! The florist made a beautiful cascade bouquet for me, and the bridesmaids. Paul and the groomsmen had coordinating flowers and buttonholes. My mother made all the flower arrangements for the tables following a carefully designed arrangements of vases found in charity shops and online.

Colour Scheme & Decor

I loved every minute of planning the wedding and making sure every decorative detail was perfect and fit exactly. I spent hours making mood boards and sourcing the perfect accessories. We decided against the more typical winter wedding colours and chose pink and gold, colours that hold strong memories, and hoped that they would add sparkle and warmth. The venue was filled with lanterns and candles creating a warm romantic atmosphere on the winters evening. Pauls mother made the confetti cones which created the most amazing confetti shower! We also took advantage of some very talented friends who made our seating plan by painting on the glass mirror and another who patiently helped me to choose fonts and create the designs for stationery. All of which were then handmade by myself and Paul. Creating all the personal touches and arty features of our wedding was our most favourite part of the planning and preparations. I found vintage holiday postcards of destinations we had been too on holiday together and framed these in hand painted frames as table names.

Beauty

My friend did all the hair for the bridesmaids. It was really important to me that the bridesmaids had hair and dresses that reflected their personalities and I hope that that is portrayed in the mismatched sequin dresses that we chose. Also as a wedding guest for the day it meant that she was on hand for any touch ups that were required.

Photo Booth

A friend kindly lent us his photobooth and staff for the evening. As a surprise to Paul, I made a superhero back drop and surround for the photo print outs.

Ceremony

We chose friends, family and god parents for our readings and they read a selection of light hearted non-religious readings that reflected our vows and set the atmosphere for the day.

Catering

Galloping Gourmet catered the whole day and were a wonderful team to work with. The chef worked closely with us to create our own menu, combining parts of the existing menu with the foods we love. The food was beautifully presented and tasted incredible. So many people commented on the high quality of the food and drink throughout the day. (cocktails and canapes, 4 courses). Many of the guests joined us for breakfast in Farnham Castle Library the morning after. It was beautifully laid out with the flowers from the wedding and a delicious breakfast over which we could debrief before heading off on honeymoon!

Cake

A friend of Paul’s mother created us the most incredible wedding cake. We visited her for many exciting sessions of cake designing and are delighted with the cake. It reflected the theme of the wedding beautifully. Each layer was different – chocolate, vanilla, carrot, red velvet.

Wedding Favours

Our wedding favours were emergency hangover kits and snack packs, perfect for the last train home or early morning get up!

Photographer

Sarah-Jane Ethan is one of the loveliest people you will ever meet, so calm and smiley from the moment she arrived. We felt at ease all day and she discreetly took the most amazing natural photos of us and our guests. We are a bit camera shy and she managed to get some great shots of us! Sarah-Jane’s style is beautiful and she captured the light on a bright winters day into the most beautiful and romantic moments. She also didn’t try and commandeer our time for the more intimate shots, which allowed us to spend more time with our friends and family.

Speeches

We decided to have the speeches conducted before dinner as we felt those who were possibly anxious speaking to a large number of people, may not have enjoyed their dinner fully! We tried to give everyone enough time to say what they wanted to say without it dragging on or keeping people from their dinner!

Music

We chose specific music for Natasha’s entrance into the ceremony room as well as when we left the room together as husband and wife. The songs we chose meant something to us and those that know us well. We then created a playlist of acoustic songs we liked to play through drinks and canapes. The DJ provided us with the light up letters – if you cant have your name in light up letters at your wedding when can you?!

Menu

Cocktails

Raspberry and passion fruit Bellini Elderflower White Cosmopolitan

Canapés

• Smoked chicken,
• Watercress crème fraîche tartlet
• Smoked duck breast and pickled beetroot crostini
• Marinated king prawns,
• Grilled fennel and pea shoots
• Mini fish and chips

• Crispy risotto balls of sun-dried tomato and Parmesan (V)
• Fried Somerset brie, sesame crust, red pepper sauce (V)

Starter

• Salad of seared scallops and English asparagus, soft poached quail eggs, Parmesan shavings and lemon vinigrette
• Individual filo tart of goats cheese, spinach, courgettes and pine nuts. With lemon, mint and courgette ribbons in a grain mustard vinaigrette and micro leaves. (V)

Main Course

• Roast Barbary duck, tortellini of slow-cooked leg meat; orange, clove and redcurrant sauce Ratatouille-stuffed aubergine with herb and mature cheddar crust
• Fine ratatouille and chargrilled aubergine stack, with a herb and mature Sussex cheddar crust.
• Butternut squash puree and a balsamic syrup. (V)

Dessert

• Seasonal crème brûlée
• Chocolate and hazelnut tart
• Mini meringue

Cheese Course

• Selection of local cheeses with chutney and biscuits

Wine

• Tattinger Champagne,
• France
 Waipara Hills,
• Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
• Callia Malbec, Argentina

Followed by
 Tea and Coffee with handmade truffles