An elegant affair

Alice and Panos had a beautiful, traditional wedding day at Fanhams Hall Hotel in Ware.
Images by Ian Scott Photography

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Early days…

Alice and Panos met one December evening four years ago through a mutual friend. It came as a bolt from the blue for Panos, as he explains: "As a young, recent graduate I had planned to live the life of a bachelor for a few years. But then I saw Alice, and having a soft spot for blondes with a tall, slim figure I was instantly taken by her looks."
The appreciation was reciprocated, as Alice recalls: "It was his big, endearing eyes that first caught my attention - I had to make myself
look away so he didn't think I was staring at him! From our first encounter I knew he was a true gentleman, and within a couple of weeks I was very much in love."

The proposal…

Panos proposed to an unsuspecting Alice in a wine bar in Highgate. "He subtly dropped his napkin, went down to pick it up and then rose, showing an open box with a glistening diamond ring inside," she remembers. "I felt so excited."

Hen and stag parties…

Alice and nine hens had a fantastic do in London, the success of which she puts entirely down to her cousin and bridesmaid Louise, who planned it. They spent a weekend in the capital where they enjoyed a morning practising their still-life drawing skills with a naked male subject, had afternoon tea, went to the Absolut Icebar and partied to '80s music.
Panos and his stags went to Brighton for an action-packed weekend, with dirt buggy racing, a trip to a casino and clubbing all on the agenda. In true stag-night style, Panos was dared to dress up and became a Chippendale for the evening.

The venues…

The couple opted for Fanhams Hall Hotel in Ware to host their ceremony and reception. "Fanhams Hall is about as close as you can get to a dream venue," says Alice. "It has the country manor architecture that oozes history. Plus, the venue is so well organised that it can hold two weddings on the same day and avoid any crossing of paths."

The dress…

Alice wore a beautiful dress called Carmella by designer Sophia Tolli. It was in diamond white and featured Swarovski crystals across the bodice.
"It was the very first dress I tried on," says Alice. "I tried on another 12 dresses, but none of them compared to it. It was tight at the top, came in at the waist and then out over my hips; it fit my figure perfectly." Louise wore a dusky pink dress, which was ruched at the waist and finished with a corsage on the side.
Panos chose a traditional style three-quarter length black jacket with grey pinstriped trousers. He completed the look with an ivory waistcoat, cravat and hanky.

The decorative touches…

Panos and Alice decided on a pretty colour scheme of pink and ivory. "We chose this mainly because I love pink, and the combination of cerise and rose looked beautiful for a summer wedding," explains Alice. They injected colour through the fl oral arrangements: the bridal bouquet comprised roses, peonies, gerberas, chrysanthemums and ruscus, and the table centrepieces were goldfi sh bowls filled with pink gerberas, looped steelgrass and black pebbles.
Alice and Panos designed and made the invitations themselves, opting for a palette of pink and brown, the latter refl ecting the wooden interior of the venue's grand hall.
For the female guests the favours were fi nely carved pink candles,
which the couple ordered in from Canada, and the men each received a
miniature bottle of whiskey - a nod to Alice's Irish roots.

The honeymoon…

To complete the celebrations, the newlyweds jetted off to South Africa on a safari adventure, before moving on to Mauritius where they stayed in a luxury hotel. "We were made to feel like a king and queen, and the staff even offered to unpack for us on arrival," says Alice. "We enjoyed the most incredible meals, and visited stunning natural beauty spots around the island. The only thing we would have changed was to make it last longer!"

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