Summer romance

Louise and Dean’s gorgeous wedding was held in the gardens of the Manor of Groves hotel last summer…

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Early days…

For Louise and Dean, love blossomed nine years ago when they met at university. “I first saw Dean in a nightclub,” Louise tells us. “I thought he was gorgeous but I was too shy to speak to him, but luckily I was out with my housemate who was on his course, who spoke to him on my behalf. Eventually we got together at the university Christmas ball.”

The proposal…

In 2006, Dean proposed to Louise at 360, the revolving restaurant at the top of Canada’s CN Tower, by presenting her with a beautiful platinum ring with an emerald-cut diamond. “He had arranged for the waiter to bring out a chocolate dessert with my engagement ring placed on it. He then got down on one knee and proposed. It was a total surprise as after being together for almost eight years, I had almost given up on the idea of a proposal!” laughs Louise.

The venues…

Louise and Dean opted for a ceremony under an elegant pergola at the Manor of Groves hotel in Sawbridgeworth. “We had our heart set on an outdoor wedding, so we had to ensure we could book a summer date and a venue with the facility to get married outside,” says Louise. “We only viewed one place and it ticked all the boxes with its lovely grounds, gazebo and winding staircase.”

The dress…

The bride wore a beautiful ivory dress with a ruched skirt by Maggie Sottero. “The dress was quite big and had plenty of detail, so I didn’t want to over-accessorise,” explains Louise. “I went for a tiara with similarly cut stones to my engagement ring and a diamanté necklace. Dean sent the best man to my room on the morning of the wedding to give me a pair of diamond earrings, which was a lovely surprise.”

The groom chose a traditional black morning suit with an ivory waistcoat and cravat. Louise’s four bridesmaids wore baby blue knee length dresses by Dessy, in a light organza fabric, and the ushers and best man wore the same suit as the groom.

The decorative touches…

The invitations, menus, table plan and place names were all designed by Bubbly Creations, and featured stencilled blue flowers with diamantés in the centre.

Louise and Dean’s cake was a three-tiered cake consisting of vanilla, lemon and chocolate sponge. It was covered in baby blue icing and featured blue and white hearts. “Everyone commented on how delicious it was, and there wasn’t any left at the end of the evening!” says Louise.

The couple opted for fun, original favours in the shape of Wonka bars, complete with the guests’ names and wedding date printed on the wrappers. “We put three golden tickets in the bars and asked guests to open them,” Louise tells us. “Whoever had a golden ticket won a bottle
of champagne!”

The best bits…

“The night before the wedding I stayed at home with the ushers and we had some drinks and a customary game of poker,” says the groom. “When I woke up the next morning I was full of nerves, but when I saw Louise walking down the aisle I saw how beautiful she looked and my nerves were replaced with pride.”

“The ceremony went really well,” adds Louise, “despite me being 15 minutes late and Dean mucking up his lines! It was my favourite part of the day – the gazebo looked amazing and everything was perfect.” The couple hired a string quartet to play during the ceremony. Louise walked down the aisle to Elvis Costello’s She, and the couple walked back to Andy Williams’ Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.

Louise and Dean provided their guests with athree-course meal to kick-start the celebrations, and there was a disco in the evening.

“Our first dance was to Your Song sung by Ewan McGregor from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack,” says Louise. “We had planned a choreographed dance, but the bustle on my dress broke which meant it was impossible to do! We ended up swaying on the spot instead. Even though my dress had broken, I loved it – for the first time we were able to catch up and talk about our day.”

Top tips…

- Make time in the day to spend with your new husband.

- Try not to spend the whole day greeting your guests. My friend and her husband gave up their dessert and coffee at their wedding, in order to greet their guests while they were eating. This gave them plenty of time to
join in the celebrations.

- Delegate the planning. Everyone wants to help, and it can get stressful towards the end.

The honeymoon…

After the wedding, Louise and Dean jetted offfor a week’s tour around Sri Lanka, followed by a relaxing week in the idyllic Maldives.

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