The pair soon began planning their wedding, falling for the idyllic Deer Park Country House Hotel. "We were keen to ensure the day reflected where we live and suited our chosen venues, so decided upon a romantic country vintage theme," explains Natalie. A pretty palette of pinks and purples featured in an array of details such as the wedding stationery, bridesmaids' dresses, men's outfits and flowers.
A handmade and heartfelt event, homemade bunting, twine decorated jam jars, flower-filled birdcages and a card box created from Natalie's grandfather's 1940s suitcase adorned the marquee at the Deer Park. "Our favours - personalised bottles of Luscombe apple juice - lined the trestle tables that we had hired in to give it a bit of a relaxed, street party feel," she comments.
Beyond the beautiful backdrop, the church ceremony - which was "filled with laughter, beautiful hymns and the odd tear" - proved to be Natalie's fondest memory. "It was incredible walking up the aisle, seeing our friends and family and, of course, James," says Natalie. "We also got to remember my dad Dennis and James' sister Cherie by lighting a candle in their memory. It was really important to us that they were included in the ceremony and this was the perfect way to ensure they played a special part in the day's proceedings."
Delicious canapes greeted guests at the Deer Park as pianist Paul Evans provided the perfectly ambient soundtrack. The wedding breakfast comprised courgette, pepper and mozzarella tart followed by poached free-range chicken and some scrumptious trimmings and dark chocolate brownie; the evening saw further delights in the form of clay oven baked pizzas and a dessert pizza of apple crumble with clotted cream.
Despite James's reservations, the newly-weds put on a crowd-pleasing performance of their choreographed first dance routine to Frank Sinatra's 'Our Love is Here to Stay'. "An excellent teacher and many hours spent stepping on each others' toes on our makeshift dance floor ensured that not only did it go pretty much without a hitch, but I somehow actually enjoyed it in the end," he recalls. Your Big Event then took to the decks and the dance floor was packed into the small hours.
Looking back, James offers up some sound planning advice. "Clear your diary the week before as it's surprising how many errands you have to run. Enlist the help of those around you as it can be quite time consuming," he says. "We had quite a few things go wrong in the lead up and, whilst it is stressful, you need to keep in sight what is important. You are, after all, getting married!"
Photography Nova Wedding Photography www.novaweddingphotography.co.uk
Venue Lympstone Parish Church followed by Deer Park Country House Hotel www.deerparkcountryhotel.co.uk
Dress Sincerity from Abbi Chapel Bridal www.abbichapel.co.uk
Bridesmaid dresses Pretty Maids from Catwalk 09 www.catwalk09.co.uk
Groom's outfit suit Next www.next.co.uk shoes Kurt Geiger www.kurtgeiger.com
Hair and make-up Changing Faces www.changingfaces.net
Flowers Poppy's of Exeter www.poppysofexeter.co.uk
Entertainment Paul Evans www.paulevanspianist.co.uk
Transport Premier Carriage www.premiercarriage.co.uk
Copyright Wed magazine 2015
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