Having first met at a Newquay nightclub, Oli proposed to Bianca over a decade later while the couple were holidaying in the Maldives. "We had originally planned a trip to the Maldives just before the pandemic in 2020," she explains. "Once travel restrictions had eased and it was safe to travel again, Oli rebooked it for July 2022 and this is where he proposed, on a beautiful afternoon whilst we were walking around the island."
It didn't take long for the couple to fall for the beautiful setting of Rockbeare Manor. "We loved everything about Rockbeare Manor and we wanted a colour that complemented the venue," says Bianca. Taking an elegant shade of dusty blue as their key shade, she designed the look of the day around the venue, with gorgeous arrangements of blooms in shades of blue and cream adorning the ceremony and tabletops. “I was inspired by fresh, modern looks,” she explains. She handmade much of the décor herself, including the acrylic place settings and table signs using vinyl and perspex, with scratchcards bought for guests as a fun alternative to traditional favours.
Opting to marry in the dining room to a stirring saxophonist soundtrack, Bianca walked down the aisle with her dad to Ed Sheeran’s Perfect and exited to a song that still lingers in her memory. “I remember sitting in my in-laws’ living room going through wedding songs and we laughed and said how fitting it would be to have At Last by Etta James, as I had waited 12 years for a proposal!” exclaims Bianca.
Canapés and drinks then flowed as saxophonist Daniel Costin – and a champagne tower – wowed their guests. The wedding breakfast was another crowd-pleasing affair, including warm shredded confit duck, Creedy Carver chicken supreme, roasted rump of lamb and caramelised lemon tart, blackberry sorbet and candied lemon zest.
Magician Lewis Belcher kick-started the evening’s entertainment, with a violinist and a DJ ensuring the dance floor was the place to be throughout the night. "We asked the DJ for a party and he delivered!" smiles Oli. “It was honestly one of the best days of my life!” says Bianca. “However, my highlight was Oli’s speech. He isn’t one to get vulnerable in front of others, so it was a beautiful moment when he got a tad emotional.”
When asked for her words of advice, Bianca encourages other couples to focus on their relationship during the planning process. “Having evenings where you just switch off and spend quality time together is important,” she says. As far as practical tips go, Bianca suggests getting creative to save money and add extra creativity and meaning. “We had a good budget for our wedding but we saved money on doing a couple of DIY decorations,” she says. “This added so much sentimental value to the day for us.”
She also advises prioritising key elements to design a cost-saving and personality-packed day. “I would personally encourage people to invest in entertainment – and repurpose their flowers,” she adds. “Our ceremony flowers doubled up as table flowers and this saved us a lot of money.”
Photography & videography I Do Film & Photos idofilmandphotos.co.uk
Venue Rockbeare Manor rockbearemanor.co.uk
Dress Essense of Australia from Prudence Gowns prudencegowns.com
Suits Moss moss.co.uk
Page boy’s outfit Hugo Boss hugoboss.com Next next.co.uk
Bridesmaids’ dresses ASOS asos.com
Flower girl’s dress Monsoon monsoon.co.uk
Hair Jodie Kennegan instagram.com/bangingblowdry
Make-up Charlotte Falber Makeup Artistry cfmakeupartistry.co.uk
Flowers From The Wild fromthewildflorist.com
Cake Hat-a-Cakes hatacakes.co.uk
Welcome sign & table plan Mally’s Crafts mallyscrafts.co.uk
Magician Lewis Belcher lbmagic.uk
Entertainment Daniel Costin danielcostin.live
Kieran Clark Entertainment kieranclarkeents.co.uk
Nino Violin ninoviolin.com
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