Melissa and James had a wonderful, personal wedding at Sywnford Manor surrounded by their loved ones in April 2022. They had ideas for many different aspects of their big day from the colour scheme to the bride's dress and wanted it to feel unique to them. Read on to find out more about their special day...
The Proposal
Melissa & James' lives have been intertwined together since their primary school days when their mums would occasionally walk them to school together. As they grew up they followed different paths but they never lost their mutual friends. Their love story began on New Year's Eve in 2016 when their paths crossed again, four years of love followed before their magical engagement. James popped the question in the idyllic Cotswolds and Melissa described it as an 'immense proposal', we are sure it was so romantic!
The Venue Search
Melissa and James spent 21 months planning their wedding which was thankfully unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic. They had originally wanted to get married in the picturesque Cotswolds since that is where they got engaged. They did look around some beautiful Cotswold wedding venues but none of them felt quite right for them. Melissa and James loved the idea of a wedding with a black and white theme so while the honey coloured buildings in the Cotswolds are gorgeous it wouldn't have been in keeping with their vision.
Having visited the venues they returned home to do a quick search for 'black and white wedding venues' and found the gorgeous Swynford Manor in Cambridgeshire which they knew would be perfect, not just for the theme but for their personalities too! Swynford Manor is a lovely 18th century manor house with an elegant monochrome interior that is steeped in history yet has a contemporary flair.
The Big Day
The special wedding day itself was attended by 63 guests who were all treated to a wonderful day of celebrating with Melissa and James. The couple chose to have a mixture of sentimental aspects as well as a party atmosphere for their day. Some special parts included a violinist who played songs that were meaningful to them such as their favourite show's theme tune: Game of Thrones and their personal vows where they could speak from the heart and show their love for each other.
The party entertainment included a magician (Jamie Seagrave), beer pong, a cocktail hour, then after their first dance they had a DJ and saxophonist (Apres Music) who the couple said were brilliant. Melissa and James also had dry ice during their first dance, indoor sparklers and then a surprise shot cart full of Tequila Rose and glow sticks as the couple rejoined the party to ‘shots by LMFAO’. Then to top it all off they had C02 guns (Confetti Magic) to complete the party vibe.
The Wedding Details
For their black and white themed wedding Melissa wore the stunning 'Naroza’ dress by Enzoani which had the perfect combination of elegant lace and sparkle plus the sleeves that the bride had wished for. The wedding dress was from TDR Bridal Birmingham. James wore a black tux suit from Moss Bros. There were five bridesmaids who all wore black ChiChi London dresses and the groomsmen all had black tux suits from River Island.
Their wedding day food consisted of canapés (mini sliders, tempura prawns and feta parcels) then a they had a three course meal that began with a croque monsieur to start (they love cheese!), a roast beef dinner with cauliflower cheese and then a Baileys Cheesecake for dessert. In the evening there was pizza, wedding cake made by Pretty Tasty, sweets and even personalised candyfloss! For their cocktail hour they opted for another personal touch with his and her cocktails; Pornstar Martins for Melissa and Amaretto Sours for James.
As wedding favours the couple chose to give their guests mini afternoon teas, which was a special personal detail for the couple since everywhere they go they always opt for a cream tea or an afternoon tea. Every guest had a little box with a scone in, jam and cream which they felt was a little different to what other people give. They also had snack boxes for guest rooms which was another great touch as they had the couples favourite snacks inside!
The newlyweds further celebrated their nuptuials with a mini-moon to Rome and Venice followed by a trip to the Maldives later in the year.
SPOTLIGHT
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Other Suppliers:
- Photographer: Daniel Ackerley
- Florist: Designer Flowers Essex
- Entertainment/band/DJ: Apres Music
- Hair & Makeup: Cambridge Make up Artist
- Videographer: White in Motion
- Magician: Jamie Seagrave
- Toastmaster: Guy Wade
- Stationery: Bourne design (printing only)
- Styling: Etiquette Events
- Favours: RMA.bakes
- Candyfloss: Sugarpuf London
