Sophie and Ben got engaged in the iconic city of New York, so they tied the knot in equally glamorous style at Bassmead Manor Barns, a romantic barn wedding venue in Cambridgeshire.
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The Venue
Bassmead Manor Barns was the very first wedding venue the bride and groom viewed. They knew immediately that they'd found the right place. “From the moment we drove up the beautiful long driveway, we just knew it was the one,” says bride Sophie. “It really does have the wow factor and every single thing is run to perfection.”
The couple loved the exclusivity of the venue, the immaculate barns and the option of a personal wedding coordinator. Sophie and Ben said their vows in the 300-year-old beamed Rickety Barn before moving into the landscaped gardens. They chose the more contemporary Bridge Barn for their wedding reception.
The Decor
While the couple adored their barn wedding venue without any decoration, they wanted to include personal touches. They chose a hot pink and gold theme to add a little glitz and glam. From gold glitter runners to gold writing on the wedding stationery, there was glitter everywhere - even on the wedding cake!
Bride Sophie loved pink, and brought it into their colour scheme with the bridesmaid dresses and floral arrangements. The bouquets featured different shades of pink roses, and large martini glasses on each table were filled with greenery and pink lilies, roses and gerberas.
The Fashion
Sophie wore a gorgeous ballgown dress by Mark Lesley that she purchased from Shades of White. This princess gown was perfect for spinning round the dance floor, especially when paired with her Rainbow Club shoes with extra padding for comfort! Sophie accessorised with a Swarovski pearl bangle and white gold necklace with a diamond and a pearl from her mum and nan. She also wore a Tiffany bracelet engraved with her new initials, which was a surprise gift from the groom!
The bridesmaids wore hot pink maxi dresses, along with initial necklaces that were gifts from the bride. The groom wore a black tuxedo, with bow tie and waistcoat from Moss Bros. All the groomsmen and the fathers wore the same, including black patent shoes.
The Reception
After the ceremony, the newlyweds had a drinks reception and canapés in the grounds of Bassmead. Luckily, it was a beautiful sunny day so everyone got to enjoy the gardens. As well as a personalised playlist of all the couple’s favourite songs, there was also a magician on hand to entertain their guests. For the wedding breakfast, the tables were named after a New York landmark as a nod to Sophie and Ben's engagement.
The Food and Drink
Great food and drink was a vital part of the bride and groom’s vision for their perfect wedding day. At the drinks reception, guests drank Pimm's and elderflower cosmopolitans. The canapés included mini beef burgers, sun-dried tomato and mozzarella risotto balls, and crispy duck spring rolls with hoisin dipping sauce.
For their main meal, there was a starter of smoked bacon scotch egg, apple purée and crisp pancetta. The main was a fillet of beef with potato dauphinoise and green peppercorn sauce. Finally, guests enjoyed a trio of desserts, featuring vanilla cheesecake with raspberry coulis, triple-chocolate brownie with salted caramel ice cream and lemon posset with lemon jelly and shortbread. Later in the evening, Sophie, Ben and their guests ate pizza and wedding cake.
The Evening
For the evening reception, the DJ played song requests that guests had sent in with their RSVPs. This meant the dance floor was constantly full! A real highlight for the bride and groom was when the hen and stag do songs were played and they danced surrounded by all their friends. The evening reception also had beer barrels for the men and passionfruit martinis and fruit fusion cocktails for the ladies, and a sweetie table and popcorn machine for anyone with a sweet tooth. There was also a basket full of flip flops for dancing ladies, a photo booth and Easter baskets full of cuddly toys, bubbles and Easter eggs to keep children entertained. The evening ended with sparklers outside in the gardens.
