Martin proposed to Lauren during a weekend away in Woolacombe, North Devon for their 10th anniversary. "We stayed in a gorgeous apartment overlooking the beach and on the first morning there (which was our anniversary), Martin got down on one knee and proposed in front of the big bay window," Lauren tells us. "Although we had previously spoken about getting married, my reply of 'are you sure?' indicated that I was a bit surprised! It was so special and after lots of excitable phone calls to our families, we spent the day exploring the beach and playing mini-golf, and ended it with a romantic meal in one of the nearby restaurants."
Eastington Park was the first venue that the couple visited when they started their search. "We fell in love with the Grade II listed building with its stunning entrance and spiral staircase," Lauren tells us. "We loved that it offered exclusive-use weddings because having the entire place and grounds to ourselves for the day was so important to us. The team were so helpful and kind to us when we looked around which helped our decision because we felt like we would be well looked after in the lead up to the wedding and on the day."
Lauren got ready in the beautiful bridal suite at Eastington Park and because their wedding was just outside in the grounds, she didn't need a car to take her to the ceremony. "We thought it was important for Martin to arrive in his 1995 Ford Fiesta which has driven us everywhere in our relationship over the years," Lauren says. "It has become part of the family and ended up as a bit of a feature on the day!"
The couple chose an elegant theme styled with rustic touches and an abundance of beautiful blooms. "Our tables were decorated with white lace tablecloths to coordinate with my wedding dress," Lauren explains.
"My uncle had made us some log slices to use as centrepieces which we placed under decorated jars holding flowers and candles. He also made us some log table name holders which held photographs and cards named after milestones in our lives and relationship, such as the first day of school, holidays that we had taken together, birthdays and of course our engagement."
The couple decorated the inside and outside of their venue with lots of flowers. "We had similar jars of them to those on our tables dotted around the venue," Lauren tells us. "Because the spiral staircase was such a focal point, we asked our florist to decorate it with ivy and gypsophila which looked beautiful. Small lavender and gypsophila bunches were also added to the chairs during our ceremony which helped to tie everything together."
Lauren and Martin's showstopping cake was decorated with purple roses, foliage and gypsophila. "As well as our centrepieces, my uncle also made our large log cake stand carved with our initials," Lauren says. "It was a semi-naked, three-tier design with different flavours for each tier. We tried to please all of our guests with lemon, chocolate and salted caramel choices and we think we did! We also had a personalised cake topper made that I had kept as a surprise for Martin until the day which featured our two cats, Poppy and Rosie."
Eastington Park uses Berry Blue as their exclusive caterers. "They had so many delicious options and were happy to customise them as much as possible to fulfil our needs as well as the dietary requirements of our guests," Lauren says. "We decided on three canapés to be served during the reception and we gave our guest a choice of three starters, main courses and desserts for the wedding breakfast. I loved the barbecue pulled-chicken pots and the summer fruit cheesecake!"
"I chose a full-length ballgown with lace detailing which I loved as soon as I tried it on," Lauren tells us. "I knew I wanted a ballgown, but I never thought that I would choose a strapless dress. It just goes to show how important it is to try on different styles because you never know what might suit you. I added a sparkly belt, matching hairpiece and a bridal jacket with short sleeves and delicate beads.
The couple's two bridesmaids were their sisters, Amy and Louise. "They looked stunning in their matching mauve floor-length dresses with a flowing skirt and lace bodice that matched the lace in my dress," Lauren says.
Martin and his groomsmen wore grey three-piece suits teamed with mauve ties and white shirts. "As a wedding gift, we gave our groomsmen personalised cufflinks featuring their name, role and the date of our wedding," Lauren explains. "The night before our wedding, I gave my dad a pair of personalised socks printed with 'of all our walks, this is my favourite' which he wore on the day to walk me down the aisle."
Caterers
Disco
Flowers
Hair stylist
Make-up
Photographer
Suits
Table decorations
Table plan, place cards and welcome sign
Venue
Videographer
