Ria and Connor met at university, six years before they got married. "Connor belonged to the football team and I was a cheerleader," Ria tells us. "As we got to know one another, I was attracted to his ambitious nature."
The couple became engaged during a surprise proposal back in their university town where they first met. "Connor had planned a spa break," Ria says. "He recreated our first date, on the anniversary of it! After dinner and drinks, we walked along the beach where he proposed - I wasn't expecting it at all so it was a wonderful surprise."
"We were attracted to De Vere Tortworth Court from the moment we arrived. The picturesque grounds, the grandeur of the elegant Orangery and the stylish décor offered everything that we were looking for," Ria tells us. "Our theme for the day was classical elegance married with a modern flair and decorated with dusky pink and sage-green touches. We achieved this with details including silver candelabras draped with foliage and flowers as our centrepieces using different floral varieties including silver eucalyptus, gypsophila and blush astilbe." The couple also styled their reception with a dusky pink tulle backdrop for photographs and a doughnut wall which proved very popular with their guests.
"The bridal party were transported in classic 1960s blue and green Jaguar cars while the groomsmen travelled in black Jaguar F-Pace vehicles." - Ria and Connor
"My Uncle sang during our ceremony and our friend played the piano as I walked down the aisle which added a personal touch." - Ria
"Our three-tier semi-naked cake also went down a treat with everyone," Ria tells us. "The flavours that we chose were strawberry and champagne, salted caramel and lemon and elderflower."
Ria and Connor named the tables after countries that they had visited together including Naples and Jamaica. "Our table plan was framed and the names were hand-written in elegant calligraphy,"
Ria chose a crepe fit-and-flare wedding dress by Justin Alexander. "I had always wanted a fitted style with a high neck and elegant details. I asked the bridal boutique to add pearls to the lace side panels to match the pearl detail on my veil which looked so pretty," Ria tells us."My something blue was a pair of satin heels which looked fantastic."
Connor wore a three-piece tweed suit with a dusky pink tie while the groomsmen wore variations of this with the same ties. Ria and Connor's bridesmaids all wore matching chiffon wrap dresses with cap sleeves and beading. "They finished their look with a pair of silver block heels and a personalised embossed clutch bag for the evening reception," Ria explains.
"We hired a DJ for our evening reception," Ria tells us. "We love 90s R&B music and wanted a DJ that could get a crowd going. Everyone had a great time dancing and didn't want the night to end. We even had the DJ join us on the dancefloor! We had so much fun and it was a real celebration of our families coming together, it was an amazing reception."
"Connor was more nervous than I was. We were both so excited for the day but I had a relaxing morning whilst he ran around adding the finishing touches! We were so happy to finally see each other as I walked down the aisle" - Ria
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