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Rom-com Romance: Maria and Ben's wedding
Here at County Wedding Magazines, we see lots of real wedding forms - and whilst all are full of loving words and sentiments - there are some that truly stand out. The form submitted by Maria about her wedding to Ben at Bradbourne is one of them. The below is the heartfelt words of Maria, detailing how her and Ben met, and formed a beautiful relationship. Our wedding features couldn't fit in all of the romantic details, so we felt it was only right to share online too. We hope you enjoy the below as much as we did.
How did you meet?
We met at work. I still remember the day I saw Ben's face for the first time. We were just starting to return to normal office hours after the pandemic and I came for an interview at this manufacturing company located on the outskirts of Canterbury. The office was open plan with hardly any people around. Ben was the first to greet me, showing me to the meeting room. "Please wait here" his voice a low rumble. In that brief moment, he took his face mask off and flashed a bright smile.
"Would you like a drink?" he asked.
I remember taking his face in, those round brown eyes and the curve of his lips. I felt a flutter in my chest. Little did I know, he never ended up remembering this encounter, possibly because I was also wearing a face mask but I will never forget to remind him that I might have been the first to fall in love with him.
A few weeks later, once I was formally introduced to the team, I took a seat at the desk right across from Ben's and that's when the world around us began to change. He was more reserved, quiet and serious. Reminded of those male characters in a typical rom-com book you'd pick up at an airport for a light read and a whirlwind of emotions. I loved it. That's when I suddenly found myself buying an obscene amount of cakes and sweets to bring into the office, to share with the "team". In secrecy, it was a natural response to Ben's "Nobody ever brings any cake! It's so nice that you do!" and that wide grin on his face, causing another summersault in my tummy.
Whenever I ask Ben of his first impression of me, he normally goes "It was your first day at work and you walked in through the door. I thought, WOW." Well, the story doesn't end there. We went back and forth, me bringing cakes, him trying to give me a lift home every chance he could, but as it goes, every time he did, I ended up having other plans. Did it really have to coincide with people's birthdays and anniversaries this much? It took us 6 months, believe it or not, until on his final day at work before moving closer to London he finally pinged a message on facebook.
"If I don't do it now, I will regret it for the rest of my life" he wrote. I was charmed and spent the next couple of hours running up and down the stairs, excited in a such a girlish way, cheeks pink, clothes thrown all over the bed. My mother was watching me with an amused look, offering advice and telling me that I had no need to fuss, I looked wonderful.
October 9th, day unusually warm for this time of year, still circled in pen in all my diaries. We decided to take a walk along the seafront in Deal. He quietly listened to me chatting away while looking deep into my eyes. I felt myself blush and wanting to touch his hand. My fear of crossing roads came in handy, as I was able to hook my arm around his under the pretence of terrifying cars going past at some speed... I felt so giddy.
As we were walking past the pier Ben began talking, his low voice resonating deeply within me. He wanted to do this for so long and now that he was relocating he couldn't let this opportunity slip away. He wanted to see me again and again and again. He would drive down from Woolwich after work to meet me in Canterbury, just to spend a few hours together and then driver back. Letting go was the hardest thing to do.
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Who proposed? How, when, where?
Ben proposed on the 9th of December 2023. We have already been living together in Sidcup for a year and were driving down to Canterbury to see some friends. We had a great time at Christmas market, I may have had a few too many mulled wines with a splash of cherry brandy, it was lightly drizzling and the weather was cold but this shouldn't be an issue, right? Next stop is at our friends' house near Monkton. They had a baby not too long ago and it was nice to come down to see them before Christmas.
We were getting into the car when Ben, who has been unusually quiet all day long, looks down at his phone and says.
"They're not home yet, would you like to take a trip back to Deal? Go for a walk instead while we wait?" I agreed, although this was beginning to sound strange and so out of character for our friends. By the time we got to the seafront and parked the rain had stopped completely and the sun was beginning. Sky - a beautiful shade of pink and orange, clouds like scattered feathers at the horizon. I loved being here. I didn't mind the cold and the wind that was starting to pick up. I was back at the place it all started, our first date, first "I love you" whispered late into the night when stars shone above us and we're back again, taking that same stroll. I caught myself thinking I'm chatting too much and he hasn't said a word since we got out of the car. We walked past the castle, past the bandstand, past the lifeboat station and all the small boats on the shore until he asked if I wanted to walk up closer to the sea. The sky was turning dark, reflecting the waters beneath it. He drew me into a tight hug.
"I care about you so much.." he began.
"I care about you too!" I followed immediately.
"I love you so much.." he carried on.
"I love you so much too" I exclaimed, still not understanding where this conversation was taking us.
I applaud my husband for keeping his composure every time I parroted back his every phrase. I really wasn't getting the hint, was I?
Until he gently released me from his arms, lowering on one knee. That's when I finally went quiet.
"Will you marry me?" I was silent, looking at the ring in a small red box.
"Will you marry me?" he repeated with a slight urgency in his voice.
"Will you..?" that's when I finally regained my senses and cradled his face in my hands.
"Yes!" and his lips curved into a familiar smile, the one I fell in love with the first time I saw him. My favourite kind of smile.
What attracted you to the venue/s you chose for the day?
We were looking for a particular atmosphere, a place you couldn't easily forget. I was also interested in being near the water, perhaps a lake or a small river running through. I found it very romantic looking through other people's photos and seeing the water element. My husband likes to joke that it must be related to my obsession with ducks.
We have visited only a handful of venues but Bradbourne House was the one that gave us that feeling of being "the one". The house felt like a place we could return to over and over again. Paintings in the great hall, impressive library and those large windows. We visited several times and absolutely loved taking a look around. And did I mention the orchard? I love the place, it's so full of history, yet feels so homely at the same time.
What was your chosen theme and colour palette?
When it came to choosing the theme, we had to be a lot more practical. I loved every idea I saw pop up on my Instagram, each beautifully executed in its own way. That's when my husband got involved the most. I quizzed him on the colour of the suit he'd like to wear. We could build the theme around us and that was the perfect decision. Ben wanted a navy suit which I thought would be a lovely colour to be complimented by the blush pink. "Very Bridgerton", a comment we've been given by Heather, our stationery provider and we felt that it fitted nicely with the overall theme of our wedding.
How did you bring your theme to life with your venue styling (flowers, décor, stationery, centrepieces etc)?
Our invitations were placed in a folding envelope of a deep shade of blue, pink flowers and small blue stars around our names with a few whimsical wedding themed drawings. We weren't original with our choice of invitations but we certainly made it personal with the extra elements. Décor was provided by the amazing "Chic Weddings" who had the ideal silk flowers to compliment our chosen colours on the day. One of the visions we had was to make the centrepieces a mixture of high and low flowers and LED candles to create this romantic feeling while preventing it from looking too busy.
For the ceremony, we asked for a white runner to be placed leading up to the stairs just outside the great hall to create that feeling of a church like wedding. An urn was placed either side of the stairs with our silk flowers of pinks and blues and two pretty pink bows.
Our wedding cake was three-tiers wonderfully decorated with flowers. Claudia, our baker, had also hand painted the peonies making it a real piece of art. The flavours consisted of a white chocolate cake with white chocolate and vanilla bean buttercream and passion fruit curd, a pistachio cake with vanilla bean buttercream and lemon curd and a coconut cake with lime and coconut buttercream. Bouquets for myself and my maid of honour were made up of peonies, white roses and gypsophilia.
Ben and I were also keen on bringing through some cultural elements into our wedding, given diversity of our families, being English, Indian and Ukrainian. We wanted to have a small part of our ancestor's traditions included. This might make us sound a little superstitious, but we truly believed that in that moment, our families have been watching over us, thankful for being included, through an embroidered cloth being wrapped round our arms a song, or a colourful garland exchanged by our parents and grandparents. Doesn't this make our day a little more special?
What food and drink did you all enjoy throughout the day to keep you going?
We had an option of canapés after the ceremony which included cauliflower and spinach arancini, smoked mackerel with horseradish and lamb kofta . For the Wedding Breakfast we had a choice of Beetroot and red onion tart or beetroot cured salmon. For Mains a choice of fillet of salmon or seared pork loin. For the dessert new had lemon posset and deconstructed white chocolate cheesecake all followed by a buffet in the evening with a slice of wedding cake.
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What did you wear (designer and style name)? How did you know it was the one?
My wedding dress was Claire by Enzoani from Love collection. I had scheduled to visit two boutiques at Canterbury with my mum and my maid of honour in February 2024. I remember asking the shop assistant how long it took her to find the one. I was sincerely hoping I'd be one of those women who'd find it on their first try.
As I was on my fifth wedding dress I began to have mixed feelings. My mother, being the real mamarazzi, took about a thousand photos and videos of each dress I was modelling around the room.
"I wish I could keep the top of this dress but have the bottom done differently"
"I wish this dress could have more sparkle"
"This just doesn't feel like me"
Dress by dress, I was becoming seemingly discouraged, nothing seemed like the one and we left taking in turns cycling through the photos. We had an hour to spare until my next appointment and took a slow walk down the cobbled streets, having my best friend and a mother there helped calm me down.
Arriving at Amore Brides just felt different. The assistants were calm and smiled brightly, offering a glass of champagne. My mother laughed, switching between Ukrainian and English, whipping out her phone, more photos taken. I took the entire place in, dark wooden floors and a row of dresses. "No fishtail", I said to the assistant. That's when the magic began. As soon as I put "Claire" on, I couldn't stop smiling.
"Oh my god, wait till you see this one!" I said from behind the curtain.
I was looking at myself thinking that I looked like a fairy, a magical being. Soft sparkle of the fabric and delicate small petals falling from the top of the corsage and spreading like vines on the skirt created this new version of myself I was falling in love with very quickly. Curtains drawn back and my mother falls silent. I remember the tears in her eyes as I walked toward her feeling so beautiful in MY dress. That's how I knew it was the one.
I turned around toward the big shop window only to catch sight of a small group of people who had stopped to look at me. I felt magical.
What did your partner wear?
My husband wore a custom three-piece suit from Moss Bros with a beautiful flowery lining on the back of his waistcoat. He also had our initials and a date of the wedding stitched on the inside of his jacket.
What did the groomsmen wear?
All the groomsmen wore a matching two-piece suit with a blush pink tie and a pocket square.
What did the bridesmaids wear?
I had one maid of honour and she wore a navy blue dress that she picked herself as I wanted her to prioritise comfort. It was a long and very hot summer's day, so light flowy fabric was her pick.
How did you keep guests entertained throughout the day?
We had a few lawn games organised by our wonderful DJ and master of ceremonies Iain from the Wedding Chaps. We had a tug of war for the bride and groom teams, a game of green soldiers played during the wedding breakfast where a small green soldier figurine is placed in front of each person and everyone has to assume the pose of that figurine once certain sound was played. We had cards of wisdom and words of advice for the guests to fill in and a game of bingo during the speeches. We also had a tomfoolery box filled with all kinds of props for the dance floor.
Tell us about your highlight of the day.
One of the highlights was definitely our first dance. Ben and I aren't the greatest dancers but my creativity combined with my husband's patience and a few months of practice allowed us to come up with a decent routine and a few surprise lifts & spins that still has our family talking and rewatching the videos. Thanks to Iain, we also had a "dancing on clouds" smoke machine that helped to hide a few missed steps in our not so perfect waltz and create that "magical" look.
What's your top wedding planning tip?
Take your time and enjoy being in the moment with your other half. Planning a wedding can be very overwhelming and stressful, so if you're finding it tough, take a moment to breathe and talk about the load that comes with it openly, because you're in this together.
You can see more images from their special day in the latest issue of Your Kent Wedding.
The Dream Team: Maria and Ben's supplier list
Venue, Bradbourne House, www.bradbournehousekent.co.uk | Photographer, Lois Brown Photography, www.loisbrownphotography.co.uk | Videographer, Story by Shan, www.storybyshan.com | Maria’s dress, Amore Brides, www.amorebrides.co.uk | Ben’s suit, Moss Bros, www.moss.co.uk | Hair and makeup artist, Emily Joanna Hair & Makeup, www.instagram.com/ejeventshairandmakeup | Cake, Purple Flour, www.purpleflour.co.uk | Wedding rings, COO Jewellers, www.coojewellers.co.uk | Flowers, Chic Weddings & Events, www.chicweddings.co.uk | Entertainment, The Wedding Chaps, www.theweddingchaps.co.uk | Stationery, By Blossom Wedding Stationery, www.byblossomweddingstationery.co.uk | Indian drummers, Beats by Lions, www.lionsbhangra.com/beats-by-lions
