From the start, Caroline & Mick knew they wanted a country barn-style wedding venue, ideally with accommodation for close relatives to stay overnight. Many venues local to their home town, Beaconsfield, had hosted weddings for friends and family, so they wanted to explore somewhere completely different. They set a radius of an hour and a half to begin their search. They came across Cain Manor via Google, and simply fell in love with it as soon as they arrived at the top of the winding driveway, for their first viewing.
After recently buying an old French farmhouse, the couple wanted to reflect this throughout their special day. They choose blues and creams for their flowers and had plenty of French lavender, to create the country feel they dreamed of. They found a local florist, Lily’s Flowers Ltd, through the Harper Planner, which was particularly helpful as Caroline and Mick didn’t know the area.
As keen cyclists (particularly Mick, who took part as a GB athlete in the Aquabike event in the world championships two months after the wedding), the couple knew they wanted to incorporate this into their day. Finding an old-fashioned white bike on Ebay, they were able to create the unique table plan they had hoped for. Using French names for the tables, as opposed to numbers, made their quirky table plan even more original.
Being over an hour away from their home town, Caroline and Mick wanted to avoid any issues with transportation, so they hired buses to take guests to Cain Manor. As a couple in their 50’s, getting married for the second time, they love the idea of buses for ease, which “were vintage like ourselves” Caroline says.
The couple found the planning process enjoyable, and the Harper Planner very helpful. Unfortunately, they had the experience of planning a wedding during a global pandemic, meaning they reduced their guest list by 25 people due to restrictions. Luckily, other aspects were far easier. Mick always knew he wanted a cornflower blue suit, and luckily found it in Boss on his first day of shopping. Caroline found her classy and comfortable dress in Suzanne Neville. She visited the bridal store to try on a dress she had seen, but after trying on a dress her and a close friend both picked out at the same time, she knew it was the one.
Due to the pandemic the couple moved their wedding date three times. Regardless of the restrictions in place at the time, the wedding came together beautifully and met all their expectations. The sun shone, the drinks flowed, the music played, and the speeches brought both tears and laughter.
Suppliers
Photographer: James Davidson | Decoration: Party Lights | Florist: Lilys Flowers Ltd | Hair Dresser: Nikola Birch | Beautician: Gemma Sutton | Evening Band: Summer Skies
