Real Wedding

Charlotte and Bradley’s Wedding at Botleys Mansion

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An October Wedding Reception at Botleys Mansion

Charlotte and Bradley met at a friend’s house party when they were just 16 and 18 years old. 7 and a half years later, Bradley found himself wanting to ask Charlotte to be his wife, and, as her birthday was coming up, he thought it would be the perfect time to propose.

He surprised Charlotte with tickets to see her favourite pianist, Ludovico Einaudi, perform at Blenheim Palace, combined with a romantic weekend away. Bradley bought a bottle of Champagne, as part of his big birthday surprise, and then found a spot away from the crowd of 6000; he wanted his proposal to be just right. As the couple sipped Champagne, over looking the River Glyme, Bradley proposed with an ethically sourced ring that he’d bought from an American company called Brilliant Earth. Charlotte was both surprised and delighted, and of course accepted the proposal from the love of her life. The couple immediately started planning their romantic mansion wedding in Surrey which took on a navy blue, blush and gold theme.

Caroline Castigliano Wedding Dress

Charlotte knew that she’d want to look back at her wedding dress in 50 years’ time and feel like the gown she’d chosen could still be worn in the present day. After having tried on 16 different designs – 6 at a local salon, 5 at The National Wedding Show and 5 at a luxury dress shop in Surrey, she fell madly in love with Caroline Castigliano’s Hepburn design. She loved every element of this stunning A-line design; from the classic style to the clean lines and low, playful back. She also loved that the dress had bonus pockets! Charlotte teamed her wedding dress up with a pair of sparkly high heels from Faith and when it came to her bridal hair and beauty, she hired Clare Pinkney and Hanna Wildman.

Choosing a Grand Wedding Venue

The couple looked at around 5 wedding venues before falling in love with Botleys Mansion before they’d even stepped foot in to the grand, country house wedding venue. As they walked through the double doors and in to the Hall, they fell more and more in love with what Botleys Mansion had to offer. They loved the balance of traditional country house combined with a modern twist when walking down in to the glass-roofed Atrium. The couple knew that they wanted a church wedding, but couldn’t wait to invite their 120 day guests back to their dream wedding venue. Charlotte and Bradley found the use of Harper’s online wedding planner extremely helpful and couldn’t imagine planning their wedding without it.

Instead of sending out paper invites, the couple chose to be environmentally friendly and created a wedding website that guests could RSVP on and find out plenty of information about their wedding – including details about their Prezola wedding gift list.

The Bridal Party

Charlotte’s maid of honour was her best friend Alice. The girls met on their very first day of senior school after having been sat next to one another alphabetically.

Bradley’s sister Lizzie and four of Charlotte’s university friends, Sarah, Jenny Jess and Alice were also asked to be bridesmaids. Charlotte chose what her bridesmaids were going to wear, but made sure that they were all comfortable with her choice before making any purchases. The navy blue, multi-way dresses from In One Clothing allowed each bridesmaid to wear her dress in a way that most suited her own body shape and style.

Bradley’s best friend from childhood, Jack, played the role of best man on the big day. Simon, Daniel, Ian and Steve were ushers, as well as a female usher Hannah, who has worked with Bradley for many years. The men all wore suits hired from Moss Bros and Hannah wore the same multi-way dress as the bridesmaids, but in a grey shade to match what the ushers were wearing.

Botleys Mansion bridal party outdoor group photo

The Big Day: 22nd October, 2016

Charlotte and Bradley were married at their local parish church, St. Mary’s in Ewell. The bride and her father travelled to the church in a vintage Rolls Royce and the bridesmaids followed closely behind in a beautiful VW Campervan.

Canon in D Major played in the background as Charlotte approached her groom on the arm of her father. During the ceremony the couple chose to have one Bible reading from Corinthians and the second reading was ‘Rings’ by Carol Ann Duffy, Charlotte’s favourite poet.

After being pronounced as husband and wife, the newlywed couple travelled back to Botleys Mansion in the Rolls Royce and met their guests for celebratory fizz and canapés on the wonderful gravel driveway in front of the venue. After greeting all of their guests, everyone was invited down to the Atrium for a sumptuous three course wedding banquet.

four tiered, blue butter cream iced wedding cake at Botleys Mansion

The Wedding Breakfast

Starter
Ham Hock and Tarragon Terrine with Quails Eggs and Piccalilli

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Red Onion Tart, Spinach & Safford Shallot, Mascarpone, Redcurrant & Balsamic (v)

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Main Course
Slow Braised Sticky Hampshire Beef with Creamed Parsnip Mash, Root Vegetable Crisps

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Roast Mediterranean Vegetable Stack with Garlic and Thyme Glazed Goats Cheese and New Potatoes (v)

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Dessert
Chocolate Pot with melting middle, Jack Daniels Ice Cream and Chocolate Crumbs

Decorations

Charlotte and Bradley chose Harper Partner Sonning Flowers to create all of the floral displays and arrangements displayed throughout the elegant wedding venue. They chose a mixture of white calla lilies, blush pink sweet avalanche roses, blush peach vendela roses, gypsophilia and white hydrangea. The reception tables were beautifully decorated and were numbered by age and featured a picture of Charlotte and Bradley when they were 1, 2, 3 and so on. The couple enhanced the look of their wedding reception tables with gold, glitter-dipped votives and a an I-Spy game, hand decorated by the bride and her mother, encouraging guest to get involved and use the couple’s wedding hashtag on Instagram #MarchantAndKingGetHitched.

Charlotte hired her friend Becky Elkin, owner of Love & Sponge, to design her wedding cake. The three tier ombre wedding cake was covered in iced roses and was sprinkled with edible glitter to give it a glamorous feel. 40 additional evening guests were invited to celebrate with the newlywed couple, bringing the total guest number up to 160.

The newlyweds hired a wedding band called Dukes of Havoc who played two sets of live music and provided music to dance to in-between sets too. The couple danced their first dance to ‘How Long Will I Love You’ performed by the wedding entertainment band, but sung by one of Charlotte’s best friends, Casey, who kindly teamed up with The Dukes of Havoc on the night.

The Honeymoon

Charlotte and Bradley jet-set off to Las Vegas on a 4-night mini-moon to celebrate their marriage. They found travelling abroad cheaper than staying in the UK at that time of year, but planned a luxury honeymoon to Bali which they went on three months after their wedding. The couple stayed at the Equilibria Hotel in Seminyak and the couple had an incredible time in a beautiful villa.

Ahead of their wedding, Charlotte and Bradley had been told by their married friends that they wouldn’t spend much time together on the day, as they’d be too busy chatting to all of their friends and family. With this in mind, the couple ensured that they stayed together throughout the whole day. They got to speak to everyone and had a brilliant time.

Charlotte and Bradley's Wedding Suppliers

Wedding Venue: Botleys Mansion
Wedding Photographer: Kerry Morgan
Wedding Dress Designer: Caroline Castigliano
Bridal Beauty: Clare Pinkney
Wedding Hair: Hanna Wildman
Bridesmaid Dresses: In One Clothing
Groomswear: Moss Bros
Wedding Flowers: Sonning Flowers
Wedding Cake Designer: Love & Sponge
Wedding Photo Booth: Oh Snap
Wedding Band: The Dukes of Havoc
Wedding Gift List: Prezola

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