Real Life wedding at The Manor House

We met in the Summer of 2014 in one of our local pubs. Ben went to University with someone Michelle knew from school so were introduced that way, but were friends for a while before admitting we both liked each other. Ben proposed in Margam Country Park in Wales, where he worked for a year. He always said it was one of his favourite spots in the world, so him proposing there made it extra special – and it was a huge surprise as we were on a holiday with friends at the time.

We loved The Manor House for so many reasons but the biggest deal-clincher for us was that there was enough room for all our guests to stay, to make more of a weekend of it. We also fell in love with the grounds and the beautiful Bybrook restaurant. We made sure that by the time we got married there, we had stayed there a couple of times to feel like we really had a connection with our wedding venue – what a chore!

Ah the dress! I didn’t know what I wanted to begin with, but I knew I wanted something memorable and unique. Before we got engaged my mum saw the dress in a shop window, and took a photo of it as she loved it so much. Fast forward six months and we’re engaged by this point and at a wedding fayre. I see the dress, call my mum over, she gets out her phone… and it was the same dress she’d taken a photo of. That was that! It was designed by the incredibly talented Andrey Savin (Savin London). I don’t even want to describe it because my description won’t do it justice, but everyone said on the day how they’d never seen a dress like that before. We used the colours in the dress to inspire our flowers, cake and stationery – and everything tied together perfectly.

There were so many memorable parts of our day, but it also flew by! Here are our top 5 moments from the day:

- The rain and clouds literally disappearing as our wedding was due to start (although that didn't stop me from going to the church in the Lioness...)

- The ceremony. We got married in the beautiful St Andrew's Church, just a stone throw away from The Manor House. We had close family members do readings for us and one of our bridesmaids sang to a string quartet, which was so special and personal to us.

- The speeches - in particular the Father of the Bride speech. It was truly epic and we can't wait to re-watch it. 

- Being up on stage at the end of the night with our incredible band, watching all our guests dance their socks off. It had been a long time coming, but worth every minute of the wait. 

- The food. The food was amazing, and it got so many compliments on the day. Our only regrets were that we were too busy dancing and missed out on the evening food!

I think so many of these moments are reflected in our most memorable parts of the day, for example our friend singing for us. Our band learned a song that means a lot to my dad for the father / daughter dance which was so special. Ben is also always the first person to suggest shots on a night out, so we had shots delivered to the dancefloor – which went down so well. Even our grandparents got involved!

Due to the pandemic, we had to make a lot of compromises and also ended up moving our wedding date twice. From that, we learned not to sweat the small stuff and instead to focus on why you’re getting married in the first place. Also, try and book your suppliers early and make an effort to build a good relationship with them – that way you’re over any awkwardness on the day and it just feels like you have bonus guests there. Finally, on the actual day itself, try and take some time out and let it all soak in – the day goes by so quickly so it’s important to take it all in in the moment.

- photographer @weddingsbynicolaandglen
- videographer @vogueweddingfilms
- florist @jilljeffriesflowers
- styling @cahoots.events
- band @ambassadorband1
- string quartet @ardeton_quartet
- cake @cake_architect
- stationery @lulabeeweddings
- dress @savinlondon
- suits @impeccablesuits