OUR KENTISH CEREMONY
MARRIED AT THE ORANGERY
MAIDSTONE MELANIE AND CHRIS COOPER HAD A WEDDING DAY FILLED WITH LOVE , LAUGHTER AND AWARD- WINNING SUPPLIERS WHEN THEY TIED THE KNOT AT THE ORANGERY IN MAIDSTONE
Photography by : Helen England Photography
THE VENUE We were browsing the internet for various wedding venues and came across The Orangery . We sent them an enquiry and when they responded they sent us an invite for a twilight wedding showcase . We had an evening off and thought ‘ a free glass of fizz and a walk-around sounds good ’ so we drove there that night . The path was decorated with candles , and classical music was playing and as soon as we set foot inside the Orangery building , we both knew that was where we wanted to get married . We put our names down and reserved their earliest available date .
THE DRESS My dress was from Pronovias and I found it at Amore Brides in Canterbury . I looked for recommended bridal shops and Amore Brides came highly recommended on the Kent Wedding Awards list . My mum flew over from Switzerland and we booked an appointment at the shop . When I tried ‘ the ’ dress on , I had a little feeling inside me shouting , ‘ this is it ’. It was so different from what I thought I would pick , but it was everything I ’ d hoped for and more .
THE CAKE We found Cobi and Coco , once again , via the Kent Wedding Awards ! I ’ ve lost track of how many awards Serena has won since our wedding , but needless to say we knew we would be in good hands . Not only are her designs stunning but the proof of the pudding was in the eating ; her cakes taste as good as they look !
THE FLOWERS We found our décor scheme straight out of The Orangery ’ s promotional video . The video showed Floral Explosion ’ s beautiful Wisteria trees and it was love at first sight . Once we secured our date we contacted Floral Explosion and booked them for our big day . They also did our wedding flowers - I wanted flowers that would really compliment the quintessentially British beauty and style of The Orangery . I asked Floral Explosion to pick flowers for me that one could easily find in an English garden ; nothing exotic !
THE PHOTOGRAPHY Helen England was our wedding photographer . Helen had won the Kent Wedding Award for Best Wedding Photographer in 2021 / 2022 so we started following her on Instagram to have a look at some of her work . We noticed that a good friend of ours followed her too and when I questioned her about Helen , she mentioned Helen had photographed her wedding and that they had become friends . Let ’ s just say , Helen came highly recommended ; we were seriously considering her before but our friend ’ s recommendation sealed the deal !
On the day , Helen absolutely delivered on her promises and worked incredibly hard and captured every special moment , every guest and every single detail in a whopping 700 + stunning photos .
THE HIGHLIGHT Our highlight was having all of our family and friends , all of the people that matter to us , together in one place to celebrate the love and bond we have created over the last ten years .
78 | AKENTISHCEREMONY . COM | SUMMER 2024