OUR KENTISH CEREMONY
Married At Eastwell Manor
Ashford
Charlotte And Charlie Hosted A Sophisticated And Stylish Wedding With A Colour Theme To Honour Their Family Pet And An Added Musical Surprise Too
Photography by Louisa Dettmer Wedding Photography
The Venue We found Eastwell Manor online when googling wedding venues in Kent . We initially thought it would be too extravagant and too expensive , but once we visited the venue and explored the grounds , we knew we could not get married anywhere else .
The building itself is stunningly elegant with so much history attached to it . With friends and family travelling from as far as Scotland , we knew our venue must have accommodation for all guests , and the spa was a bonus ! Not only does Eastwell have a traditional inside venue for the marriage to take place , but also stunning gardens with exquisite views .
The Dress I bought my dress at Dress Dreams in Sevenoaks . It was the second dress shop I visited and , after trying on various styles , shapes and even colours of dresses , I turned to the complete opposite of what I was expecting to buy : a Riki Dalal strapless mermaid silhouette with an open v-corset , rich beads and sequins falling down the skirt .
The Ceremony The ceremony was held inside at Eastwell Manor . The room had gold cushioned chairs lined either side of the aisle , with a large fireplace at the end of the aisle and church-style arched windows for perfect lighting . We had a harpist playing as the wedding party walked down the aisle and my mum quietly on facetime as she was sadly in hospital .
The Theme We decided our theme would be black and white . If you were to visit our house you would see a similar colour scheme … not necessarily through choice but due to our black sprocker spaniel who scatters his hair everywhere ! As he sadly couldn ’ t be at the wedding , we thought we would keep to our monochrome theme in his honour . As my dress , veil , shoes and jewellery were scattered with pearls , we used accents of pearls too .
The Entertainment We had a harpist , Gwenllian Llyr , who was recommended to us by Eastwell . We heard her stunning music at Eastwell Manor ’ s wedding show and followed her music to find her . We also had a band : Penfold , who we found online . Lastly , we had a magician , Nyko , who provided entertainment throughout canapes .
The Photography Louisa and Duncan Dettmer were our photographers . I looked through Louisa ’ s books and loved her style . She is a recommended photographer for Eastwell Manor , therefore I knew she was good at her job and I was very clearly right !
The Highlight Playing the piano for my husband was my present to him and my highlight . I spent 18 months prior to the wedding secretly having lessons so I could give him the most important present of all : my time .
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