Be mine

Orchardleigh Estate created a romantic countryside setting for Sarah and Mark's Valentine's Day wedding.
Images by English Rose Weddings

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Early days…

"Mark and I met while working at the same bank - I was the facilities manager and he was working in the building as an engineer," recalls Sarah. "He'd been in a serious motorbike accident and so had been off work for over two years, so when he returned I had no idea who he was - and also thought he was a bit moody! He was so quiet and never had much to say."
But, when the pair had to spend one weekend working, Sarah says she saw another side to Mark. "We got chatting and he became quite animated, telling me about the birth of his nephew as well as the accident. I couldn't believe how wrong I had been about him - he was just a bit shy and had been through a lot. I remember thinking he was such a genuine guy with a big heart."

The proposal…

Mark took Sarah by surprise by popping the question at their home. "We had recently returned from a weekend in Disneyland for my little boy's birthday when Mark proposed," says Sarah. "We had been out for dinner and, when we got home, Mark had written 'will you marry me?' in ribbons on our bed. "I took one look at it and completely killed the moment by saying 'what's all that?'. I thought it was just a load of mess! Mark then got down on one knee and asked me to look again. He pulled out an engagement ring and to this day I still can't remember what he said because I was so dumbfounded.
"He has since told me that he had planned to propose on our holiday but hadn't found a suitable moment to do so."

The venues…

The couple chose Orchardleigh Estate as the backdrop to their country-themed day. "As soon as I saw the venue I just fell in love with it," says Sarah. "I had looked at loads of places online and wanted somewhere that we could go away to for the weekend, stay overnight and then just relax and enjoy the event. Orchardleigh fitted the bill perfectly. It is steeped in history and looks stunning."
The wedding took place on Valentine's Day and the couple said 'I do' during a traditionalservice. "We exchanged our vows in the most divine, beautiful little church with a moat around it, situated on Orchardleigh's grounds," says Sarah. "We wanted to have a church service as it felt more meaningful to us than a standard civil ceremony. Plus, as St Mary's is on the grounds of Orchardleigh, nobody had to worry about transport to the reception."

The dress…

"I just loved my dress!" Sarah tells us. "It was made from ivory coloured duchess silk satin, embellished with beads and crystals, and draped beautifully. As I could clip it up into a bustle at the back, I could walk around easily in it too."
Sarah's bridal party was made up of two bridesmaids and a flowergirl. "My sister Laura and Mark's sister Aimee were my bridesmaids and they wore sage green silk maxi dresses with matching wraps," she says. "Our daughter Emily was the flowergirl and she had a pretty dress in the same fabric as my wedding gown."
Mark, his best man, ushers and page boys each wore a traditional morning suit from Moss Bros. "I also had a cravat made for each of them in my bridal gown material so that the outfits all complemented one another," adds Sarah.

The decorative touches…

"We hired large glass lanterns from our florist, which we placed on some of the hallway tables, and we had tall vintage-style candelabra for our table centrepieces," Sarah says. "My sister and I also scattered Swarovski crystals on the table tops and placed loads of candles around the room to create an intimate atmosphere.
"As we got married on Valentine's Day we gave each guest a small bottle of the Ralph Lauren fragrance Romance," she adds. "They doubled up as favours and name places as I tied a ribbon around each box, with a name tag attached."

The honeymoon…

"As we've got three children, having your typical long honeymoon away wasn't really an option," says Sarah.
"Instead, Mark and I had a luxury weekend together at the Waldorf Hotel in London. We spent it shopping and ate out and also went to see Dirty Dancing at the theatre - it was wonderful."

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