Sophie and Stephen are In The Pink!

My gorgeous friend Sophie Flowers and her husband Stephen Longridge have kindly allowed me to blog their wedding, and after such a wonderful day it is not only an honour, it is a pleasure!



The service was held in St Mary's church in the beautiful village of Thornbury in South Gloucestershire, and after a slight hitch early on, everything went splendidly. The slight hitch was the tragic murder of their vicar - of all the things that they expected to go wrong, that wasn't one of them. Being the resilient girl that she is, once she had recovered from the shock Sophie waved her fist at the universe and ordered it to behave, and the universe, slightly scared, complied.

From then on it was a classic, fairytale wedding. The theme was pink, and lots of it; dresses, flowers and ribbons glowed in the sunshine. Sophie found her perfect dress in Clifton Brides in Bristol. It was important to her, especially in this Jubilee/Olympic year, to have a dress made by a British designer, and this gorgeous number by Ellis Bridal fit the bill perfectly. The groom and his ushers wore Moss Bros, and Stephen's shoes were from Ted Baker. Aren't they a darling, stylish couple?

The reception was held at Eastwood Park in Falfield - a Victorian House with the most stunning views over the Gloucestershire countryside. Unusually for this summer the weather held fine - probably because Sophie told it to - and so guests spilled through the reception room, where a gourmet buffet of vintage pic n' mix lasted for all of thirty seconds as the locusts descended, and onto the terrace to soak up the sun and admire the view.

The dining room was filled with lovely personal, quirky touches. The labels on the favours had been hand written by the bride and groom themselves, and each child had been provided with an extra special gift, including the most adorable lego bride and groom set. The tables were each named after a place Sophie and Stephen had visited together, and the seating plan was in the form of a vintage map.

 

After dinner, a succulent beef wellington, some hilarious and embarrassingly tear jerking speeches and a much needed rest, guests filled the dance floor for the first dance; Ellie Goulding's Your Song. The party continued unabated until midnight, only breaking when it got dark for some very special fireworks out in the grounds (custom loveheart fireworks!!! I nearly burst with envy!).

Eastwood Park has rooms, so it was only a short stagger to bed. Which was, I admit, a very good thing. What with the wonderful food, the dancing and the sheer emotion, it had been a tiring day. Sophie and Stephen have really  raised the bar for those of us yet to tie the knot. What a perfect wedding.

Hair by Craig Anthony, in Downend, Bristol http://www.craiganthonys.co.uk/aboutus.html
Make-up by Sophie Arnold, from Bristol
Flowers – from Hazel Holly Florist, in Downend, Bristol. http://www.hazelhollyflorist.co.uk/
The fireworks were by Firemagic Ltd http://www.firemagic.co.uk/
Chair covers and ties by South West Chair Covers http://www.southwestchaircovers.co.uk/

Cake by Sophie's supremely talented sister Alice Carter