The warm, sunny days seem like a distant memory after the frosts and teeniest sprinkling of snow we had yesterday!  But as we cosy up by the log burner with a cup of hot chocolate for the next few months, we just had to share details of Alex and Alex’s August celebrations to take us back to those summer evenings.

Tell us a bit about yourselves – how did you meet and what’s the proposal story?

We met at New Year’s Eve party 12 years ago when we were both at school – for the proposal, we went on a long weekend for Lex’s birthday back in March last year to Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds. The proposal wasn’t without a few attempts – the initial plan was to propose to her whilst on an early Sunday morning walk but the opportunity didn’t arise, and after an activity packed day, I eventually popped out the ring and the question whilst we were enjoying a bottle of champagne on the terrace of our Airbnb before dinner!

Why did you choose Millbridge Court?

Millbridge Court was the first venue we looked at in person and we fell in love with it straight away. We weren’t really interested in a traditional wedding in a Church and whilst we both loved the barn style, we also wanted something with a modern touch.

From the outside, Millbridge is quite understated – it looks like an extremely well presented house from the road. However, once you walk down the steps into the main area, you’re struck by the most amazing layout – two wings with extremely high ceilings and enormous glass windows that really fill the venue with light. The flow of the wedding venue also works incredible well and with a summer wedding in mind, we absolutely fell in love with the outside courtyard, garden and ceremony area!

We did see a number of other venues (predominantly in the Cotswolds following our engagement) but none of them could match the wow factor that we experienced when first visiting Millbridge

What did you love about having a summer wedding?

We loved the idea of having a summer wedding as we felt we could really utilise all the amazing space that Millbridge has to offer – the main building and the outdoors areas allowed the wedding day to flow so naturally. The ceremony area in garden was also a special place to get to say our vows, and we received so many compliments about how stunning the ceremony was.

Aside from the venue, it goes without saying that we both love summer and so having the opportunity to celebrate our day with family and close friends in the sun outside with some Aperol Spritz seemed like the perfect situation!

Tell us more about your suppliers and why you chose them.

As soon as we came across Eloise & Mitch’s Instagram and website (including their portfolios) with their natural and candid style, we immediately knew that we wanted to have them photograph our wedding and we feel incredibly lucky that they were available! The way Eloise captures photos is so special – she is so incredibly talented and made us feel so comfortable. We absolutely cherish the memories that she has been able to capture for us and will continue to do so – we’ve received so many comments on our photos and how she interacted with our guests, and we will definitely be using her again when an opportunity arises!

We chose Adam Sayer (London Piano Man) as our musician after being invited to a close friend’s wedding the previous year and watching him perform his sets there. He just knew how to read the room and what to play to get the guests up on the dance floor, which is exactly what we wanted for our wedding! During his sets, he also welcomes loads of song requests from guests and is able to play them flawlessly!

For our wedding flowers, we wanted quite a simple theme. We went with Holly and the Dragonfly (Holly and Laura) as our florist as throughout the whole planning process, they made everything so incredibly easy. When we talked about our ideas, they always considered our budget and made sure we kept within it, especially with ideas about how we could reuse arrangements throughout the day. When we finally saw them come to life in the day, the arrangements completely wowed us, especially the set up in the outside ceremony area and the bridal bouquet!

Did your vision for the wedding change over the planning process?

Not really, we always chose Millbridge Court with the intention of a summer outdoor wedding and we were lucky enough with the weather to be able to capitalise on this! The one thing that we did change was our view of the late night food during the planning process. In-between us choosing the venue and our wedding day, Millbridge decided to install an outdoor pizza oven. As self-confessed pizza lovers, once we saw this, we immediately knew that we had to have pizza as our food option in the evening and it’s safe to say it did not disappoint!

Are there any memorable anecdotes from the day you could share?

Seeing Lex for the first time before she made her way down the aisle was both an emotional but incredibly happy experience and one that I will never forget for the rest of my life. I remember us both being quite nervous throughout the ceremony as we both don’t massively tend to enjoy being the centre of attention, however once we were pronounced husband and wife, it felt like we were suddenly able to relax. Walking back past all our close friends and family with confetti was such a special occasion.

On a funnier note, we had some welcome drinks in Farnham the day before the wedding with close friends and family. Lex, as the bride, was naturally allowed to escape relatively early on to ‘rest’ before her big day but I was unfortunately cornered and stopped from leaving by some of her family and friends. I woke up feeling absolutely terrible but miraculously recovered well before the ceremony. Somehow, rumours had gotten back to Lex, who quizzed me when signing the marriage certificate!

Tell us something that we wouldn’t know about your day from the pictures.

Being England and peak summer, it is obviously natural for the weather to not be straightforward and for it to be the biggest unknown factor. Despite the glorious sunshine displayed in our photos, there were some incredibly nervous moments throughout the week building up to the big day as it was pretty much torrential rain until Saturday evening. We therefore thought our dreams would be scuppered for the Sunday but fortunately, we got so incredibly lucky with the sun.

Favourite part of your wedding journey?

For us, it was amazing to see how everything that we had been planned over the previous 12 months culminated into a truly magical set up on the day – from the floral arrangements, to the food and from the outdoor ceremony to the evening dancing. It was especially memorable to see the venue we fell in love with filled with all our closest friends and family enjoying themselves.

Any words of wisdom for future couples?

The day itself is such an unbelievable day and will forever be one of the best days of our lives, but in contrast to the year of planning, it does go by so quickly! In the lead up to ours, people had given us advice to make sure that, at some point during the day, we took some time to ourselves to just absorb everything and spend some together away from socialising with all your family and guests. It was such great advice that I would wholeheartedly recommend every couple do the same!

 

With a wonderful season drawing to a close, it was only right we sat down with Le Papillon for a cup of tea and slice of delicious cake.

We caught up with Neil for an insight into his baking world and to discuss all those delicious flavours!

What first made you fall in love with baking?

Baking has always been a big part of my life, I knew from school age that I wanted to be a pastry chef, and studied patisserie at college straight after school.

How would you describe your style of cakes? 

We have a pretty broad range of styles, usually more natural looking with modern twists.  Our main focus though is flavour, being from a chef background, our foundation has always been great tasting cakes!  Too many cakes look nice but are let down with taste and texture.  This is where we are different.

What made you decide to work in the wedding industry?

This happened organically for me. Weddings were always a side part of the business but eventually over took everything else!  Now we are almost exclusively weddings.

Can you explain a little about what couples can expect when they book with you? 

I like to think our process is really relaxed and stress free.  I’m not one for over complicating a process.  We generally will help find you a style you like and then work from there.  You will get to taste our full range as part of the process too.

What is your favourite part or parts of a wedding day? 

Definitely the reception!  The Ceremony is obviously really important, but I love the buzz of the drinks reception, canapés, champagne and then the party!

What top tips and advice do you give to couples ahead of their wedding day? 

Try to relax!  People overthink way too much.  Quite honestly if your guests are well fed and watered they will have a great time.  Don’t sweat the details.

What do you love most about Millbridge Court? 

Well recently the pizza oven!  I’m a bit of a pizza enthusiast myself and have a wood fired oven at home.  I just think this is such a nice addition to the venue.

What cake trends are you seeing for 2023?

Taller, slimmer cakes for sure, lots of natural details and simplicity.

And lastly…what is your favourite flavour of cake?

My favourite cake is probably carrot cake.  I love the spice!  I do also love our chocolate hazelnut cake which reminds me a lot of Nutella.

Image: Hannah Duffy Photography

 

Here at Millbridge Court, we currently have a few Wedding Dates available in late Summer & Autumn of this year for those couples who would love to get married in 2019.

With the build-up to a Wedding typically being a year or more in advance of the Big Day, organising a Wedding in a matter of months can seem intimidating to some, so we’ve been chatting to luxury Wedding Planner Louise Perry Weddings, co-founder of Planning Redefined, about her Top Tips for couples who wish to plan a ‘last minute’ Wedding. We’re also sharing some information on the offers we currently have for our remaining dates here at Millbridge Court, so without further a do, these are the fabulous Louise Perry’s Top 10 Tips:

 

1. Write a guest list and collate contact details for them. Keep these on a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet is king when it comes to wedding planning.

2. Create a budget, always. Put on the spreadsheet when all your payments are due, that way you can keep on top of everything.

3. Make sure you let the important people, like bridesmaids and family know immediately.

4. The big advantage when you have a short lead time, is that you have to make decisions quicker and this can make the planning less stressful.

5. If the lead time is short, use something like paperless post for your invites as it will be quicker and guests can RSVP back to you straight away online.

6. If you are having a civil ceremony, make sure you contact your local registrar as soon as the venue is booked to make sure they are free.

7. Look for sample sales for your dress. All of the big designers and boutiques have them, you can save a fortune this way

8. Ask friends and family for help.

9. Hire a wedding planner. It will be worth its weight in gold, as they will know where to go to help you find your suppliers and pull your wedding day schedule together.

10.You will often get great deals from venues when you book only a short time ahead, as venues want to fill any remaining dates.

 

For those couples wishing to enquire with us regarding remaining Wedding Dates for 2019, please do not hesitate to get in touch on team@millbridgecourt.co.uk or call us on 01252 792572 to receive our last minute Wedding Package rates which include The Hideaway (our Bridal Suite) as complimentary, as well as Kalm Kitchen’s brand new Food Stall, Cookie Corner, as a complimentary & fabulous addition to your day. Xx

 

For information regarding ‘Planning Redefined 2019’, a 2 day workshop hosted at Millbridge Court for new & aspiring Wedding Planners, click the link https://planningredefined.co.uk/our-workshops/redefined-2019/

Throughout April, there was something rather exciting going on at the end of the Millbridge Court grounds. After months of planning, landscape gardeners got to work planting Laurel hedging, ferns & installing an incredible pair of vintage gates in front of our Bridal Suite, the Hideaway… & now that all of their hard work is complete, we’re excited to introduce to you all, The Hideaway Secret Garden!

A botanical sanctuary just beyond our flower meadow that creates that extra bit of magic & privacy for our couples on their Wedding Day & the morning after the celebrations. A tranquil & peaceful space to be able to enjoy all to themselves.

We hope that all of our MBC Couples love it just as much as we do! Here are a few sneak peeks to give you a taster of whats beyond the gates. Xx

And we love that we have already received pictures of photographers using the Secret Garden as a backdrop for gorgeous couples shots… here are L&S captured by The Springles last week.

And J&T captured beautifully by Joanna Nicole Photography earlier in May!

We can’t wait to see many more over the course of the Summer!

In August of last year, we hosted the utterly stunning Wedding Day of Mr & Mrs Levey & we’re very excited to be sharing a selection of images from E+L’s special day below.

The vision that they had for their Wedding Day was so romantic; a vision that was optimised in their Ceremony flowers which were created by Seventh Heaven Events. Two beautiful floral urn arrangements, abundant with blowsy white, peach & blush flowers framed the Ceremony Barn, they also had delicate floral pew ends & rose petals lining the aisle for E’s entrance. The sensational arrangements didn’t end there, as Seventh Heaven also made abounding centrepieces for each table, the soft colour palette of which went perfectly against the white table linen & metallic vases & candle holders.

The Wedding Cake, which was such a gorgeous focal point in the Dining Barn, was created by Rachelles Cakes. A three tiered, marble effect cake with gold leaf & stunning handmade flowers. Such a delicate, show-stopping design & oh so elegant.

The Bride & Groom thought of every little detail when planning their day & their stationery really took centre stage. Particularly the incredible acrylic engraved ‘Welcome to our Beginning’ sign hung by our bi-fold doors, which was later replaced with their exquisite seating plan, all created by the talented duo that are Two Little Birds.

In charge of capturing all of the beautiful details & the love & emotion of the day was Leanne Jade, who did so perfectly from those special getting ready moments, all the way through until the the first dance. Thank you to Leanne for allowing us to share Mr & Mrs Levey’s day & the biggest thank you of all goes to E+L for allowing us to be a part of what was such a special day. Wishing you so much happiness in your married lives together!

Xx

** Love the look of an August Wedding Day at Millbridge Court? Well we have a newly available August Wedding date here at Millbridge Court this Summer, Friday 10th August 2018, so if you’re yet to find your dream Venue & would like to find out more information, please do get in touch with us on team@millbridgecourt.co.uk. **

 

Suppliers:

Leanne Jade Photography

Seventh Heaven Events

Rachelles Cakes

Two Little Birds (Stationery): Website coming soon. Can be found on Instagram under @2littlebirds_

Berkshire Events (Light Up Letters)

 

As we move in to this chilly time of year, we thought we would take a look back at J+D’s wonderful August Wedding Day; a Wedding Day which involved a sunny Arbor Ceremony with most romantic blooms, a gorgeous Patisserie Bar, a show stopping balloon installation & so many happy, smiling faces.

J+D had a really beautiful vision for their day with an elegant colour palette of whites, greys, soft greens & peaches. Creating the floral arrangements that would help to bring their vision to life was the super talented Bloomin Gayles who adorned the Arbor with a sensational cascading eucalyptus & foliage installation, along with two pillar arrangements bursting with delphiniums, roses & white hydrangeas. The beautiful floralising continued within the Dining Barn with Gayle creating gorgeous alternating centrepieces which were complimented perfectly by the soft grey table linens & white napkins chosen by the couple. And adding even more wow factor to the Wedding Breakfast setup was Bubblegum Balloons who created a phenomenal hanging installation along the beams using peach & metallic pink giant balloons.

The Bride & Groom chose to make the most of the interactive menu options that the fabulous Kalm Kitchen offer to Millbridge Court couples & had carve at the table Lamb as their Main Course & a rather gorgeous looking Patisserie Bar, made all the more beautiful by Gayle’s flowers, for dessert. The perfect menu choices to allow guests to mingle & interact throughout the Wedding Breakfast.

Capturing every styling detail, personal touch, spectacular floral arrangement, gorgeous couples shots & all of the happy moments in-between was the wonderful Philippa Sian; a photographer that we have had the pleasure of working with on multiple occasions over the course of the past year & who always brings the most wonderful energy to any Wedding Day.

Thank you to Philippa for letting us to share a selection of her beautiful images & thank you also to J+D for allowing us to play a part in what was such a beautiful celebration! We wish you both so much love & happiness in your married lives together.

Xx