Tara and James's wedding took place at St Mary Worplesdon. "It was very special, as the snow was still on the ground but blue skies. We had a full choir singing Christmas carols and church bells as we left to the sun setting. All guest where transported by a 1912 bus with mulled wine on entry to the barn to warm them up!
We always wanted a barn reception something very homely and relaxed. Originally when we got engaged we were planning for it to be a good few years before the wedding. But the more people I spoke to the more previous brides kept telling me 'you need to leave at least a year to get a dress, book a venue, flowers, organise'!
I wanted to prove them all wrong and that a magical wedding could be planned in just six weeks on a budget!"
Tara's dress was made of Taffeta in a cocoa colour. It was amazing and very Christmassy. Tara kept her hair very romantic, curly and to the side with just a small tiara, a pearl necklace and bracelet and some very warm tights!
Tara had four bridesmaids, all wearing outfits from Next Christmas party outfits, with matching furry shawls and gold pearl earrings from Accessorize. They looked amazing. Tara also had one flower girl who was one year old and looked equally cute.
James and his groomsmen wore suits from Debenhams in deep red to complement the gold theme.
A 1912 bus took the guests to the The Barn at Bury Court. Tara and James travelled in a Bentley Phantom. (A Bentley for the barn at Bentley).
They had all the decorations in gold to theme with Christmas. Gold balloons, chair bows and table confetti. The flowers were gold willow, icy, and red and orange gerberas. They also had two large flower displays in the barn. They named the tables after reindeers and used ivy to decorate the cake table and seating plan. The table centrepieces were the most amazing gigantic gold candelabras decorated in ivy, holly and fur cones. With the ivy trailing down onto the table and had 5 church candles creating warmth. They used the gallery as a cinema, projecting Christmas movies which could be seen all over the barn.
The favours were handmade gold bags with reindeer chocolates, gold hearts, table poppers, candy canes and gold boxes full of favours on the tables. For the cake they had cup cakes made from the most amazing cup cake shop in Chichester; Tara and James had had them at a previous wedding and fell in love with them.
We asked Tara what was the best part of the day. "I was overwhelmed when I walked up the aisle to see James and saying my vows was a very special moment. In the evening I really enjoyed the dancers we had performing the nutcracker with snow coming down at the end, this was a perfect beginning to the evening. I also thought the roasted chestnut seller who was standing in the snow in a small coat was very brave and the snow angels that came so naturally after one too many glasses of champagne finished the evening perfectly." When asked if there was anything she had learned as an important tip for future wedding couples Tara says "You do not need years to get a perfect wedding and it does not have to be a stressful experience either. Enjoy every moment of it as it only happens once."