When you’re a Bridgerton fan, a country manor house like St Audries Park is the perfect wedding venue. April and Dec’s elegant summer wedding was an absolute joy, made even more special by the many personal touches they brought to the day.
Tell us about the proposal. How and where did it happen?
Dec proposed to me in Cornwall on the 3rd of September 2023, 11 years to the day since we met. It was a beautiful sunset, and we sat on the cliffs looking over the sea. He had designed a gorgeous engagement ring himself with a Padparadsha sapphire in the centre. The stone was the same colour of the sunset that night: I thought, “Am I in a rom-com?”
What was your first step in planning your wedding?
Finding the venue, as this would decide what kind of wedding we’d have. I love Bridgerton and wanted to try and find a venue that would reflect that. We also downloaded the Bridebook app as we had no clue how to plan a wedding! And of course, who doesn’t go straight to Pinterest to brainstorm ideas?
What were your wedding “must-haves”?
I loved the music in Bridgerton because modern music on strings just sounds so beautiful. We were at an open day and came across Bridge Strings. They were the perfect soundtrack for our wedding, and on the day they surpassed all expectations.
The venue was also important to us. We wanted somewhere that had both inside and outside space, as we live in the UK and we can’t predict the weather. Both of us wanted somewhere with lots of different areas for guests to explore as well as beautiful gardens.
We wanted to have lots of little details throughout the day which made the wedding personal to us. For example, we also didn’t just want to have Prosecco at the drinks reception because cocktails are more exciting and can be more personal.
Accommodation for our guests was another must: who wants to go home after a day of celebrating? Also being able to stay at the venue the night before was a non-negotiable for us. Luckily, we found St Audries Park which gave us all of that and so much more.
How did you organise your wedding budget?
We knew weddings are expensive. But we didn’t anticipate how much and that our budget would quickly have to be upped. Friends gave us advice, and the Bridebook and Hitched apps gave us ideas.
It’s important to really consider what’s essential for you and your wedding. And always stop to think: will this really make a difference on the day or is it just something ‘nice to have’?
How did you find your venue?
We love country houses and often find ourselves exploring National Trust properties. We’ve visited Dunster Castle a few times and on the drive there, noticed the St Audries sign and the deer in the grounds. We always wondered what was down the meandering driveway – and when we started researching wedding venues, St Audries came up.
We toured eight different venues (another Country House Weddings venue, Clearwell Castle, was actually a close second to St Audries!). When we visited St Audries, it had so many wow factors and was just beautiful.
We were also so impressed with everything the package came with and the attentiveness, professionalism and friendliness of the staff at the open day. This made us feel that we would be in safe hands on our special day, and that nothing would be too much. The Orangery stood out too – it just felt right.
How did you personalise your big day?
We were inspired by Bridgerton, so that was our initial starting point. After many hours of research, we came up with our wedding theme. Our colour scheme was green, pink and gold. I love how green flatters most people, and we both love nature. Pink is my favourite colour, and my engagement ring has a pink Padparadsha sapphire in it. Gold goes with anything, and we wanted that classy feel. Our wedding logo was on our invitations and scattered throughout the day to tie everything together.
Flowers
We booked a fabulous florist who absolutely delivered and then some. We chose two urns for the ceremony (which our amazing wedding manager, Hannah, placed behind us for the cake-cutting, which was perfect). We had a table runner of flowers on the table in the ceremony which became the top table decoration for the wedding breakfast. The aisle flowers and candles were repurposed next to our welcome mirror and on the stairs.
Each dining table had a short gold vase with a floral arrangement. We didn’t want tall centrepieces as this can obstruct conversation. The bridesmaids’ bouquets were smaller versions of mine, with a mix of pink, white, blue and purple. We asked for vases to be placed on the mantlepiece to keep the bridesmaids’ bouquets fresh while we dined, while my bouquet was displayed in another vase in the centre of the top table (Hannah’s idea).
Signs
We bought gold-coloured mirrors to use as signs, and used a Cricut machine to create the mirror vinyl (if you like wedding DIY this is such a useful tool!). We decorated one of the mirrors with photos of “our story so far” to sum up our wonderful 12 years together. I love photography, so this was great fun to put together.
Tables
The table numbers were in small gold antique picture frames. Pearls were scattered across the table (which matched the pearls on my veil and dress) along with battery-powered taper candles in glass or gold holders. We paid extra to get the gold charger plates, gold cutlery and gold-rimmed glasses as we felt it added that elegant touch and complemented our colour scheme. We made our own place names, with green ribbon-tied menus inscribed with the guests’ names.
“The love that came before”
We displayed framed photos of our parents’ and grandparents’ weddings on the piano. We wanted to include our grandparents who are no longer with us, and it was also nice to look back at our families’ weddings.
Guest book
There were two guest books: a classic one where people write messages and a photo guest book which came with the photobooth we hired from The Magic Mirror Co. This was really fun on the night, as it came with props.
Fans
Because our wedding was in July, we decided to order personalised hand fans to keep guests cool. Our amazing Personal Wedding Manager arranged them on a table for people to pick up as they walked into the Orangery.
Cake and ducks
Dec’s aunties made our lovely wedding cake, which was inspired by our love of Italy with lemon drizzle, pistachio and tiramisu tiers. We chose simple white fondant icing and the florist created matching flowers for the cake. Dec’s mum found two little miniature duck models in wedding outfits, which were adorable.
Did the venue provide any memorable extras or nice personal touches that stood out?
Hannah, our Personal Wedding Manager, made everything so memorable, including arranging space for guests to get ready in the morning.
We had prosecco in the bridal dressing room. Hannah remembered that I wanted rosé for the toast, so she swapped one bottle of normal Prosecco out for this, especially for me! She also helped me keep my dress hidden from my bridesmaids until I was ready to reveal it.
Hannah went above and beyond on the day, making the venue look beautiful with the decorations we’d provided. She even moved our flowers around during the day to re-purpose them.
Describe your wedding dress and favourite accessories
My wedding dress was an off-the-shoulder satin dress. I wanted it to have a timeless feel, and it needed to be grand to match the venue. I immediately fell in love with how the fabric moved and loved the shape of the dress. There were pearls at the waist as a built-in belt, and I added pearls down the back as fake buttons. The heels were a great find on Amazon, and they were so comfortable all day.
What did the groom wear?
Dec wore a black DKNY tuxedo with a matching black bow tie. He had an Orient Open Heart watch (his wedding gift from me) and moss agate cufflinks, which matched some of my earrings.
Tell us about your wedding party and their outfits
My sister and four school friends were my bridesmaids. To ask them to be my bridesmaids, I gifted each one a gold necklace with an initial pendant along with an invitation. I also put together wedding morning bags for them, containing matching green PJs, earrings, a scrunchie, a candle and a card telling them how much they mean to me.
The bridesmaids wore matching eucalyptus green dresses from Azazie.com. The butterfly sleeves and slightly flowy skirts were both elegant and comfortable. Everyone looked amazing!
Dec had a best man (his brother) and five groomsmen (again, childhood friends). Each groomsman was paired with a bridesmaid to walk down the aisle. They wore matching black tuxedos and bow ties. My partner asked them all individually, by giving them tie pins and a letter telling them how important they were to him. (Unfortunately, we didn’t end up using the tie pins, but they still have them as keepsakes.)
What was your ceremony like?
My dad walked me down the aisle to Bridge Strings playing Pachelbel’s Canon, which is such a beautiful piece of music. Walking into the Orangery with the lovely flowers, talented musicians playing and all our loved ones there, honestly felt like walking into a dream.
We decided not to write our own vows, but to write each other a letter to open on the morning of the wedding. Our registrar read out a lovely poem called ‘You are the bubbles’ by Rachel Bright. We almost didn’t have a reading, but we are glad we did as it allowed us to take a moment to pause and look at everyone there celebrating with us.
Tell us about your drinks reception and wedding breakfast
We were able to hold our drinks reception in the beautiful grounds at St Audries, which was truly magical. Bridge Strings quartet played as our guests enjoyed the delicious canapés and drinks (Bridgerton vibes!). We chose three reception drinks: Country House Garden, Sparkling Peach Tea (non-alcoholic), and Passionfruit Martini, all of which were delicious.
One really nice touch was that straight after the ceremony, we were able to spend ten minutes together in the Library with no one else, so we could let it all sink in. The team at St Audries had kindly put drinks and canapés in there for us, which were so good.
We walked into the wedding breakfast to “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire and had a sing-along with all our guests. My dad made a wonderful speech with a booklet of childhood photos of me and my (new) husband which was hilarious. My husband gave a really heartfelt speech which had the whole room in tears, followed by the best man’s speech, which gave everyone a good laugh.
The food was amazing. For the main course, we both had the Roast Sirloin of British Beef which was super-tasty. Our other choice was the Spiced Chickpea Aubergine Dahl which we had tried at the tasting day and was one of the best vegan meals we have had. We couldn’t be happier with the food, and so many of our guests commented on how tasty everything was!
What music did you have at your evening reception and what song did you choose for your first dance?
We had the St Audries DJ and he was great! We made a playlist of all our favourite songs and asked our guests to add song requests alongside their RSVP. For our first dance, we danced to “This is what slow dancing feels like” by JVKE. There were so many contenders, but we had a little practice at home and this one just felt right. We didn’t want to leave the dance floor all night!
Based on your own experience, please give us some top tips!
My top tips are:
– Take your time when choosing your photographers and videographers as these are the things you’ll be able to cherish forever. Wedding rings are another thing I’d spend a bit more on; again, because it’s something you get to keep to remind you of that special day.
– When you’re at your top table, take a moment to look around the room at everyone who is there. This is probably the only time you will be in the room with everyone you love, and they are all there to celebrate your love for one another.
– Make your own table plans and place names. That way if you have a last-minute cancellation and need to change things, you can.
– Remember it’s a day for you both, as well as your guests. Make sure you breathe and enjoy it! Be in the moment for everything, as the day will fly by.
Did you go on a honeymoon or a mini-moon?
We went on a mini-moon to the lakes straight after the wedding, and it was lovely to be able to chill and spend time together. We are going on our main honeymoon soon to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, which we cannot wait for!!
“If we could do it all again, we’d…”
Not change a thing! I would love to re-live the day, but it was so perfect I don’t think we could ever recreate the magic.
Tell us about your suppliers
Wedding dress and veil: So Gorgeous
Groom’s suit: DKNY from Moss Bros
Bridesmaids Dresses: >Azazie
Groomsmen’s suits: >Moss Bros
>Wedding rings: Clifton Rocks
Videographer: Tristan Adams
Photographer: Paul Aston Photography
Music: Bridge Strings
Hair: Andrea Luella
Makeup: Roxie Makeup
