Daniel proposed to Yuvika whilst on Ponte Sant’Angelo located in front of Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome following an early birthday celebration.
As Yuvika looked over the bridge Daniel went down on one knee with a ring and asked Yuvika to marry him. Daniel had also arranged for a photographer to capture the
proposal which was then followed by an engagement shoot . It was a YES!!
What was your first step in planning your wedding?
“We looked at lots of venues but as soon as we drove into St Audries Park we both knew that we had found our venue. We searched for wedding venues online.
We wanted to get married in the South West near to where we met,
however there were many beautiful venues all around us. We visited venues in London, Southampton, Frome
and Wells however we didn’t find the one until we visited St Audries Park. We don’t have any ties with the
town however as soon as we stepped into the venue we both looked at each other and said ‘I think this is
the one look’. However we tried not to get ahead of ourselves and made sure we had all the facts, facilities,
availability and costs for comparison before we made a decision. We were welcomed into the venue and had
a very detailed and informed tour of it and all the information we got was ticking all the boxes we had in
terms of what we wanted from the venue. We discussed the dates and finalised the venue the same day and
paid our deposit to secure our date.”
Inspiration: Did you use blogs or magazines for ideas?
“We didn’t purchase any magazines or blogs. We both had a vision of what we wanted but just didn’t want to look at too many choices as this would make things more complicated.”
What were your wedding “must have’s”?
“For us the most import thing was the venue and the experience for our guests and ourselves of course.”
Wedding budget: how did you organise your wedding budget?
“We had our Indian wedding ceremony in India in February 2018 but planning this wedding was especially
challenging for me as I had no experience with weddings in this part of the world. I therefore didn’t set a
budget to start with. Although I did research the wedding do’s and do not’s – there was a lot to take in and we
settled with the vision we both had. We didn’t set a complete budget but started with the main essentials for
us and ensured that before finalising things we had the resources to cover the costs.”
Styling your wedding: how did you personalise your big day?
“I get my style preferences from my mother who had always been a very elegant woman with precise
expectations and I turned to her to give me advise for decorating the venue for our wedding. We
decided early on we wanted a pink and white coloured theme. We didn’t want overwhelming table
decorations that would hinder our guests having a good time. We went with white and pink tea lights in glass
holders placed on top of a mirror, flower petals and crystal confetti. We had a personalised rug for the aisle in
the orangery, decorated with silk rose petals in shades of pink. We had long glass vases with wooden
decorations and flowers in them in the orangery too. We had purchased the lantern package from St Audries Park
and had those in the orangery too. The pillars in the orangery were draped with pink fabric. I sourced the
decorations from various online vendors but the fabric, flowers, petals were brought over from India by my
mother. Early during the wedding day my parents, Daniel and the groomsmen worked very hard and
decorated the venue. This meant a lot to us as the venue was decorated by our loved ones and therefore had a
personal touch to it. We also had flower bouquets decorating the front and back pillars and table flowers
brought in by our florist.”
Wedding photographer: how did you choose your photographer?
“Having a great photographer was extremely important to us as they were the ones who would capture the
moments from our wedding that we would cherish for the rest of our lives. After extensive research online,
looking at websites and reading many reviews we stumbled upon Martin’s website and we knew we wanted
him to be our photographer. We were impressed with the pictures on his website and saw very good reviews
from happy couples. When we got in touch with him, he was very good in communicating with us and was
very keen about knowing what we wanted for the wedding day. At the wedding day he was very
enthusiastic and all our guests were very impressed with him and his work. The photos speak for themselves
and we are so glad we chose Martin as our photographer.”
Wedding suppliers: how did you choose your suppliers?
“Daniel and I attended one wedding fair in Bath to explore our options however we found all our suppliers
online and some by the recommendation of our wedding venue. We didn’t use any online forums however
we did a search for local suppliers to Taunton and nearby towns. We saw their websites, pictures, reviews and
decided who we wanted to go with.”
Describe your wedding attire
“My wedding dress was very special to me as it was made by my best friend who is a fashion designer in
India. She was also my maid of honour however due to family commitments she couldn’t make it to the
wedding. However I had the dress she had designed and made for me and I had something from her on my
wedding day. It was a lovely feeling wearing the dress and the veil that was designed especially for me.”
What did your partner wear?
“Daniel wore a morning suit that we had chosen together and looked very handsome. To me, he is the most
handsome man no matter what he wears. I was overjoyed when I saw him waiting for me in the orangery as I
walked down the aisle.”
What was your biggest wedding splurge?
“Apart from the venue we spent the most on photography and video filming.”
What was your biggest wedding saving?
“We saved the most on decorations as we did most of that ourselves apart from the flowers that were from the
florist. This also made the decoration very personal and more economical. I would recommend
researching the style that you want and then try to source the items you need online. After the wedding, we
used some of the items we used decorated in our house and it acts as a lovely reminder of the amazing day
we had. We also gave away some of the decorations to family members as they really appreciated that.”
What was your ceremony like?
“Our ceremony was very beautiful as we were surrounded by our family and friends. We had a harpist playing
songs at the entry and exit. Although we had the usual vows couples have to take to be legally married,
Daniel and I chose to write each other letters rather that say them out loud at the ceremony. The sentiments
we shared were very personal so we decided to send each other our letters before the ceremony.”
Tell us about your drinks reception and wedding breakfast
“The food at St Audries Park was remarkable. Every dish was delicious and our guest were very impressed.
For the wedding breakfast we had the following choices”
Starters
Slow Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup or Baked Chicken and Wild Mushroom Pithivier
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (Vegan)
Sorbet Course
Mango Sorbet
Main Course
Roasted Root Vegetable Wellington or Pan Fried Breast of Chicken on Buttered
Asparagus or Slow Roast Somerset Pork Belly with Crackling
Dessert
Vanilla Crème Brûlée or Warm Double Chocolate Brownie or Apple Crumble (Vegan)
“We had four speeches from the bride’s father, best man, groom and secondary maid of honour. My best
friend Sona stepped in as maid of honour after the maid of honour was unable to attend the wedding due to
unforeseeable circumstances.”
Tell us about your first dance – what song did you chose and why?
“Being hopeless at dancing, Daniel and I took some dancing lessons to help us. Our song was all of me by
John Legend. Although we had practiced well, we didn’t take into account the length of the dress which
hindered my ability to do all the steps properly. Although we didn’t finish the routine, we had a lot of fun.”
What was the most memorable moment of the day?
“The whole day was very special for us to be honest. For Daniel the most memorable moment was watching
me walk down the aisle and for myself it was saying our vows.”
Did any members of staff stand out to you in particular?
“Our wedding co-ordinator Claire did an amazing job and everyone was very impressed with her organisation.
She was very welcoming and polite to everyone and made everything go very smoothly.”
What did you enjoy the most about St Audries Park?
“The whole venue is amazing and mesmerising. We saw many venues and as soon as we stepped into St
Audries Park we know it was the one. From the interiors to the Orangery it was just what we wanted. The
food was absolutely delicious and the service was great too. Everyone enjoyed themselves a lot.”
Did you go on a honeymoon or mini-moon?
“We went to Croatia. We were in Dubrovnik for two weeks and we stayed at the Sun Gardens resort. We
enjoyed exploring the city, walking on the beaches, kayaking and just spending our time together.”
Your Wedding Day Suppliers:-
Wedding cake: Cakes by Samantha
Photographer: Martin Dabek Photography
Harpist: Claire Dibble