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Susan & Mark's wedding

Cain Manor

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Cain Manor aisle chair decorations

The proposal

Susan met Mark during their secondary school years. Time past and when the couple reunited, The couple spent New Year’s Eve 2015 in Disneyland Paris. After the clock struck midnight and the magical firework display had come to an end, Susan wanted to head back to their hotel. Mark, however, persuaded her to walk up to the castle just one more time. Then, all of a sudden, he bent down on one knee and proposed with a beautiful platinum engagement ring featuring a unique heart shaped diamond. Susan was over the moon and of course accepted his proposal. As the couple headed back down Main Street ‘We Belong Together’ from Toy Story 3 played in the background, so the couple took that as a good omen. They danced all the way along the street and decided that they’d play the same song at some point during their future wedding day. The couple spent the next 12 months planning their cosy winter wedding at Cain Manor.

intimate Cain Manor wedding ceremony

Choosing Cain Manor

Susan and Mark celebrated a small winter wedding on a Thursday at Cain Manor with 40 guests; their celebration followed a vintage theme with hints of burgundy throughout. Cain Manor was the second wedding venue that Susan and Mark viewed before making their important decision. “As soon as we visited we knew that was the place we would like to get married. There was a welcoming atmosphere, it wasn’t too big, the house and grounds were stunning” said Susan. The couple found Harper’s online wedding planner helpful when it came to communicating all of their wedding plans to Harper’s Wedding Planning Management team.

groom pocket square close up
Cain Manor staircase with bunting
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The Attire

When it came to the décor, the couple wanted to keep the natural aesthetic the venue offered, so they decided to keep their décor minimal and unfussy. Leigh’s bright cascading bridal bouquet added a pop of colour to the Abbot’s Hall, where they said their “I do’s, whilst a pink and cream floral arch way framed the main entrance. Pillar candles and green foliage dressed the centre of the breakfast tables, and white spent cartridges were made into place name holders by Leigh herself, a keen clay and game shooter.
The grooms party wore grey tails, brown shoes and ivory waistcoats featuring burgundy and pink embroidered detail to tie in with the rest of the wedding colour scheme. These were all hired from Black Tie in Basingstoke. Susan adapted vintage luggage labels and put them on all of the buttonholes so that everyone knew what to wear; to be funny, Mark put his luggage label on his suit instead of his buttonhole for a moment.

Cain Manor floral basket bike

The Decor

They invited 40 guests to witness their nuptials and decorated white chiavari wedding chairs with elegant lace sashes and hung a jar filled with wintry flowers on the chairs lining the aisle. The couple brought some very special touches in to the rustic barn wedding venue, including an old bicycle with flowers filling the basket at the front; lace bunting to line the banisters; and a selection of vintage suitcases and books to complete their unique wedding style. The main feature in The Music Room was the Christmas tree; a perfectly fitting accessory for a wedding which took place just 3 days before Christmas.

The Big Day

Susan held a stunning bouquet filled with seasonal blooms and the couple had previously chosen a selection of readings and songs that meant something to both of them. They even walked back down the aisle as husband and wife to the very song they’d heard on Main Street at Disneyland, moments after their engagement the previous year.

After celebrating their marriage with drinks and canapés in The Library at Cain Manor, the couple ventured out to the cold with their wedding photographer, Susan’s son James, to capture some memorable moments. Guests were welcomed back in to The Music Room for a wonderful three course wedding breakfast and were able to find their table numbers by looking at a hand-made display featuring a wooden crate filled with flowers with the table numbers printed on vintage luggage labels.

An additional 26 guests joined the happy couple to celebrate at Cain Manor during the evening. A cheese board along with a tray of bacon butties were offered to everyone and the couple danced their first dance to ‘Everyday I Love You’ by Boyzone, played by the Harper DJ.

Suppliers

Photographer: James Taylor-Meme | Florist: Longacres, Bagshot| Wedding Suits: Black Tie, Basingstoke | Wedding Cake: Little Cottage Cakes | Wedding Props: Vintage Your Day