Inside: A Romantic Winter Wedding At North Cadbury Court

From a first-day-of-university meeting to a snowy proposal in the Colorado mountains, step inside Abby and Matt’s romantic winter wedding at a candlelit Somerset country house.

The Story So Far

Matt and I met on our first day of university, and over the following year we slowly fell head over heels for each other. Cut to seven years later: we were on holiday in Vail, Colorado, walking through the mountains with snow falling around us – and wearing comically large snowshoes – when Matt got down on one knee. He produced my beautiful ring, an oval-cut diamond with pear diamonds on either side. I’ll never forget the way it sparkled against the snow!

Venue

Our wedding venue was the beautiful North Cadbury Court, with the ceremony next door at St Michael’s Church. It’s just down the road from where I grew up in Somerset, and over the years it’s become a place we both love – the perfect setting for the romantic winter wedding we wanted. We loved that it could accommodate almost all of our guests on site, that every detail of the weekend was customisable, and that we could dance into the early hours in the disco cellar. This venue truly has it all, and our coordinator and the staff made it the most magical time of our lives. North Cadbury Court will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Fashion

My dress was the winter ballgown of my dreams, covered in lace, with long sleeves that suited the romantic setting. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted, and I spent countless hours scouring the internet until I found the Bluebell dress by Tina Valerdi. I knew the moment I saw it that it would be the one. A fun touch was my oxblood shoes, chosen to match the deep reds of the flowers and décor. Matt wore a bespoke double-breasted tux by Casual Fitters, with an adorable detail – his initials monogrammed into the jacket lining.

Jewellery

For jewellery I chose a classic pearl necklace with pearl-and-diamond earrings. My lovely mum custom-made the earrings, repurposing diamonds from her own collection and ticking off my something old and something borrowed. She set the diamonds into a trinity setting, symbolising past, present and future. My wedding gift to Matt was his dream watch, which beautifully complemented his tux.

Bridal Party

My bridesmaids all wore either black, dark green or dark red, each choosing a dress to suit her own style. My sister and besties mean the world to me, so I wanted them to feel special and stand out as individuals.

Tablescape

Some of my favourite details were the festive wreaths that sat around the candelabras. The florist thoughtfully attached hooks to the back, so they could all be repurposed as Christmas wreaths for our family and friends. My talented sister, a freelance artist, took the reins on the décor, hand-painting everything from the name cards to the invitations, so it was all personalised just for us. For favours, we gave our guests miniature port bottles with monogrammed port glasses, which I painstakingly engraved myself!

Food & Drinks

Our caterers were The French Kitchen, who served the most delicious food. We chose braised beef cheeks with the best-ever roast potatoes, followed by classic British desserts of sticky toffee pudding and apple tart. A guest favourite was the late-night mac and cheese that we still get compliments on to this day. For the bar we used The Bartender, who kept the cocktails and Guinness flowing all night long.

Entertainment

Our first dance was ‘Still the One’ by Shania Twain, which everyone sang their hearts out to. Our little twist was to drop straight from it into ‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift – a brilliant way to bring instant high energy to the dancefloor.

Beauty & Wellness

My goal was to look like an elevated version of myself, as I don’t usually wear much make-up. I was blown away by my make-up artist, MakeupByBelle – she made me feel the most beautiful I ever have. My hairstylist, the fabulous Chavela Mora, nailed my vision of enhancing my natural curls.

Honeymoon

Our honeymoon was a safari in Kenya – such a fun adventure!

Advice

Splurge on the photography and videography. Sophia and Sam were a dream team, and the photos and film are all you get to keep after the big day.

If you have a long or heavy wedding dress, I recommend an outfit change for the evening. I switched into a mini dress and felt free to dance the night away.

If a full, fun dancefloor is a priority for you, as it was for us, put the bar in the same room as the dancefloor – you don’t lose people every time they want a drink!