Bianca, 32, is a Website Director at British GLAMOUR. She met Matt at University back in 2009. After 11 years together, Matt (finally!) proposed at Bianca’s family home during lockdown in 2020 after a Mallorca proposal plan was scuppered. Following a postponed 2021 date (and a baby!), the pair tied the knot back at Bianca’s family home in Worcestershire in May 2022. Bianca and Matt wanted to create a wild and whimsical vibe for their 180 guest-strong countryside marquee wedding. Guests enjoyed Moët & Chandon champagne and canapés in the garden whilst La Folie Douce’s resident saxophonist played chilled Ibiza tunes. A rather rowdy wedding breakfast in the marquee ensued with performances from a party band and Ibiza trio, complete with lasers, smoke machines and confetti cannons.
The best part of our day was…
After waiting 13 years to get married, the moment we were finally pronounced husband and wife in a church full of our cheering friends and family was such a moment. Everyone told us to take a few moments just the two of us to ‘take it all in’ and as we stood together waiting to enter the marquee and laughed watching all of our guests having such a great time with the party packs we’d put together for them, we knew holding out for our dream big wedding was absolutely worth the wait.
We chose to get married at…
Bianca’s family home where she’d dreamt of getting married since she was young (cliché indeed). It holds so many special memories of childhood parties and boozy BBQs in the gardens, and the fact that Matt proposed there made it even more poignant.
I knew I found (The One) when…
I was dreading shopping for a wedding dress because as a huge fan of wine and chips, I didn’t want to have to diet to squeeze into a figure-hugging gown. That is exactly why I knew Suzanne Neville was the only option. Renowned for her incredible cut and corsetry, her dresses are designed to enhance your figure with a really well cut dress and to my absolute shock and delight, the first dress I tried on was the one I wore on my wedding day.
The most enjoyable moments of planning were…
Creating a party vibe and incorporating as many personal details as possible to reflect us as a couple. We love the classic napkin welcome at weddings but we wanted to soup this up so created ‘party packs’ for our guests as wedding favours. Sophie Mantell Illustration created bespoke stickers for our boxes and inside, we gave everyone a different musical instrument (tambourine, hand bell or maraca) and the ushers coordinated a musical welcome to Bianca’s favourite song, Levels by Avicii. We also included a note to everyone, a shot of Jagermister to take during the speeches, confetti poppers to let off and a little something to take to the dancefloor for The Edge Band and Club Class UK’s sets (face glitter, a whistle, sunglasses, Hawaiian leis, inflatable saxophones). Luckily our guests got really stuck in and it set the tone for the day. A day out at The Wedding Shop is also a must. Armed with a glass of fizz, you peruse their town house and literally shop as you go, adding gifts to your wish list. Obviously, the food tasting was incredible and Morgans Catering (who Bianca’s family have used for dinner parties and birthday events forever) set up a lovely dinner party for the family at Bianca’s house to sample the menu.
The hardest part of planning was..
Logistics! We are both major micro managers and tried to make the day as smooth as possible for our guests by organising transport, which actually ended up making things even more stressful.
The best accounts to follow on Instagram for big day inspiration are…
@rowan_blossom for floral inspo. @theweddingedition_ for real life couples (who doesn’t love a peek into someone else’s wedding?!) And @rosannafalconer for tablescape and DIY decorative inspo.
My top three tips for any couple would be…
Eat a big breakfast and go easy on the champagne – I was too anxious to eat and knocked back too much fizz early on so I have a few memory blanks (oops). Position yourself on the dancefloor so you get to mingle with as many guests as possible. Choose suppliers who share your vision and who you trust implicitly. My ‘glam squad’ – Aimee Morrison, a Bobbi Brown Pro Artist, and Issey Cook from Larry King, are the sweetest girls and made me feel so relaxed ahead of walking down the aisle (which I was absolutely dreading!). Our caterers (Morgans), marquee company (West Country Marquees) florist (Karen Morgan from Passion For Flowers), photographer (Philippa Sian) and videographer (James from Film Our Day) were so relaxed but super confident in what they were doing so we knew we could leave them to it.
If I was able to do it all over again, the one thing I would change…
I would have drank more water and attempted to line my stomach!!
List of Suppliers:
Venue: Private Family Home with bridal party prep at Dunsley Hall Hotel @dunsleyhall_hotel
Photographer: Phillipa Sian Photography @phillipasianphotography
Videographer: Film Our Day @filmourday
Marquee: West Country Marquees @westcountrymarquees
Caterer: Morgans Catering @morganscateringforyou
Dress: Suzanne Neville @suzanneneville
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik @manoloblahnik
Earrings: Kiki McDonough @kikimcdonough
Bridesmaids: New Look @newlook
Groom outfit: Moss Bros @mossbros
Flower girl outfit: John Lewis @johnlewis dress, La Coqueta Kids @lacoquetakids sash, Trotters @trotterschildrenswear socks
Florist: Passion for Flowers @karenmorganflowers
Stationery: Sophie Mantell Illustration @sophiemantell.illustration
Wedding rings: Tiffany & Co. @tiffanyandco
Makeup: Bride and mother of the bride: Aimee Morrison @bbpro_aimmeemorrison, PRO makeup artist at Bobbi Brown, bridesmaids: Danielle Wells @daniellemua1
Hair: Bride and mother of the bride: @issey_cook from Larry King @larrykinghair, bridesmaids: The Stables Hair and MUA Studio @thestableshairandmu
Bridesmaids’ gifts: I created a goody bag filled with my favourite things: Dressing gowns, rose quartz crystals and colourful candles from Etsy, plus a bottle of my favourite Château Léoube rosé
Entertainment: Joe Glynn saxophonist @joeglynnsax, The Edge Band @theedgebanduk, Club Class UK @clubclassuk
Gift list: The Wedding Shop @theweddingshopuk
Wedding Coordinator: Shropshire Events @shropshireweddingsevents
Related Article: Inside: a Charming Marquee Wedding in Sussex
