Real-Life Wedding

A Sparkling Christmas Wedding

Sam and Ross planned a sparkling seasonal wedding at Rivervale Barn wedding venue and filled it with fabulous details, plenty of great food and lots of treats for their guests to enjoy.

Recommended and reassured

After a friend who had married at this wonderful barn wedding venue recommended Rivervale to Sam and Ross, they couldn’t wait to visit. And, when they did, they knew they’d get married there.

“We loved how spacious the barn is,” says Sam. “The well-designed layout, with a separate room for the ceremony and wedding breakfast and the bar right in the middle means that all of your guests can stay in one place. The cottage and pamper rooms were also an added bonus!”

However, one of the biggest attractions for Sam and Ross was the fact that they had a dedicated Event Manager to look after them in the lead up to the big day. Knowing that a familiar face would be there with them to manage everything at the barn wedding venue was a big plus point.

Surprise shoes and silver dresses

Sam wore a low-backed gown by Annasul Y from Surrey Brides and the touch of sparkle on the belt worked so well with their theme. Ross bought his bride a pair of Christian Louboutins as a surprise and these silver glittery shoes were perfect.

Sam’s bridesmaids looked amazing in full-length silver dresses and also carried ivory pashminas in case the December day was chilly.

The groom

Ross teamed his fully bespoke navy lounge suit with a contrast grey waistcoat, all made for him at Black Tie in Crowthorne. Sam gifted Ross a Longines watch as a wedding day present and this was the most wonderful wedding day accessory.

Perfect winter decorations

Working with the sparkling theme, Cherubs Floral Design created fantastic floral arrangements. Glass hurricane lanterns and silver candle stands were dressed with white and silver flowers on the tables. Sam’s bouquet featured silver brunia, anemones, pinecones, roses, seeded eucalyptus and winter foliage. As an extra touch, Sam added two little photos of her Dad to her bouquet.

The bridesmaids carried bouquets of white hydrangeas whilst the buttonholes worn by the groom and groomsmen were single ivory roses with white hypericum berries and silver foliage.

A festive feast

After attending a tasting event at Rivervale Barn, Sam and Ross also opted for a private tasting so that they could try their personalised wedding menu.

“We decided on a starter of ham hock and sage and onion croquettes with braised puy lentils. Our main course was fillet of Scotch beef and lastly, we chose a trio of desserts. We were also really impressed that Rivervale Barn could cater for a number of our guests with dietary requirements.”
Sam

The feast continued into the evening with wood fired pizza and even though everyone had indulged at the wedding breakfast, the pizza proved to be irresistible!

Sweet treats

Sam and Ross’s 4-tier cake by The Vanilla Cake Company looked amazing with its hydrangea skirt and the mix of flavours worked so well. There was a carrot layer as well as vanilla, chocolate and the top tier of lemon was kept for Sam and Ross to enjoy after their wedding although there was a also a lemon sponge cutting cake in the kitchen so everyone could taste the flavours.

There were more treats for guests in the form of the wedding favours that Sam and Ross had arranged. Mini bottles of prosecco complete with silver ribbons and a polka dot straw were the perfect pre-Christmas gift.

Moments to remember

“The best moment of the day was walking down the aisle with my lovely flower-girls and bridesmaids leading the way and a brother on each arm before saying my vows and becoming husband and wife.”
Sam

Ross made the day extra special for Sam by giving her a pair of diamond earrings on the morning of the wedding, which she wore all day. There was also another surprise in the shape of a personalised number plate for her car featuring Sam’s new initials!

Advice for couples planning their wedding

“My advice is to enjoy the planning process as you only get to do it once! It can be stressful at times but it’s all worth it in the end and you actually miss it once it’s over. Everyone warns you how quickly the day goes by but nothing can prepare you for that so try and take a moment on the day to look at all of your friends and family in one place. It’s not often that you have all of your loved ones together. We wouldn’t change a thing about our wedding day. It was the best day of our lives.”