Tropical Paradise

Rivervale Barn was stunning and we loved the fact that everything was under one roof and the church-like feel to the Ceremony Barn was great. The big selling point for us was the courtyard which we thought would have been stunning on a summer’s day. We loved the barn’s very high ceilings and the light that filled every space, something that is often lacking from barn conversions.

“The team made us feel so welcome and spent ages talking to us about our plans for the day, a personal touch we hadn’t felt elsewhere. There really had been a lot of thought put into the planning of Rivervale Barn.”

Colour explosion!

The theme was tropical, and I wanted an explosion of colour so the dresses were the perfect canvas for bright tropical colours of fuchsia pink and burnt orange with a hint of lime green. I was inspired by mum’s garden which is filled with brightly coloured tropical flowers.

Each time I fell more and more in love with it!

It was really important that my mum helped me in my search for a wedding dress. She was only visiting us for a short while so we set to looking almost straight away. I eventually found ‘the on’ in the Bonny range at Belles Bridal in Woking. It was a gorgeous A-line design with a lace covered bodice over taffeta gown with a cinched in pleated waist. The top part was embellished with lots of sparkly bits and it had a semi cathedral train.

“All my jewellery came from Guyana. I wanted a piece of Guyana (where I was born) to be with me on my big day and my mum chose a gorgeous 14 carat white gold necklace and earring set.”

A belly full of rum!

My best friend has her own business called Sweet Events so naturally she volunteered to do our cake. We had a traditional three-tiered, stacked cake and a traditional Guyanese Black cake which is full of plenty of rum-soaked fruit!

My favourite part…

Apart from seeing Damien standing at the altar, turning around and catching my mum with an amazing look of love and serenity on her face was one of the most memorable moments of the day.

“I also have an aunt who is on chemo and not very well. Right up until the morning she was unsure if she would be able to make it to the wedding. When I saw her after the ceremony, I ran into her arms sobbing because it meant so much that she was there.”

Top tips…

Heel Stoppers! Those really expensive bridal shoes need protecting if you’re going to be walking round in grass or gravel. These little gems slip onto your shoe heel and stop you sinking into the ground.