Real Wedding - Carol and Matt

It’s impossible to choose one favourite part of the day. We loved the intimate feel of the venue. 

Why Did You Choose The Montagu Arms in the New Forest For Your Special Day?

We’d been engaged for nearly five years and viewed a handful of venues but they never seemed quite right. Then COVID struck and the world of weddings seemed to change. COVID weddings showed us that (although disappointing for many couples who had dreamed of bigger celebrations) small weddings can be just as wonderful. This is when we realised that it was the huge venues that were putting us off so we started scouring the internet for venues which hosted intimate weddings. We came across the Montagu Arms in the New Forest and, with it being so close to where I grew up and spent many happy days out as a child, we decided to book a visit. We visited in early summer and the hotel was simply beautiful. It was so calm and tranquil, it felt like a little piece of heaven! After a look around and a great chat with Clara we were certain this was the perfect place for us to get married.

The Flowers

 Matt’s step- mum is a florist so when she kindly offered to do the flowers (and transport them 180miles from their home in Lincolnshire!) we were absolutely delighted. I showed Sandra some examples of what I liked and then she worked her magic! My bouquet was everything I’d hoped for and the buttonholes, table decorations and fireplace display tied it all together perfectly.  Jo Hicks also provided some beautiful bud vases with blush roses in as part of our wedding package.   

The Dress

I wore a halter neck, a-line ivory wedding dress and with the help of the wonderful Olivia Sharp Make Up and Kelly Williams Hairstylist I felt amazing! Matt opted for a black tux from Ted Baker.

The Food

After our menu tasting, we opted for a choice of two starters, mains and desserts for our guests to pre order. They had the choice of ham hock or fish cakes to start, pork or beef for main course and lemon tartlet or chocolate delice for dessert. The food was delicious!

The Wedding Cake

We used the hotel’s recommended suppliers for both our photographer and cake and we’re so pleased we did! We cannot recommend both Az at Lemontree Photography and Sarah at Sarah Louise Cakes enough! Sarah was fantastic from our first enquiry right through to the delivery of our cake on the day. We choose three different flavours and every one was delicious! The cake was beautifully decorated, and just as we’d imagined.

The Photographer

Az (Lemontree photography) is a wonderful human being, as well as a very talented photographer. From the start, he was quick to respond to emails and reassured us that we would still have great photos even if the shortest day of the year turned out to be a cold, dark, wet one (although as it turned out it was fairly bright and dry!) On the day Az was fantastic! He captured so many amazing memories and we were absolutely delighted with the final gallery. We couldn’t recommend him enough. 

Word of Wisdom

Plan a wedding that is exactly what you and your partner want. Don’t get trapped in to doing things, just because you think you should. Your wedding can look however you want it to look. Small weddings can be perfectly formed. We are so glad we opted for a small, intimate wedding and it ended up being exactly what we wanted. We only wish we could do it all over again! 

If you are looking for a wedding venue in the New Forest, choose The Montagu Arms Hotel for a wedding day completely bespoke to you. Call 01590 612324 or contact Wedding Team online.

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