Real Wedding - Verity and Spencer

With a guest list of over 100 and along with thousands of couples across the country, Verity and Spencer found themselves having to postpone their wedding. Still keen to get married sooner rather than later, the couple chose the Montagu Arms for their laid-back nuptials with a gourmet twist.

The Proposal

"Spencer proposed in July 2019, we had been together just over five years and had bought our house in February that year. I had a particularly bad day at work (I am a nurse) and had text Spencer to say I was leaving work late and on my way home, albeit a bit stressed! I got through the door and found Spencer in the kitchen with two bunches of flowers on the side and was told there was a present in the fridge - a crème brûlée and Champagne - when I turned around to question what the occasion was, Spencer was on one knee! I was very shocked and had to sit down - I hadn't been expecting it at all. I loved that it was at home in our new house." 

Why Did You Choose The Montagu Arms For Your Intimate Wedding?

"After postponing our 100-person wedding to the following year, we decided that we still wanted to get married with just our immediate family around us. We had enquired with a few places prior to seeing The Montagu, but when we went to visit we knew right away it was the intimate wedding venue we were after. We wanted to treat our families as well as celebrate our marriage, and Montagu ticked all the boxes for the intimate wedding we wanted. Due to restrictions, we had only planned for a wedding of 15 (including us) which was our immediate family - we were lucky that by the wedding day restrictions lifted slightly so we were able to have our close friends join us in the evening to celebrate."

The Flowers 

"My amazing friend Natasha did my flowers - she's a teacher in her day-to-day life (as well as a mum of three boys!) but is so incredibly talented and creative with flower arranging. She has done several weddings for friends before and I'd always said I'd have her do my flowers. We are so similar in our taste and I have always admired her eye for flower arranging and natural creativity. I sent her loads of photos of inspiration, as well as picking out some choice flowers and greenery, but left the designing up to her. I had no doubt she would create something amazing - what we ended up with on the day was above and beyond our expectations!"

The Decor

With a love of organisation and  creativity, Verity designed the decor herself "We didn't have a 'theme' but wanted relaxed and fun. The gin bottles were sourced from friends and free Facebook Marketplace ads, which Tash filled with wild flowers, as well as IKEA glasses for candles. We wanted a simple and unfussy table, lots of flowers and candles and nothing too 'polished'. I sent ideas to Clara and herself and the team pulled it off perfectly."

The Food

"We wanted to do something different and treat our families so we picked a 7-course tasting menu. The food was exceptional, especially the roast loin of pork and the crème brûlèe." 

The Photographer

"Our photographer was Siobhan Beales, and she was one of the most important parts of our day.  We booked her for our first date and four postponements later she was still there. She has given us such beautiful memories of our wedding and slotted so seamlessly into our day. We cannot recommend her enough for being so easy going, friendly and just making our day and photos so special."

The Dress

"I didn't particularly enjoy wedding dress shopping, but I booked in for a slot in October 2019, on my own, at a closing down sale at Winchester Bridal (sadly now closed). I immediately found a Catherine Deane sheath dress and over-top from Stephanie Allin in the sample sale which I fell in love with and bought right away. During Covid I felt like something wasn't right, so I found another Catherine Deane skirt I loved, and it happened to be on sale; when I put it on together I felt like me and so comfortable. I sold my other dress and felt like my skirt and top combination was a good depiction of my personality and was a bit different, which is what I wanted." 

The Cake

"Luckily I have very creative and talented bridesmaids! My friend Jamie-Leigh made beautiful chocolate and blackberry cupcakes and my friend Jess made our lemon and elderflower wedding cake which was decorated with flowers and fresh-cut figs. Our topper said 'Finally' which is how we felt about getting married that day!"

"The day was absolutely perfect and going from a 100-person wedding to only 14 of us for the ceremony and 11 of our friends attending the evening was amazing! Sadly, Spencer's Nan was unable to attend on the day but we were able to celebrate with her separately. Anyone who has any doubts about downsizing for Covid should not be worried. Spending a whole day with your closest friends and family, celebrating your marriage is so intimate and personal and it was very special to us.  We cannot fault the Montagu Arms for making our day flow so perfectly. We feel so lucky to have found somewhere that matched our thinking and really bent over backwards to accommodate us."

To start planning an intimate wedding at mico-wedding venue, The Montagu Arms Hotel, call 01590612324 or contact Wedding Coordinator Clara Earp online.

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