Country Chic

Victoria and Mark celebrated their big day with a chic summer wedding at a country house hotel

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Early days…

Victoria and Mark became friends in 1999, during their final months at college. "We both went our separate ways to university and five years later I searched through my 1999 diary to try and find his number as I always felt something very special for him," says Victoria.
After exchanging texts, the pair arranged their first date. "Victoria looked beautiful and has such an amazing personality. We were meant to be together," says Mark.

The proposal…

Mark proposed at the Carlyon Bay Hotel in Cornwall. "It was a complete surprise as I thought we were going away for our two year anniversary," says Victoria. "After a gorgeous meal Mark got down on one knee in our hotel room, overlooking the sea."

Hen and stag parties…

Victoria's sisters organised for nine hens to stay in a cottage. "On Saturday we cooked a full English breakfast, had a dip in the pool and sunbathed and enjoyed treatments provided by a beautician we had booked to come round," says Victoria. That night a limousine arrived to take the hens into Bath for dinner and drinks.

Mark's stag do was spent in Torquay with 18 people. "On the journey we stopped off at an outdoor centre for quad biking and off-road karting," says Mark. "The night was then spent visiting various pubs and bars."

The venues…

The couple chose to exchange their vows in their local parish church, which Victoria had attended from a young age.
A Victorian-style country mansion, Tortworth Court Hotel, set the scene for their reception. "We instantly loved it and only looked around one other venue just to compare them both," says Victoria.

The attendants…

Victoria's older sisters Jessica and Elizabeth were bridesmaids, dressed in strapless sage green-coloured dresses.
Mark's two closest school friends, Drew and Dominic, were present as his best men and he chose three ushers - Victoria's brothers-in-law and Mark's sister's boyfriend.

The dress…

Victoria wore a strapless fishtail wedding dress with a sweetheart neckline. "The dress was by Caroline Castigliano and named 'Aruba'," says Victoria.

The flowers…

"For our centrepieces we choose tall cylinder vases with a ball of cream roses sat on top," says Victoria. "Cream butterflies were placed on top of the roses and we added tea-lights in chunky glass candle holders."

The decorative touches…

The couple chose a chic cream colour theme for the big day. The venue was simply decorated with cream-coloured roses and butterflies. Fairy lights added a touch of sparkle to the hotel's bay trees.
The couple added a personal touch to their wedding breakfast by naming each table after a holiday destination they had enjoyed together. "A tall table holder displayed a photo of us at that destination," says Victoria.

The honeymoon…

Victoria and Mark spent three nights in Dubai before travelling to Mauritius for 11 nights. "Mauritius is amazing. It was pure luxury and very peaceful yet there were plenty of things to do, like sightseeing, boat trips and water sports," says Victoria.

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