Congratulations Beth and Tom!

Saturday 8th of March saw the marriage of Beth and Tom, and the weather could not have been better. After various floods and diabolic weather, it was lovely to see Ufton Court being bathed in sunlight, surrounded by springtime crocuses and underneath a completely clear blue sky.

Games were set up in the garden to keep the children entertained whilst the adults enjoyed the champagne reception in the Archers Hall. Having said that, we did notice the adults indulging in a highly competitive space hopper race... the sun brings out the child in all of us!

The drinks reception was held in the light and spacious Archers Hall. With all the doors open, it really did feel like summer had come early. Guests mingled around the patio and garden area with glasses of bubbly, summery cider, and refreshing lagers whilst orange and apple juice were served as a non alcoholic alternative.

Being photographed on their journey to the hall in the beautiful grounds of Ufton Court, the Bride and Groom were greeted with a tray full of cold champagne. Somehow it looks even more delicious in the sunshine, doesn't it?

Left to right; goats cheese flat bread, olive tapenade, duck pancakes and mini Yorkshire puddings

Canapés were circulating during the drinks reception. Our chefs served duck pancakes, olive tapenade, rare beef and horseradish mini Yorkshire puddings, goats cheese flat bread and venison carpaccio with blue cheese and pear puree. They looked delicious, garnished with freshly chopped herbs on wooden boards and slate trays.

The venison carpaccio was served on forks, for a perfect mouthful of deliciousness! Many of the guests hadn't tried this canapé before and they were all excited to get their taste buds tingling with something new.

After the drinks reception, everyone made their way into Tithe Barn, which was decorated head to toe in deep royal blue.

Tom has a career in the wine industry, and so the main theme of the wedding was wine; their wedding breakfast was titled 'Tom and Beth's Boozy Lunch'. (Sounds like our kind of party!) The tables were named after different wines, the menu covers were decorated in glittering wine bottles and there was a big ice bucket in the middle of the table for white and dessert wine. 

The tables were decorated with royal blue napkins, glittering menus and delicate blue heart confetti. The deep blue worked beautifully with our silverware, creating a simple, clean and neat feel. Varying height is a must for a wedding breakfast table; Tom and Beth achieved this through their table names being attached to wine bottles, with a photo of the chosen wine towering above the table. This, balanced with the different wine glasses and ice bucket created an array of heights to keep the table looking interesting.

Once the guests were seated, the wedding breakfast began;

MENU

Starter

Assiette of Salmon served with a Selection of Homemade Artisan Bread

Salt Baked Beets, Goats Cheese Mousse with a Pickled Beetroot Dressing

Main

Pan Roasted Pheasant Breast, Creamed Leeks, Boulangere Potatoes and Roast Garlic Puree

Mushroom, Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach and Ricotta Wellington with Celeriac Puree, Buttered Kale and Herb Oil

Dessert

Dark Chocolate Brownie with Dark Cherry and Mixed Berry Compote and Chantilly Cream

Assiette of Salmon

Pan Roast Pheasant with Boulengere Potatoes

After the meal, the guests took to the dance floor and the bar was opened. We served a variety of drinks, including West Berkshire Brewery's amazing ales and stout, and our own homemade toffee and Turkish Delight vodkas which went down a treat. Evening food was served; there was a selection of cold meats and cheeses, warm bacon rolls and wedding cake.

The wedding cake was so adorable, featuring Tom and Beth skiing down a slope to a little bar lodge. It was such a cute little homemade wedding cake, we felt a little bit sad that it got devoured at the end of the night! It was a lovely event and we're so pleased that we got to be a part of it.

Spring is blooming!

We've gathered a few of our favourite pins from our Spring Pinterest board that we think would make any Spring/Easter wedding look absolutely beautiful! There are so many different ways to interpret spring ideas, which means that no spring wedding has to be the same. Yours can be totally unique.

The first thing we think of when we think of spring is flowers. Spring is when the countryside comes to life with beautiful bluebells, snowdrops and daffodils. You can make such lovely spring bouquets, whether you want simple or extravagant. This bouquet above is a statement bouquet; having a long stalk and a big shot of colour on top, the flowers would stand out perfectly against a plain white or ivory dress.

If you don't fancy traditional spring flowers, you can choose other flowers in a colour that you'd associate with spring. Peach and yellow make a fantastic colour combination and with these daisies and pale pink roses, this bouquet is perfect! 

Again, the peach and yellow theme works beautifully, even if you want to choose just one flower for your bouquet.

Taken in Ufton Court's beautiful bluebell woods

If your wedding venue has a bluebell-full woodland area, get your photographs taken there for a super spring feel to your wedding album.

It's not just in your bouquets that you can use spring flowers; we love these beautiful flower crowns. A messy sock bun is such a lovely accompaniment to a daisy flower crown for the bridesmaids, or even the bride! Now, how adorable is that pup? We've heard of brides and grooms having a family dog as the ring bearer, which we think is a lovely idea, given your dog is as well behaved as this one. However, our mad spaniel would eat the flower crown before you got to the "I do!"s

Flowers aren't the only thing that scream spring! These big, bright, floral lanterns are a lovely idea to decorate your indoor or outdoor venue. The shapes and colours are completely perfect for a spring theme. Paper decorations are also a nice decoration for a spring wedding, they add a charming, fairy tale feel to your wedding venue.

You can do so many different things to create a spring wedding cake. Whether it's within the colours, shapes, flowers, tastes, there are millions of ways to interpret the spring theme. This wedding cake's spring theme is present through the robin egg coloured icing and beautiful cherry blossom style flowers.

Cherry blossom is also the spring theme for these delicious cake pop. Team up with paper lantern decor for a Japanese kick to your spring wedding.

We love these spring macarons. Pink and peach are statement colours for spring and the fancy icing looks so delicate and pretty.

Spring is when you start to notice beautiful daisies studding your lawn. This yellow daisy cake looks so beautiful.

As well as food, you can bring the spring theme into your drinks reception. How about having a huge glass jar of a pretty pink cocktail with edible flowers that you can pour into delicate cocktail glasses. We love this idea!

 

Finally, Easter. Spring means Easter, and Easter means eggs and bunnies! There are many ways that you can demonstrate Easter without it becoming childish and over the top. We love the first idea for your table place names, with a simple silver egg cup and black writing, these place names are subtle and sophisticated. The second use of eggs is so fun, but still not childish or over the top. Break eggs, wash them, and paint the insides with spring pastel colours. Fill with wax, add a wick and you have lovely Easter Candles. 

We love spring, and we can't wait to see how this years brides and grooms have decorated their spring weddings!