Real Weddings: Samantha and Garion

My second wedding fair that I had ever exhibited at, one young lady I spoke to really stood out in my mind. Her name was Samantha and she was really interested in Wedition, as I was still a brand new company, I was there to sell an idea and had not had any customers yet to show what was possible. I remember Sam being particularly excited, and secretive, because she was about to become a venue owner but did not want to say which venue as the paperwork was still in progress. I was intrigued!

A year later I received an email from Sam, "I don't know if you remember me but...."! Yes! I absolutely did remember Sam and I was so happy to hear that everything had gone through and she was now one of the co-owners of The Ravenswood in East Sussex. Not only that, but she was now engaged to be married to her beau of 8 years, Garion. The best bit for me? They really wanted their wedding to be a #weditionwedding!

Thank you to Racheal and Oliver at Balance Photography for providing the wonderful images.

​Blush and Navy Colour Scheme

Sam and Garion’s wedding colour scheme was to be blush and navy, of course I was sure to design their Wedition to match this. Sam told me that they chose navy, “because it brings out Garion’s eyes”, blush complements navy beautifully and comes in many different shades, just as well because each bridesmaid was allowed to select her own perfect dress, what with there being 14 bridesmaids, it was important that the colour chosen was one that was easy to work with.

​English and Scottish Wedding Theme

To tie together the two families, there were nods to England and Scotland throughout their Wedition and their wedding. Samantha wore a Hubbard tartan sash with her dress to match the Hubbard tartan kilts. Sam's veil had a Scottish thistle and an English white rose embroidered on to it.

​Profiteroles: an alternative wedding cake

As a proud owner of The Ravenswood, Sam is lucky enough to have Chef Mark on the team, Chef Mark has a very special talent for profiteroles so it was decided that rather than the traditional wedding cake, Sam and Garion would have a seven tier profiterole tower! Each tower had a different flavour, including white chocolate and pistachio; milk chocolate; and dark chocolate. I have exhibited a couple of times at The Ravenswood showcase events run by Empirical Events and these profiteroles are always available for people to come and try, I can confirm, they are absolutely delicious!

​Couple's photos wedding post box

Sam and Garion made their own wedding post box for their family and friends to leave their well wishes and cards. The post box was decorated with all of their favourite couples photos.

​Wedding Jam Jars

In the months leading up to the wedding, Sam's "mum number two" Kathi, collected and stored as many jam jars as she could get her hands on. Sam and Kathi then decorated them and put tea light candles inside, they were used to line the paths at The Ravenswood. They are now stored at The Ravenswood and available for all future couples to borrow!

​The Ravenswood

Ravenswood was originally built in 1426 and has undergone a number of changes since then. It has been a family home, a hunting lodge, and has been owned by Queen Wilhelmina of Holland, and Princess Beatrice - Queen Victoria's daughter. The Princess Beatrice Suite and the hotel are new addendum's from the 21st century that were added in to support the house and to make it an ideal wedding venue.

With 34 bedrooms including the bridal suite, a purpose built getting ready room, 4 function rooms, 4 lakes, 18 acres of land, a little castle, a bird cage and 2 secret gardens, a woodland with ruins and a croquet lawn. We have decided Ravenswood is a she and we have done a lot of work restoring her to her former glory.

Bringing the wedding story alive

It was a real pleasure working with Samantha and Garion to bring their wedding story alive in this wonderful keepsake that they and their guests will cherish forever. From the practicalities of the day (order of service, order of the day, wedding day thank you's, reading and menu) to showcasing Samantha and Garion's journey together by including a Mr and Mrs polaroid camera quiz (a nod to Sam's 'day job' as a photographer) and their story in numbers, Wedition was able to tie all of this together in a fun way that fitted into their wedding style and meant their guests were truly a part of their beautiful wedding story.

A nice touch to the end of the wedding planning

"I first met Liz at a wedding fair and kept her details for over a year! I knew I loved the idea but wasn't sure if I could work it into the budget. At the last minute I decided to go for it and I am sooooooo glad I did!!!! It was a great addition to the wedding and the guests loved it. It turned out that we actually had a lot of fun as a couple putting it together and coming up with ideas for it which was a nice touch to the end of our planning. We used the back of it to have our menu so when people sat down and turned it over it was a nice surprise for them. I would highly recommend Liz and her product as a perfect personalised addition to your wedding day. Also as an added bonus we received a box of eggs from Liz's chickens which we used to make pancakes lol! Lovely service!!"

Samantha

Friends of The Ravenswood

The Ravenswood work with a number of fabulous suppliers, building a base of great suppliers is something that they really care about, to help Ravenswood couples have the most perfect day they have created The Friends of the Ravenswood - Wedition is pleased to have been awarded bronze status.