Neil & Matt booked their November wedding with us after attending our venue showcase 11 months earlier..
“We wanted a venue that would work with us on creating a unique wedding day; one that we could
personalise and tailor. We also wanted great food, a warm and friendly atmosphere, and above all, fantastic
service. For us, Berwick Lodge completely fulfilled that brief … and more! Simone and the team worked with
us to create a completely bespoke day. No detail was overlooked and for us, it was truly magical.” – Matt & Neil
MEETING
Neil & Matt got together in 2003 when they were both in their early 20s and eventually (!) got engaged in 2018. Despite the constant hints by Neil, the eventual proposal by Matt was a complete surprise.
PROPOSAL
For Christmas they were in the Japanese Alps. And it was here, on Christmas Day morning that Matt proposed. It wasn’t a traditional proposal either; Matt had designed an augmented reality Christmas Card which he gave Neil on Christmas Day morning. When Neil opened the card he thought it was a very personal Christmas card, but it wasn’t until he placed his mobile phone over the card, that the card then came to life on his mobile phone. The song, Only You, by The Flying Picketts started playing, and the animation commenced and it concluded with the “question”. There were tears and laughter, and it was truly unique and romantic.
EMOTIONS
The guys were both nervous, but excited at the start of the day. The ceremony was conducted by a friend, who is a registrar, making it very personable and emotional. Matt & Neil kept the ceremony to 16 guests (immediate family and close friends) so this and the Berwick environment, created a very intimate atmosphere. Everyone shed a tear. Throughout the day they both had such an elated feeling of love and happiness and it was so amazing that this was felt by all of their guests.
STANDOUT MOMENTS
For Neil & Matt, there were two ‘standout’ aspects to their wedding; the ceremony and vows, and secondly the love, laughter and entertainment of their wedding celebrations with Lady Diamond (more about her in a bit!) They tell us that those who went above and beyond for them was Berwick Lodge, Sherbert Bloom and Lady Diamond.
FLOWERS & DECORATIONS
The flowers by Sherbert Bloom were simply amazing! Roberta, the florist got the right mix of colour, texture and style – Craspedia (little yellow balls), Eryngium (blue thistles), Eucalyptus Populus and Freesias (Neil’s mum’s favourite) to name just a few – completely surpassing the couples’ expectations.
The tables were named after places or locations that had special meaning or memories to Matt and Neil. Each table name had an accompanying story and picture on them, and were arranged to mean something to at least one or two of these guests on that respective table. It proved to be an interesting and fun talking point for each table!
As the boys are both Welsh, they opted for Welsh Cakes as favours and had them specially made in White Chocolate and Cranberry flavours.
COLOUR SCHEME
Yellow/navy/grey
TABLE PLAN
Neil and Matt wanted to mix with as many of their guests as possible and so they decided they would move table for each course. This was all accommodated with ease by the team at Berwick Lodge, and it enabled them to eat with many of their guests during the Wedding Breakfast.
CAKE
A stunning 3 tier contemporary cake, in midnight blue, designed and made by Zaza Marcelle was the star of the show. Each tier was a different flavour and it was simply delicious!
THREADS
Matt and Neil had bespoke suits made for them by Clifton Suits, specifically for the day. Matt’s suit was blue, whilst Neil’s was light grey.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Their images by Mark Leonard Photography capture the spirit and love of the day, absolutely perfectly. You can see more of Mark’s images below in the gallery.
HONEYMOON
A romantic mini-moon to The Scarlett Hotel in Cornwall happened for a few days after the wedding before Matt & Neil’s honeymoon a few months later – an idyllic three weeks in the Maldives.
ENTERTAINMENT
Berwick Lodge’s resident pianist Travis Glover played during the wedding ceremony and post ceremony
drinks and canapés.
Neil & Matt didn’t have traditional speeches so when the wedding breakfast was finished, a drag performer, Lady Diamond, entertained the guests with comedy and songs. This was a complete surprise to all the guests, who then joined in singing along to songs and serenading the grooms. After a delicious wedding breakfast and associated wine, Lady Diamond did an absolutely fabulous set that completely lifted the energy and love and made for a truly memorable evening.
Lady Diamond is a legend, and every guest wanted to come back the following weekend for a replay
For more information on weddings at Berwick Lodge, get in touch with our wedding coordinator Simone on 0117 450 7605
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