Inside Our Editor's Two Day Estate Wedding

Daniel and I met during COVID summer at a bar in Clapham. No dating app, just luck. I'd booked a table inside with my sister, and Daniel, who hadn't booked, got seated outside. It was gorgeous and sunny, so I asked the bouncer if we could sit outdoors. There was space on Daniel's table, so the bouncer asked if we could join. Daniel said yes. That was it.

Our first date didn't go as planned. I felt unwell, so Daniel sent me home, but not before asking for a second date first.

He actually meant to propose over Thanksgiving while we were staying near the Appalachian Mountains. Unfortunately, I freaked out about the bears on the hike he'd planned, and it got delayed. Then I found the journal in our hiking backpack, the one he was going to use to ask me to marry him. He'd given me this journal two weeks after we met with a note inside. I didn't tell him for a couple of weeks, but eventually I cracked. He still made me wait until New Year's Day before asking me. Way to keep a girl on her toes.

After three and a half years together, we decided to get married at Orchardleigh Estate in Somerset. Daniel is from San Francisco, so it was always going to be a destination wedding for half our guests. We wanted to give them a proper British experience, so we threw a two-day wedding incorporating a truly British sports day.

Day one was all picnic food: sandwiches, sausage rolls, scotch eggs, charcuterie. There was an ice cream bike and a Pimm's bike. We threw a game of cricket, a smaller rounders game. Everyone drank rosé, Pimm's, and craft beers. We finished the day with a hog roast, pudding, and whiskey tasting.

The wedding day was a little different. We started with a full English breakfast. After that, the women in my family and I arranged the large floral installation for the table plan, my bouquet, and the bud vases for the wedding breakfast. We worked with a flower farmer to gather seasonal blooms in green, burgundy, soft pink, and white. She arranged the two wedding urns that would be on display during the ceremony.

My mother, one of my sisters, my best friend, and I all got ready together. My other sister joined for champagne. Just before the ceremony, I wrote my vows in the journal Daniel had used to propose. Writing them in our journals was his idea. I'd gifted him a journal two years ago with his initials engraved on it. We both love writing, so journals are the perfect gift for us.

I wore a dress my mother kindly gifted me. We went wedding dress shopping and found a dress by Adriana Madrid, crafted in Mexico. We altered it and made design changes with Design and Alter in Battersea to create the dress of my dreams. Ethereal, romantic, but structured. We added draping for dimension and drama. I wore flat Mary Janes in ivory silk by Spanish brand Flabelus, a veil I sourced on Etsy from a small bridal designer, old earrings, and no other jewelry. Daniel wore a dinner suit from Boggi Milano.

Our ceremony was a merge of English and Hindu traditions. My mother walked me down the aisle. We chose my brother as our officiant. We walked seven steps around a fire to represent seven circles and exchanged roses instead of a flower garland. We even introduced the Celtic "we will" as part of the ceremony.

My older sister read our favourite poem, a piece about love being calm, unlike fire. More like water. The wind was intense during the ceremony, but the spot was perfect. The view of the lake was stunning. We held it in exposed arches at the side of the house, with ivy climbing the walls and a stone statue in a cove in the wall behind everyone. Our baby was part of our entire wedding, which made it incredibly special.

After the ceremony we crept off to do our private vows beneath a tree, just us and our son. Canapés, champagne and wine were served to our guests with an acoustic band playing in the background.

We then returned to our guests and I, rather than Daniel did a speech off the back balcony thanking everyone for coming along and telling them all a little backstory of our love. This was followed by a speech by my sister, my maid of honour, and Daniel’s brother, his best man.

After our drinks reception on the terrace, we all went inside for a three course dinner by candlight. We drank wine, laughed, and ate. No speeches over dinner which just meant people could relax and eat their food whilst it was hot.

Everyone then went outside for spicy margaritas and espresso martinis whilst the sun went down.

For the evening, I switched things up. I wore my grandmother's pearl necklace, swapped my dress for a mini by De La Vali, put on Miu Miu kitten heels, red lipstick, and chopped my veil into a short version. I knew I'd get tired of wearing my heavy dress, even though I loved it. I wanted to move and dance freely. We cut our orange and poppy seed cake, had a live band, and a DJ to finish off the night. We hadn't planned a first dance, but we ended up having one to the last song: "Angels" by Robbie Williams. We don’t know whether to laugh or cry that this ended up being our first dance song. We had a big group hug and then our friends lifted us into the air at the very end.

I can honestly say whole heartedly. It was the wedding we hoped for and more.