Beautiful day: The wedding of Duncan and Joanna Sleigh

The wedding of Duncan and Joanna Sleigh at Bishopstrow House in Warminster

Photography: Zoie Carter-Ingham

As the groom, my main memories, apart from the joy of being married to such a wonderful person, are the pre-wedding nerves, the heat and the best man’s speech!

Considering Jo and I had been together for eight years, I was surprisingly nervous on the morning. Once the ceremony was underway the nerves passed and I actually started to enjoy the day.

As to the weather, the week prior to the wedding had seen torrential rain and flooding across the country, particularly in the South West. We had brollies on stand-by but we didn’t need them as the day of the wedding turned out to be the hottest day of the year.

Joanna: The culmination of six months of wedding planning was rewarded with a classical wedding which took place in a gorgeous Georgian country hotel which we were able to share with our families and closest friends. I remember worrying about being knackered on the day due to hardly sleeping a wink during the week prior to the wedding.

For me, the best part was seeing all the little touches on show. This made it truly our wedding, from beautiful handmade ‘Mr and Mrs Sleigh’ bunting, to the handmade plate which was signed by all our guests, the handmade place cards, sweetie trees, and post box to the goats milk soaps used for favours and the beautiful flowers arranged by my mum.

When we were searching for a venue for our wedding, it was important to us to choose a venue which looked beautiful in all weathers. Bishopstrow has plenty of indoor as well as outdoor places for stunning photography.

The most important aspect of the day for me was walking down the aisle. Having my photograph taken with my new husband and our best friends (Dave the best man and Vicki, my bridesmaid) on top of the hill and against the gorgeous backdrop of the Dorca temple, made me feel truly special with the excitement of the day being re-lived a few weeks later when we received our photographs.

THE DETAILS

Photography: Zoie Carter-Ingham, Photographing Memories, 01200 444410, zoie-photography.com

Venue: Bishopstrow House Hotel, Warminster, Wiltshire, 01985 878249, bishopstrow.co.uk

Dress: By Essence of Australia, essensedesigns.com

Groom: Moss Bros, moss.co.uk

Make-up: Sarah@Mimosa, Wincanton, 01963 33120, sarahatmimosa.com

Hair: Jenna at Utopia, Gillingham, Dorset, 01747 822449

Stationery: Shelley the Printers, Sherborne, 01935 815364, shelleytheprinters.com

Flowers: Hilary James (bride’s mother), 07594 777203

Entertainment: (Disco) Donna Fayer-Honour at Okey Leisure Ltd arranged by Up In Smoke, Gillingham Dorset, okeyleisure.com

To see more of Duncan and Joanna’s wedding pictures see our online gallery or the 2013 issue of Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire BRIDE