Born in the USA

Major Gregory and Andrea Field

Where: Ceremony and reception at Wrenbury Hall

Photography: Ryan Browne

A Brit marrying a US Marine was never going to be an easy exercise. The original plan was to run off to a beach but in the end we wanted our families, including Gregory’s son Adam (the best man) and my two god daughters Katie and Kathryn (bridesmaids) there, so it was one wedding in the UK and another in the USA.

My mum and dad researched every venue in Cheshire and in the end we chose Wrenbury Hall. The theme was kept very simple; sunflowers (such a happy flower) and a traditional English feel with a cap to America. The cocktail hour had a mix of British canapes such as Beef Wellington and English strawberries covered in chocolate, all accompanied by a string quartet in the gardens of the hall. The menu was five courses, but the highlights were roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, and English raspberries with clotted cream for dessert, and a very large selection of English cheeses. The favours were biscuits, one with stars and stripes on and one with a Union Jack and the cake was three tiers of different chocolate (Greg’s favourite) with a US Marine and bride on top. A good friend of mine, Alison, made each of the place cards, multiple layers of cut out sunflowers that popped from the card. Sitting in each sunflower was a cut out of either the bride, groom, best man or bridesmaids - the little characters could even be swapped and moved around. The flowers for the wedding were very simple; sunflowers and nothing else! In the evening in keeping with homely comforts, we had a hog roast and an ice cream van for dessert.

The day after the wedding we flew back to the USA and did the whole thing again on a Potomac River Paddle Steamer. We’re all very happy living in the USA, but believe it or not I do miss the rain!

THE DETAILS

Photography: Ryan Browne, 01226 786617, ryan-browne.co.uk

Venue: Wrenbury Hall, Wrenbury, 01270 781198, wrenburyhall.co.uk

Dress: Suzanne Neville, suzanneneville.com

Wedding Planners: Faerie Godmothers, Crewe, 07736 429642, faerie-godmothers.co.uk

Mother-of-the-Bride: Florentyna Dawn, Hazel Grove, 0161 487 1679, florentynadawn.co.uk

Entertainment: The Palm Court String Quartet, 01625 820675, thequartet.co.uk; M Lewis Ice Cream, 01270 501784, mlewisicecream.co.uk

To see more of Gregory and Andrea’s wedding pictures see our online gallery or the 2013 issue of Cheshire and Lancashire BRIDE