Hayley and Umesh’s vibrant wedding at Combermere Abbey
Real Life Weddings - 20.02.18
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Real Life Weddings - 20.02.18
Following their vibrant, traditional Hindu ceremony, Hayley and Umesh celebrated with an elegant summer ceremony and wedding breakfast at Combermere Abbey. In the midst of the season, Combermere Abbey was at its finest, its beautiful gardens playing a star role in this most glorious occasion and The Crawleys were there to capture it.
Planning their wonderful celebration, Hayley and Umesh were looking for a venue that could combine both Indian and English traditions, accommodating a large number of guests and catering to a diverse list of requirements.
As soon as they visited Combermere Abbey, they knew it was ‘the one’! It’s elegant interior and picturesque parkland provided a suitably majestic backdrop for this exquisite wedding.
© The Crawleys
The happy couple chose a ‘romantic glamour’ theme with a stylish colour palette of pink, silver and white. Roses and hydrangeas adorned the venue while Hayley kept the décor relatively simple, focusing on flowers and adding a few key touches.
“I bought silver glass vases for the flowers and matching candle holders to assist with the colour scheme. I also used scented Yankee candles throughout the venue.”
HAYLEY
Hayley’s mother put together favours for the guests – scented candles for the adults and disposable cameras and sweets for the children.
The beautiful four-tier wedding cake was decorated with silver leaf and pink sugar flowers. The delicious layers included red velvet, coconut and lemon.
“Planning the cake was one of the most fun parts of the process. Marise from Bloomsbury Wedding Cakes served us tea and cupcakes so we could try a selection of different flavours. It was a really nice touch!” - HAYLEY
© The Crawleys
Before their celebration at Combermere Abbey, Hayley and Umesh had a separate Hindu ceremony wearing traditional Indian outfits with beautifully rich colours and fabrics.
For their civil ceremony, Hayley chose an elegant white dress from Pronovias with a stunning tulle skirt, pearl belt and sweetheart neckline. She completed the look with fabulous Valentino shoes, a delicate full-length veil and a pretty bouquet of soft pink and white roses.
“My three lovely bridesmaids wore rose pink dresses from Reiss while Umesh opted for a dark blue suit with pink tie from Hugo Boss. He hired similar colour suits for the groomsmen.”
HAYLEY
Hayley’s nephew also walked down the aisle with a ‘Here Comes The Bride’ sign, a lovely thought.
Following their stylish ceremony in the Glasshouse and drinks in the sunshine, guests dined in the Pavilion. Hayley and Umesh chose a delicious fusion menu by Pickled Walnut catering. Dishes with an Indian twist included curried cauliflower velouté and tandoori marinated salmon with fennel. For dessert, guests enjoyed earl grey panna cotta with caraway shortbread and dehydrated strawberries.
A harpist delighted the guests with traditional Indian songs and, in the evening, the newlyweds took to the dancefloor for their first dance to a cover of ‘Cold Water’ by Major Lazer and Justin Bieber. Following that, the DJ played a mix of genres including Bhangra, filling the dancefloor!
“With Umesh being Hindu and having a lot of family attending, some of whom travelled from India, we wanted to make sure there was something for everyone.” - HAYLEY
As their day drew to a close, Hayley and Umesh could relax in the knowledge that they were spending the night in the resplendent North Wing Honeymoon Suite and, that many of their guests were staying in the Combermere cottages.
“The cottages were a real bonus and meant we could carry on the party. We didn’t want the night to end!”
HAYLEY
© The Crawleys
Previously...
Luxury, elegance, history: the North Wing
