A 1920s Early Summer Celebration - Real Life Wedding

Alice and Joshua delighted their guests with 1920’s style at Wasing Park, featuring a sophisticated colour scheme, a hint of glamour and fabulous food and entertainment.

With a May wedding date in mind, Alice and Joshua were looking for a wedding venue within easy reach of London. They also wanted to create a relaxed environment and to find somewhere that offered wedding accommodation for a number of guests. They came across Wasing Park and fell in love!

“We absolutely loved the beautiful drive through parkland and the sensational accommodation. We both wanted our wedding to feel like a chilled summer party at someone’s house rather than a formal event… to encourage our guests to relax and have fun!” – Alice.

Design and Décor

Alice wanted her passion for the glitz and glamour of the 1920s to be reflected in the style of their wedding day. A ‘1920s garden party’ was the perfect end result, with gold as the prominent colour and a truly elegant theme throughout.

The happy couple arranged the wedding flowers themselves, using seasonal British blooms where possible.

White tulips were tied to the chairs in the Garden Room at Wasing Park, with arrangements of white lilies and roses at the front of the ceremony space. Meanwhile, in the Castle Barn, jars were filled with flowers gathered from Alice’s parents' garden while the arrow slits in the barn walls housed flickering tea lights.

“One of our favourite pieces was the seating plan – a vintage style map with luggage tags pinned on for the different tables. Each place had some significance to us.” – Alice

Bridal Style

The beautiful bride wore ‘Josefina’ by Phase Eight.

“As soon as I put it on, I felt so bridal! The applique was gorgeous, I loved the back and I completely fell for the ethereal look of the train.” – Alice

She completed the wedding look with gold Kurt Geiger shoes, her mother’s veil, pearl earrings and a diamond necklace.

Joshua looked the part in black tie by Hugo Boss. And finally, the bridesmaids chose their own dresses from Monsoon, Coast, Biba and Adriana Papell.

“I wanted them to all feel their absolute best and to be comfortable.” – Alice

All About Flowers

Alongside the wedding flowers, Alice carried a bouquet in creams, whites and pale pinks made by Alison Norris of Border Cottage Flowers.

“It was incredible and included flowers from her own garden, all focused around a Protea which we included as a tribute to Joshua’s South African heritage.” - Alice

Order of the Day at Wasing Park

Following their romantic wedding ceremony in The Garden Room, a drinks reception was held on the lawn while a string quartet entertained the newlyweds and their guests.

Moving in to dine, their wedding breakfast included a smoked trout mousse to start followed by lamb with dauphinoise potatoes and a chocolate brownie with salted caramel ice cream.

“We love food and it was all amazing. The starter was my favourite and, for Joshua, it would have been the main. That said, the pudding was to die for too!” – Alice.

Creative Cakes

The three-tier wedding cake was decorated in white and gold with white flowers and included three fillings – lemon, chocolate and fruit. As a surprise, Joshua’s mother had personalised models of Joshua and Alice made as a quirky cake topper.

“The model versions were so skilfully done. It was incredible!” - Alice

Evening Celebrations

After the sun went down, Alice and Joshua danced their first dance to a Beyonce cover of ‘At Last’ by Etta James before the DJ filled the dancefloor.

“We asked our guests to tell us what songs would get them up and dancing and sent their answers to the DJ before the big day. He knew exactly what to play and when so everyone was just having the best time!” - Alice

Memorable Moments

“We loved it all! My most special moments were my dad walking me down the aisle and him doing his speech. He has been un-well and his speech was amazing. It meant the world to me that he was there. The speeches were all amazing.” - Alice