Gabriella and Mad’s love story is synonymous with serendipity. Having met when they were on holiday in Mallorca when they were both fourteen and Mad’s had given Gabriella his MSN address… which Gabriella had unfortunately lost.

Fast-forward to five years later and against all odds the pair ran into each other in Mallorca again… and this time Gabriella kept hold of his details! A whole load of dates and a romantic Mexico proposal later and Gabs and Mads were ready to tie the knot at the relaxed, eclectic (and dog friendly!) Doxford Barns.

The Cake Connoisseur

 

Some brides may already have heard of Gabriella as she is the talented cake designer behind Gabriella Grace Cakes, so of course when it came to the wedding cake it had to be one of Gabriella’s confectionery creations.

The couple’s wedding cake was was a stunningly minimalistic white with gold banding and adorned in dreamy white blooms.

 

 

A Fresh Theme

 

Working in the wedding industry herself, Gabriella already had a lot of ideas about how she would design her own wedding; often working a lot of wedding fairs and gaining inspiration this way.

“I didn’t want to set a colour scheme or anything too matchy, matchy.” – Gabriella

The rural location of Doxford Barns alongside the romantic Threshing Hall ceremony space projected the laid-back atmosphere the couple were looking for. The pair didn’t want to play up to a traditional rustic theme with the venue already being a barn, so instead they decorated the space with whites, greens, navy, blues, greys and different metallics to result in a fresh and botanical scheme.

 

Crashed the… Prom

 

When her sister got an appointment card through her door for her prom dress fitting, there was an Ian Stuart gown on the card that Gabriella fell completely head-over-heels for and had to see for herself.

Trying the gown on for herself sealed the deal and she knew that she had to have it! After buying it there and then, she took it to Frankie at Elizabeth George Bridal for some final alterations.

Advice from the Bride

 

“Book in advance…. And then you can finalise details later.” – Gabriella

Huge advocates of ordering in advance, this couple had booked their photographer, David West Photography, almost three years in advance as they noticed that (especially in the Summer months) suppliers book up incredibly quickly. Gabriella herself said she’s sadly had to turn away clients in the past as she has no space left in her diary.

 

[ngg src="galleries" ids="159" exclusions="3092,3095" display="basic_thumbnail" images_per_page="50"]Looking for more wedding inspiration, check out our dedicated Real Weddings pages, or browse the glossy pages of our bi-annual magazine.