A perfect wedding day at Pennyhill Park

Shanie and Stuart exchanged vows in a dreamy outdoor setting in the August sunshine

Photography: Anneli Marinovich

A perfect day

For their classic celebration at Pennyhill Park in Surrey, Shanie and Stuart had a secret weapon – their amazing wedding planner. ‘Emma was great, but we kept quiet about her and stole all the credit until the day!’ laughs Shanie. ‘We worked together to decide on our favourite styles and she introduced us to a number of florists so we could choose the ones we connected with best – we went for a romantic meadow theme with lots of whites and foliage.’

‘We didn’t have a top table, just round ones, and our seating plan was a large mirror covered with calligraphy.’ says Shanie. For place settings at the wedding breakfast, each guest had an agate crystal with their name written on it.

The couple also created their own ‘games room’ to surprise guests halfway through their celebration at Pennyhill Park. ‘The idea of it was to break away from the more classic theme during the day, and act as the turning point for the relaxed, evening party vibe,’ says Stuart.

‘We had a four-seater Mario Kart arcade game and two-player virtual reality games. The room was styled with hanging filament bulbs to create a darker, relaxed feel, with tables and Chesterfield sofas dotted around.’

As guests came into the games room, they were served cocktails – a Tom Collins or a Sea Breeze – while a roaming sax player and a magician entertained anyone not playing.

‘It worked brilliantly – we felt it was important to think about the logistics of the day, where people would be between the ceremony, the wedding breakfast, the first dance, etc,’ says Shanie. ‘We might have failed to keep anywhere near our budget, but we have no regrets as the day was perfect!’