The perfect blend

Colin and Carla's day at Spains Hall was all about mixing their English, Malaysian, Scottish and Italian roots

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Early days…

Colin and Carla met eight-and-a-half years ago in Cambridge, where they were both working at the time. "We actually worked in the same building, albeit for different companies," explains Carla. "We are both very driven people, so we connected on this level. We have the same life goals, and friends and family are very important to both of us."

The proposal…

Colin proposed to Carla on a holiday in Dubai in 2006, when she was 16 weeks pregnant. "We wanted a relaxing holiday that wasn't too far away," says Carla. "One day, after too much sun, I dragged Colin down to the gold souk. He picked a diamond for me and had a ring made in a setting that I liked. A couple of days before we left Dubai, he got down on one knee on our balcony, which overlooked the Arabian Gulf, and proposed. It was very emotional.

"We decided to wait until after our son was born to have our wedding, so that we could fully relax and enjoy the day, and I could have some Champagne to celebrate."

Hen and stag parties…

Carla's bridesmaids - her sister and best friend - organised her hen party, which was a civilised break in a cottage in the Malvern Hills. "We ate nice food, drank lots of Champagne and played the usual hen games," says Carla. "My friends had put together a collage for me, which was filled with photos, stories and poems. It was extremely touching."

Colin didn't manage to get off so lightly, as his stags had arranged a party-hard trip to Amsterdam. "They took every opportunity to humiliate him. From what I understand, his friends no longer want to get married for fear of what will happen to them on their stag nights!" says Carla.

The venues…

As Carla and Colin met and worked in Cambridge, they had originally planned to tie the knot in one of the Cambridge colleges. However, after visiting the venues, they found that they weren't exactly what they were after. "We found Spains Hall by searching the internet," says Carla, "and when we went to see it we knew it was the place for us. It had everything we wanted - a gorgeous ceremony room, a great party room and beautiful grounds. The events team really looked after us, too."

The dress…

Carla was initially looking for a simple, understated dress, but found after trying some on that they didn't suit her shape. The final one she tried was the one she fell in love with - it was a structured ivory gown with a tulle overlay and pearl and crystal embellishment. She completed the look with a pearl necklace belonging to her mum, and pearl earrings that belonged to her grandmother.

Colin wore his own morning suit with a silver waistcoat.

As some of the men wore Ancient Armstrong tartan kilts, Carla wanted her bridesmaids' outfits to match the green in the tartan. After much searching, they found the right colour gown in Berketex Bride, which was green shot with silver and similar in shape to Carla's dress.

The decorative touches…

Carla is half Scottish, half Italian, and spent most of her childhood in Malaysia, whereas Colin was born and bred in Colchester. They chose to mix all of these elements to create a theme, incorporating Ancient Armstrong, the family tartan, Italian favours, oriental flowers and an Essex setting.

Carla's bouquet was a stunning arrangement of orchids and calla lilies, and the men had complementing buttonholes of orchids, mini calla lilies and thistles to symbolise Carla's Scottish heritage.

The couple felt that tall table centrepieces would make it difficult for their guests to see and talk to each other, so they opted for low goldfish bowl-shaped vases filled with calla lilies and green ribbon. There were also small bowls dotted around the tables, which had orchid flowers floating in them.

Although Colin and Carla wanted to make their own stationery, working full time and having a baby meant that they were far too busy. "I did have a go, but Colin thought they didn't look very good, and that we should hire a professional!" says Carla. The couple met Emma Muir from A Bespoke Design at a wedding fair, who designed a pattern incorporating two 'C's to represent their first names. This motif was used in all the stationery, including the invitations, place names and table plan.

The favours were boxes of three Baci chocolates - Italian truffles filled with hazelnut praline and wrapped in multilingual love notes. "The word Baci comes from the Italian for kiss, so this was really fitting for the wedding," says Carla. The female guests were lucky, as they got an additional favour - traditional Italian sugared almonds presented in the shape of a flower.

"Spains Hall recommended Le Talbooth catering to us, and I must say the food was fantastic," says Carla. After the ceremony, they had a drinks reception with prosecco rather than Champagne for an Italian touch, and canapés including mini fish and chip cones. "My grandmother used to own a fish and chip shop in Glasgow, so we thought this was a nice addition to the menu," says Carla.
The couple decided upon a seasonal menu comprising salmon and prawn ceviche with caviar, guinea fowl with potato rosti, and chocolate and Baileys profiteroles. For the evening guests, there was a relaxed hog roast and barbecue.

Colin and Carla chose Mark Ashworth of Ashworth Photography to take their wedding pictures. "Mark was the photographer at my friend's wedding, and she recommended him to us," says Carla. "The photos were fabulous, I'm so glad we booked him."

The best bits…

Carla stayed at Crest Lodge, which is part of Spains Hall, the night before the wedding with her bridesmaids, parents and son. "I was a little stressed, and decided at the last minute not to go out for dinner with family that had flown down from Scotland, as it would have been too much," says Carla. "Instead, my best friend went out to get some takeaway food, and came back with a lovely selection of Italian food in a hamper, which was even plated up for us. It was just what I needed, and such a lovely surprise."

Carla walked down the aisle to the sound of bagpipers, which she said made her well up with tears. "I had to put on a really fake smile to stop myself blubbing," she says. "As soon as I saw Colin and realised how nervous he was, I did actually shed a few tears.
"The reception ran perfectly," she continues. "There was lots of wine, bubbly and gorgeous food - plus, we had what felt like the only day of sunshine in the whole of September, so we were very lucky."

The honeymoon…

Colin and Carla went to Le Tousserok in Mauritius for their honeymoon. Their hotel had a private island, which they enjoyed visiting, and they spent a lot of time relaxing in the sun. "It was definitely the most special holiday we've ever had, and maybe one for our future anniversaries," says Carla.

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