Paula and David

We met at a friend’s wedding in 2022. We didn’t speak much that evening, but the next day David asked our friend for my number. Five days later, we went on our first date and five hours into it, we both knew there was something special between us.

David proposed during an afternoon walk from our cottage in Ford to Castle Combe. Along the way, there’s a bench where we often stop to catch our breath and enjoy the view, and that’s where he surprised me by asking me to marry him. It was a complete surprise and couldn’t have been in a more special spot halfway between our cottage and what would become our wedding venue.

Castle Combe has always been Paula’s favourite village, and having our cottage just five minutes away makes it even more special to us. The Manor House is simply magical, so when we started planning our wedding, it was the only place that made sense. It turned out to be the best decision. The grounds are gorgeous, and there’s so much history within those walls that you can almost feel it. Celebrating somewhere that already meant so much to us made the day even more memorable.

We didn’t have a particular theme — we just wanted to have the best time of our lives with our favourite people. We’re both massive foodies, so getting the food right was really important to us. The team at The Manor House helped make that happen, even accommodating a dessert made by David himself, which added such a personal touch to the day.

Choosing our outfits was a long process! As it was a summer wedding, we decided we’d both change for the evening so we could fully enjoy the party. For the ceremony, we had our fairytale moment, then changed into something fun and comfortable, ready to dance the night away!

More than anything, we remember the love, connection and emotion we felt throughout the day — from getting ready right through to the nightcap at the bar. Everything was planned to celebrate our love, and sharing it with the people closest to us made it all the more special.

Seeing the wedding breakfast room for the first time and sharing our first dance were two particularly special moments. It was so emotional to see all the planning and our suppliers’ hard work come together, bringing everything we’d imagined to life.

Wedding planning is a journey, and you’ll learn a lot about yourselves along the way. It’s easy to get caught up in the little things and disagree, but remember you’re a team. Trust the suppliers you’ve chosen and, most importantly, enjoy the day because it really does fly by. Have fun, dance, laugh and love each other like never before!