Their hearts were set on saying 'I do' in a glorious countryside setting, and Herefordshire's Lemore Manor ticked all the boxes on Jess and Dom's wish list. They share the highlights of their big day in the current edition of Living. Pictures by Dean Jones Photography

How did you choose the venue for your wedding?

All the credit for choosing our wonderful venue goes to Dom. We always wanted to get married in a house somewhere in the middle of the country side. A search online revealed Lemore Manor. We initially thought it would be too far, considering we live near Southampton, however, it ticked all the boxes. By chance, there was an open day the following weekend and we arranged to go and visit with our families. The moment we saw Lemore Manor, we fell in love with it. It was everything we could hope for in a venue. The beautiful Herefordshire country side and what Lemore Manor had to offer was more than we could ever have expected. We booked It straight away without even looking at any other wedding venues! We had no connection to Hereford, we just loved what it had to offer and will now be a very special place of ours.

What was the style and colour theme of your wedding and were you both in agreement – were there particular parts of the wedding that were personal to your individually?

We didn’t choose a specific theme as such. We chose a simple and elegant style for our wedding with the colour scheme being a dusky pink. We wanted the wedding to be about celebrating with our loved ones.

What did you splash out on? And was there anything you’d have loved to have but managed to resist?

When planning a wedding it all adds up very quickly. I think one of the main things we splashed out on was our flowers decorating the doorway into Lemore Manor. We had not originally thought about this, as the venue looks stunning without them, but when the time came we chose to have a beautiful flowers decorating the entrance. It gave it an extra special touch. I think we would have loved to have stayed at Lemore for longer, as we hired the venue for the day before the wedding, but resisted. I can honestly say we planned the wedding exactly how we both wanted so were fortunate enough not to have to resist anything.

Where did the wedding dress, bridesmaids’ dresses and wedding suits come from?

The wedding dress was from Anya Bridal Couture near to home. They have a beautiful converted barn displaying all the dresses. This is the first shop I had visited, and the whole experience there made it very special. It was so much more than just looking at dresses. The bridesmaids dresses were also from a local bridesmaid shop, “Susans”, and we bought all the suits from Moss Bros.

Who made the cake?

Sharon at McGowan Wedding Cakes - Hereford. We didn’t go for a traditional cake. We love macaroons and wanted something a little bit different. We chose to have a macaroon tower with a small tier on top for cutting. The Macaroons were light pink at the top getting darker in colour towards the bottom. The cake was salted caramel flavoured. The Macaroon flavours included Rose and Vanilla, Raspberry and White Chocolate, Mango and Passionfruit, Peach and Archers and Strawberry and Champagne. We are biased, as we chose it, but it was beautiful.

Who catered your wedding and how did you decide on the menu?

Lemore Manor have their own caterers which took away the stress of having to find anyone. We went to a tasting s couple of months before the big day to sample different parts from the menu. There was a lot of tasty food to choose from so narrowing it down was the most difficult. We loved that we could say what we liked/didn’t like so the dish could be adapted to exactly what we wanted.

Where were your flowers from?

Jane at Long Barn Flowers in Worcester. They were the most amazing flowers we had seen and everything was designed exactly as we had imagined.

How many guests did you invite? And did any of them travel from a long distance?

We decided on 60 to keep the wedding intimate. We chose not to have any evening guests. I don’t think there was anyone who didn’t have to travel for more than an hour to our venue, with the longest journey around 4 hours.

Who provided the entertainment?

We chose Pete Stead as our DJ as we love a bit of a dance (pete@petesteaddj.com/01432 806555/@petesteaddj). We also chose to have the Taliesin String Quartet before and during our ceremony. As an extra, we planned a sparkler moment in the evening.

Did the day hold any surprises? And what was the best moment for each of you?

I’m not sure whether there were any big surprises as such. One of my bridesmaids had kept the glass baubles we had made on my hen do and hung them on a beautiful ornamental tree on the table at the back of the ceremony hall. I wasn’t expecting that and it was a really thoughtful touch. A big shock for us both was just how emotional the day was! The only thing I had been keeping a surprise was the cards I had written for my parents, my parents in law and my husband. I arranged for them to be delivered to them in their rooms on the morning of the wedding whilst I was over in the “hen house” getting ready. This added a very personal touch. I made sure this was done before everyone was ready in case any tears were shed, and I was told there were lots.

Dom’s best moment: “Waiting for and then seeing my wife walk down the aisle. Cheesey, but nothing will ever compare”

Jess’s best moment: “ I don’t think I can select a particular moment. For me it was the feeling I had from the love and happiness throughout the day. It was everything I could have dreamt of, marrying Dom in front of our closest friends and family. I feel very lucky.”

Did you go on a honeymoon? If so, where did you go?

We were lucky enough to be able to book a holiday of a lifetime to Mauritius. We have never been to such a beautiful country. It was lovely to be able to stay in the “wedding bubble” as we flew exactly a week after getting married.