The Wedding of Kevin & Gareth

A breathtaking outdoor ceremony full of PRIDE for this same-sex couple from London who longed for an inclusive venue with an easy-going, rustic vibe for their big day.

After searching high and low for the perfect inclusive wedding venue for their summer wedding, this fun-loving couple swapped the hustle and bustle of London for the peace and tranquillity of the rolling North Wales countryside.

Same-sex couple, Kevin and Gareth tied the knot on the 30th of June 2022 in a beautiful outdoor ceremony here at Tower Hill Barns. Featuring an abundance of florals in hues of blush pink, white and opulent gold, their summer wedding captured the essence of the season to breathtaking effect.

The Stunning, Floral Theme

The couple opted for a rustic, natural, organic theme for their big day leaving behind their busy London lifestyles to embrace the quiet tranquillity of the beautiful North Wales countryside for the weekend.

Their wedding décor somehow managed to achieve that sweet spot between opulence  – ℅ the golden candelabras (which we loved for their Beauty and the Beast vibes) and beautiful pink cherry blossom tree centrepieces. And comfort, with the wonderful uplifting, easy-going personalities of the grooms shining through every aspect of the day.

While the pictures speak for themselves, we couldn’t not mention the cake. I mean, we’ve seen A LOT of beautiful wedding cakes in our time but this couple’s blush pink, three-tier wedding cake made by the incredibly talented @_theredrosecakecompany, adorned with a stunning oriental pink and gold floral design and flecks of gold leaf for good measure, really caught our eye. Displayed on our rustic old barrel cake stand in front of the couple’s rose flower wall (℅ TMS events) it was simply a work of art!

From the beautiful floral arrangements, fabulous flower walls, and amazing opulent accessories to the fabulous wedding attire and of course the phenomenal cake, we’re sure you’ll agree the styling of this wedding was fabulous from start to finish.

Pre-ceremony preparations

Kevin and Gareth spent the night before their wedding in style with a stay in our on-site luxury farmhouse. Going their separate ways on the morning of their wedding in a nod to tradition. “I (Kevin) bagged the beautiful makeup and dressing room for my pre-ceremony rituals while Gareth got ready in the comfort and tranquillity of the beautiful farmhouse at Tower Hill Barns. We wanted to preserve that ‘wow’ moment when we saw each other at the altar”.

“I would say we were both 50% nervous and 50% excited ahead of the ceremony. The balance could have very easily tipped to 100% nervous but the wonderful experienced staff at THB had the perfect solution for every little niggle and we were both (individually) extremely well looked after which made it impossible not to relax into the moment!”.

All in all, the morning was very enjoyable. We each had breakfast and pre-ceremony chats with our nearest and dearest as we preened ourselves and everything went smoothly. The only uncertainty we faced was the Great British Weather. Thankfully mother nature was kind to us (after making us sweat for a moment or two) and we were able to have the outdoor ceremony that we’d been dreaming of!

A Beautiful, Personal Outdoor Ceremony

Kevin walked down the aisle to a custom-made orchestration, performed by the Manchester String Quartet of ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ by the Beatles (the song Phoebe walked down the aisle to in Friends – love it!). Not to be outdone, Kevin and Gareth’s little dachshund Harvey also joined in, barking along happily as Kevin ascended the aisle. Alas, on this occasion his vocal prowess was less than appreciated with his efforts sadly being cut from the wedding video (you’ll get your moment Harvey!).

While their vocal efforts may not have been fully appreciated, everyone was quite taken with how the little dachshunds scrubbed up. Sauntering down the aisle wearing adorable tweed coats with matching buttonholes – accompanied by the equally adorable page boys/ dog wranglers – Harvey and his sister are right up there in the running for the best-dressed canines we’ve seen here at THB! 

But as you’ll see from the wedding album, it wasn’t just the pups who were well-dressed. The fashion at this wedding stole the show, somehow managing to be laid back, fun and formal all at the same time. Gareth brought a pop of colour to the proceeding with his red tweed jacket. While Kevin opted for a more traditional tweed jacket in a slate grey hue. Both grooms looked very dapper and coordinated their pink shirts and floral ties in a nod to their colour scheme.

An Irresistible Wedding Menu

After the ceremony, we had a little recess to take in the moment. THB popped on our wedding playlist while they served canapés and champagne to kick off the celebration. All we can say is WOW. The canapés went down a treat and were all phenomenal, particularly the prawn tempura – we would definitely recommend it!

“After attending the food taster event at THB we were pretty confident that the food would be amazing, but it still surpassed all of our expectations – the attention to detail was truly second to none!”

Overall we found choosing our wedding menu a little tricky as we are vegan, and our bridesmaid had A LOT of dietary requirements to work around. Luckily we do eat fish, so we had a seafood-heavy menu which thankfully went down wonderfully with our guests – the cod loin main in particular was sensational! Our guests were still full when it came to the evening food, but the food was of such excellent quality they couldn’t resist a second helping.

The First Dance

“We rehearsed our first dance the night before our wedding in the pouring rain beneath the sandstone arch of the Old Railway Bridge at THB. Gareth was uncharacteristically romantic – it was a beautiful moment we’ll treasure forever. All that practising paid off too as the first dance went really well on the day and more importantly, our guests seemed to enjoy it!”

Words Of Wisdom For Future Couples

Despite our lack of a plan, the feedback from our guests has been phenomenal – everyone has said that it is the BEST wedding they’ve ever attended. Strong praise indeed, so we must have done something right!

“Our best advice to future couple’s would have to be to just do whatever you want to do! There is no right or wrong so go with the flow and make decisions based on what *feels* right. If you’re clueless (as we were) do what we did and steal a day plan from someone else’s wedding! It was only after attending a close friend’s wedding earlier in the year that we felt we knew what to expect. And we borrowed lots of ideas from them!”

Heading for more real #THBWeddings