Inside: A Stunning Somerset Wedding Soirée at Pennard House

The Story So Far

We actually met in January 2021 on Hinge, but have since worked in the same hospital in Southwest London. Max works as an oncology doctor at The Royal Marsden, whilst I work in the NHS as a nurse in Intensive Care, and as a Reformer Pilates teacher!

Max proposed to me 2 and a half years later on a countryside walk in Bruton on a weekend away in Somerset— my favourite place in the world and where I am from. We spent our engagement bubble at Babington House for the duration of the weekend. Max designed the ring himself with Hyde Park Design, and was very particular from start to finish (with over 70 emails back and forth!). It’s a beautiful trilogy ring on a gold band, and is just perfect.

The Venue

I always knew I wanted to get married in the Somerset countryside, which is where I grew up and where we got engaged. After a few weeks of looking, I stumbled upon Pennard House and we instantly fell in love. It’s a beautiful family home with a sensational rose garden overflowing with flowers, and a long sweeping lawn leading down to the fairytale-like village church in East Pennard where we had our ceremony. Afterwards, we celebrated with drinks and canapés on the garden lawn, followed by dinner and dancing in the Coach House at Pennard House.

The night before the wedding, we also hosted a low-key intimate meal before having the rest of our bridal party for drinks after, and the following day, we went back to our engagement spot in Bruton and went on a long walk and visited Hauser and Wirth.

The Fashion

I wore a dress by the British bridal fashion designer Halfpenny London. They very sweetly embroidered ‘mama’ with the date of our wedding in above my heart into my dress in a soft blue thread. I paired my dress with a lace veil, which was my ‘something borrowed’ from a friend.

Max wanted a suit he could wear again and again, so he opted for a custom-made suit from Suit Supply with a matching light waistcoat, and a pink polka dot tie. The ten groomsmen then wore navy suits.

Originally, I wasn’t planning on having an evening dress. However, I fell in love with a Rebecca Vallance dress, so I decided that I needed to slip into something a little more fun for the evening. My shoes were from Dolce Vita — I wore them all night long and didn’t take them off until the clock struck midnight and all the guests left.

The Jewellery

On the note of something old, borrowed, and blue— I wore my late mother’s my blue sapphire engagement ring. It was such a special gesture— it made me feel like she was right there with me.

I wore my Noémi Eska gold necklace engraved with my late mother’s fingerprint and handwriting ‘the Bundles’ on the back – incredibly special to me. My earrings were from Anthropologie. My engagement ring is a bespoke brilliant cut trilogy diamond ring. Max designed it himself, and I love it.

The Bridal Party

I wanted the girls to feel beautiful, confident and comfortable, so my six bridesmaids wore floral linen dresses from & Other Stories, and bows from Free People to match the oversized bow I wore from Halfpenny. I also bought each of them matching PJs, alongside a hand-written card which I gave them the night before.

The Transportation

We were lucky enough to borrow a friend’s 1970s white Triumph Stag as our wedding car. We also had it for our mini-moon road trip, which was great fun!

The Tablescape

Our wedding breakfast took place in the charming Coach House at Pennard House, and we were absolutely delighted with how exquisitely Maria Madison captured the day. Her photography not only documented the event but also conveyed the joy and beauty we felt. Maria’s talent shines through in every image, making us cherish these moments even more.

We wanted the design to seamlessly flow from the lush gardens to the tables, and Jodie from Copper Green Flowers surpassed all our expectations with her stunning floral arrangements. The flowers, which also featured contributions from my mum’s best friends, added an extra layer of personal beauty and warmth.

The ambiance was further enhanced by the elegant candles from Candle Flair, casting a soft, inviting glow. The napkins from The Knotted Napkin Company added a touch of sophistication, while the menus, lovingly designed by Max’s mum Patricia Burbidge, brought a personal and heartfelt element to the table. Alice Davies crafted the table names, order of the day, and seating plan, all of which were delicate and pretty, creating a cohesive aesthetic that wowed our guests from the moment they entered.

In a special toast to the NHS, reflecting our careers as a doctor and a nurse, we embraced our Italian theme by creating charming medicine bottles filled with limoncello. It was a heartfelt gesture that added a unique and meaningful touch to our celebration.

Food & Drinks

Food was catered by Pennard House, and it was exceptional. During the drinks reception, we served Aperol Spritz and champagne, alongside beautifully displayed canapés— which included Somerset honey mustard sausages, seared sesame tuna with mango salsa, Korean fried chicken with gochujang, and Montgomery cheddar shortbread with basil cream cheese and blush tomatoes.

Max and I both love Italian food, and centred our wedding breakfast’s theme around the cuisine.We started with large antipasti sharing boards with mushroom arancini with truffle aioli, burrata with vine tomatoes, and charcuterie. We also had focaccia with tomato tapenade on the tables.

To follow, we served a Somerset medium rare sirloin of beef, with sun-blushed tomato, watercress, and fondant potato with gremolata. Our vegetarian option was our favourite Italian dish: an aubergine parmigiana with a rocket and watercress lemon-dressed salad.

We served homemade chocolate Malteser brownies along with our red velvet wedding cake (made by Max’s sister) for pudding. We also had bars of my favourite Tony’s chocolate and Max’s favourite Godminster cheddar cheese on the table. We finished the evening with homemade pizza by Pennard House, served from their pizza van!

The Entertainment

I walked down the aisle to The Sound of Music’s ‘Wedding Processional’— the same piece of music that my parents walked into during their wedding in 1987. We exited the ceremony to ‘Everlasting Love’ from the Love Affair, and whilst we signed the register, my twin sister Flora and family friend Katie Melua sung ‘Edelweiss’ from the Sound of Music and ‘Cannonball’ by Damien Rice.

For the evening party at Pennard House, we had a band called Glow Stix, which consisted of a DJ, saxophone and drums (think house music with Ibiza sax vibes). All our guests raved about how incredible the music was, and the dance floor was packed the entire evening.

We chose ‘Everywhere’ by Fleetwood Mac for our first dance song, as they are one of our favourite bands to listen to. For our second song we chose ‘Upside Down’ by Diana Ross. I’ll never forget being spun around in front of all our friends and family!

Beauty Regime & Wellness

As a Reformer Pilates instructor, I like to keep myself very fit and active. I took up boxing at Kobox last October which I loved, and would do a combination of this as well as Reformer Pilates 4-5 times a week!.My eating habits didn’t drastically change either, but I may have said no to a few extra treats in the immediate lead-up!

After getting Invisalign a few years ago, I decided to get bonding on my top front teeth. I went and saw Dr Tom Crawford-Clarke in Harley Street— who also was one of Max’s ushers— and I couldn’t recommend him more. I also tried to invest more time into my previously non-existent skincare routine, but did not get any treatments. Three days before the wedding, I got a spray tan at Bare Beauty in Clapham Junction which I had trialled beforehand. It was one of the most natural tans I have ever had.

Like many brides, I opted for a hair and make-up trial with both my hair stylist, Juta, and make-up artist, Amy— which I absolutely recommend doing. It was so important for me to find a makeup and hair artist who would make me feel and look my best but also very natural.

Favourite Wedding Gifts

We had a gift list with the Wedding Shop, and are so excited about receiving so many gorgeous things, so generously given. A big highlight came from my twin sister and brother as well as their other halves, who got us a two-night stay at The Pig in the South Downs. They all know how much Max and I love a countryside getaway!

The Honeymoon Plans

We haven’t been on a big honeymoon (we’re saving that for later next year), but we did spent the night after our wedding at Babington House which was just perfect. We then drove down to Salcombe, Devon for two nights at Gara Rock before spending the final three nights in Fowey, Cornwall, taking in the best of the Southwest.