Real wedding: A garden festa in the heart of the Sussex Downs

Any real wedding needs to reflect the couple and the setting, and Clareana and Eduardo’s celebration in the Sussex countryside blended English country charm and Brazilian style for the ultimate garden festa

Wedding planner: Something Blue Wedding Planning

Any real wedding needs to feel personal to the couple, and Clareana and Eduardo’s glorious celebration was the perfect marriage of Brazilian flair and English country style. While the couple live in Brazil, they decided their wedding would be at Eduardo’s grandfather’s property in the Sussex countryside. This country home with views across the South Downs is a place that holds many special memories for the family – it’s also an incredibly romantic setting.

Since most guests were flying over from Brazil, Clareana and Eduardo envisaged a day that combined lots of English elements with the party traditions of home. Enter wedding planner and stylist Emma McDonald of Something Blue Wedding Planning, who set about realising their vision of a perfect festa in the English countryside. The couple only had time for two planning visits to the UK prior to the wedding celebration, but Emma was able to design the day seamlessly with the assistance of Skype and WhatsApp discussions

The grounds of the house offer unrestricted views over the Downs, creating a breathtaking setting for an outdoor ceremony. The chosen place was a sheltered pond framed by stone steps. This created a natural dais where the pastor’s blessing could take place in front of the guests seated below. The pond was filled with white rose petals while lush white roses were draped around the wall.

The formal lawns were perfect for drinks and canapés, but the celebration needed a space for the feast. Eduardo and Clareana didn’t want a typical marquee, and definitely no drapes, so Emma McDonald decided a PapaKåta Sperry tent would be their perfect match. With sides left open, this created a wonderful alfresco dining experience that made the most of the magical garden, while also providing shelter. It also had all the space they needed for dancing long into the night.

fire pits, reindeer skins and benches were placed on the lawns so guests could enjoy the starlit Sussex sky

From this key decision, the styling of the celebration really took off. Clareana wanted the tables to connect to symbolise the coming together of all the families and so a U-shape table plan was devised. It looked stunning and expressed this sentiment of togetherness beautifully. The Sperry was surrounded by candles and festoon-lit walkways. Inside the tent, further festoon lights and suspended flower hoops framed the U-shape table plan perfectly. To soften the light, the tent also contained 350 pillar candles on brass stands and hundreds of tea lights – the perfect way to highlight the gold bead-rimmed charger plates and glittering glassware.

The couple were keen to maintain the English theme by using traditional English flowers. Marianne Johnson of Sweet Pea Flowers created glorious displays. White roses, hydrangeas and peonies were ranged along the wooden tables in garlands, spilling over the ends as if they were growing. The same colour theme was carried through to Clareana’s beautiful bridal bouquet, featuring lush pink peonies and pure white roses.

confectionEry and cake was flown over from Brazil for guests to sample throughout the celebration

Some time-honoured Brazilian traditions were in the mix. One was the stunning way favours were displayed to guests; a mass of confectionery and cake was flown over from Brazil and placed on a table for guests to sample throughout the day. Music and dancing play a huge part in South American weddings, and entertainment was high on Eduardo’s list of priorities. Emma sourced a string quartet for earlier in the day, while Philosophy Band had the dance floor full from the start of the evening to 1am close.

Eduardo ensured one nod to his favourite show. As a huge fan of Game of Thrones, he wanted elements of its fantasy world in the mix without it becoming a theme. As Emma says: “With the Sperry tent and long banquet style tables for the wedding feast we were halfway there, and we completed the look with outdoor fire pits, reindeer skins and benches for guests to sit and enjoy the starlit Sussex sky and the fantastic atmosphere of a truly magical celebration”.