Shelley & Richard

The Orangery Maidstone

Photographed by Louisa Dettmer Wedding Photography

Louisa Dettmer Photography is very familiar with The Orangery; it is a remarkable wedding venue that offers couples an unparalleled setting for their special day. Louisa Dettmer Photography has been a recommended supplier at the venue since 2008. The Orangery is nestled amidst 9 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, this stunning venue provides a sophisticated and elegant atmosphere for your wedding. The Orangery boasts multiple spaces to accommodate every aspect of the celebration, from intimate ceremonies in the Garden Room to lavish receptions in the grand Orangery.

The Orangery’s dedicated and professional team of event planners work closely with couples to create a bespoke experience tailored to their individual desires and preferences. With its magnificent architecture, picturesque surroundings, and impeccable service, this venue sets itself apart as a premier choice for those seeking an unforgettable wedding experience.

It is always an honour and a pleasure to be asked to photograph a friend or family member’s wedding. We approached their wedding just like we do with our other weddings, but we did feel the added pressure of our friends watching us work. Being a part of Shelley and Richard’s wedding was a pleasure; we already knew many of the guests, and everyone else we met on the day were fantastic to photograph, we could not have asked for a better celebration of love and friendship. I have known Richard since our school days, and having so many close friends together made for a truly memorable day. Duncan.

As featured in A Kentish Ceremony Magazine, Spring 2024

Shelley & Richard’s wedding is featured in the Spring 2024 edition, you can read the interview below and order your free copy to help plan your Kentish Wedding from this link

orangery wedding, kentish ceremony magazine

How did you choose your venue?

We didn’t have a set idea on what type of venue we were looking for so we decided to look at all the different options. We looked at Castles, Barns and Hotels to see what we were inspired by.

Did you see many venues before deciding?

We saw lots! About 12 before we chose the perfect one

Why was it the perfect venue for your Kentish ceremony?

We were hoping for an outside ceremony and we loved the grounds of the Orangery, it had different areas that would be great for photos such as the waterfall and the bridge. We also really liked the inside option too in case the weather wasn’t great on the day. It appealed to us that the reception area including the bar and dance floor would be all in one space so that during the evening, all our guests would be in one place partying together which was an important factor for us in choosing our venue.

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The outfits

Tell us about your wedding dress/outfit – where did you buy it, and how did you know it was ‘the one’?

Wedding Dress was from Confetti and Lace. I tried on so many dresses about 30 and went to 10 different shops. I had no idea at first what I was actually looking for style wise or if I wanted a veil, so tried on all different designs of dress – fitted, princess, mermaid and A –Line, I’m quite particular on what I like and don’t like and just knew it needed have the wow factor and have some sparkle.

I found one I loved in the very first wedding dress shop that I went to, but felt I needed to visit a few more shops to compare. However, the dress I finally chose was that one from the first day. Nothing compared to it and it was the one I kept thinking about so knew it was ‘the one’. I chose to customise the dress slightly and after many alteration appointments in the lead up to the day, it was finally perfect. I absolutely loved my dress and even though it was quite heavy from the beading and crystals, I did not want to take it off.

Did you have any special accessories or shoes to complete your look?

Wedding jewellery was from Swarovski, we chose this together.

Wedding shoes from Quiz, I managed to keep them on the whole day and night but I couldn’t feel my feet for a few days afterwards!

How did you choose the suits?

We discussed suits with several different hire companies that we saw at Wedding Fairs. We wanted a certain shade of blue as part of our colour theme and found what we were looking for at Lapels, Maidstone. We chose a different waistcoat for the Groom, to stand out from the others that tied in with the pink of the bridesmaid dresses.

Tell us about your bridesmaid and groomsmen outfits.

We had our 2 daughters as bridesmaids and our niece as flower girl. The bridesmaid dresses were from Victoria’s Bridal Boutique, and were dusky pink, the flower girls dress was from Monsoon and was ivory with a pink bow and ribbon to match the bridesmaids.

Hair & makeup

Who did you use for your hair and/or makeup for your wedding?

Sophie from Sophistic Hair did all our hair on the day. This was for myself, bridesmaids, flower girl and the Mums. She was recommended to me by a work colleague and after researching her work I booked my trial. I was so happy with her work and my hair stayed perfectly in place the whole day.

Helen Lee MUA, recommended by Louisa and Duncan. The first time I met Helen was when she did my make up when I was bridesmaid for my sister the year before our wedding. She did my make up amazingly and I knew then I wanted her to do the wedding make up for my wedding day.

wedding ceremony at The Orangery Maidstone

walking towards the wedding ceremony at The Orangery Maidstone

white gazebo wedding ceremony at The Orangery Maidstone

The ceremony

It poured with rain the entire day the day before the wedding and we had resigned ourselves to the fact that we would need to have our ceremony inside, which we were disappointed about as we had envisaged walking down the aisle at the Gazebo and I had my heart set on this for our ceremony.

Arriving at the venue at 8am on the day, it was very grey and cloudy but there was no more rain. A decision needed to be made by 9am on whether it would be either inside or outside in order for the decorating to be completed for the ceremony area. After lots of deliberating and a walk to assess the soft ground, we decided to get married outside.

Luckily the sun came out by about 11am and by the time of the ceremony at 1pm, it was warm and sunny, which was perfect for our photos even if some of our guests did have their heels sinking in the grass! It’s a long walk from the Wisteria Suite to the The Gazebo which added to the anticipation of walking down the aisle. I loved the feeling of getting over the waterfall bridge and seeing all our friends and family there to celebrate our day with us

What was your favourite moment of the ceremony?

Bride:

My favourite part was when I reached end of the aisle and Richard took my hand, it made my all nerves disappear

Groom:

My favourite part was saying our actual weddings vows, we wrote them together and so were personal to us.

The reception

What food did you have, and how was it? (If you had external caterers, who did you use, and how did you choose them?)

The Orangery have in-house caterers and following our food tasting evening a few months before the day, we decided on Shredded Duck for starter, Roast Beef or Pan-fried chicken with Mushroom sauce for main and Eton Mess or Chocolate Fondant for dessert. We had buffet for the evening reception. The food was amazing and all the guest enjoyed their meals.

exiting the wedding ceremony, The Orangery Maidstone

Tell us about your wedding cake. Who made and designed it for you?

Karen from Iced Images made our amazing wedding cake. We chose 3 tier cake, in pink and white with glitter effect icing and white chocolate ganache, decorated with ink sugar roses to match the roses in the wedding bouquets. We chose a different flavour for each tier: Lemon, Chocolate and Vanilla.

What were your speeches like? Any standout moments?

Father of the Bride, Groom and Best Man all did speeches which we chose to have before the meal so that they could enjoy their food without the nerves knowing they had to then do a speech. As part of the Best Man speech he had us playing ‘Mr and Mrs’ which was very entertaining for us and the guests. The Groom and Father of the Bride speeches were more traditional.

The décor

What was your decor/colour scheme, and how did you decide on it?

Colour scheme was pink and ivory. Shelley’s favourite colour is pink and we also thought these colours would be good for a spring wedding

Who did your wedding flowers?

The amazing Floral Explosion!

What did you have in your flower arrangements/bouquets?

We chose to have pale pink and ivory roses with gypsophila in the hand tied bouquets. The bridesmaids and flower girl bouquets were a smaller version of the Brides

White pillars with floral arrangements at the start and finish of the aisle and the entrance posts to the gazebo dressed with a floral arrangement with pink and ivory roses

We had a mixture of tall and low table centre arrangements with pink and ivory roses with clear cylinder vases filled with floating tea lights.

wedding group photo at The Orangery Maidstone

wedding photos at The Orangery Maidstone

How did you add personal touches to the look and feel of your day?

Freesias added to my bridal bouquet in memory of my Nan as these were her favourite flowers and made me feel as though she was part of our day.

I wore my daughters ring as my ‘something borrowed’.

The photography

Who was your wedding photographer, and how did you choose them?

Richard went to school with Duncan and has known Duncan and Louisa for many years, so there was no doubt in our minds who we would want to have as our wedding photographers. From the initial planning to the wedding day itself they were totally amazing and went above and beyond.

They made us feel relaxed and at ease throughout the day and we also had lots of laughter with them from start to finish. We felt very lucky to have our friends playing such an important role in our special day and we are so grateful to them for capturing our day so beautifully.

Did you have a videographer?

Cherrywood Productions. We couldn’t wait to watch our wedding video and were so happy with it. It was great to see things that we hadn’t seen on the day and the personal messages from guests were amazing.

What was your absolute highlight of the day?

Walking back down the aisle after the ceremony as husband and wife with all our guests cheering.

Do you have any tips or advice for other couples having a Kentish Ceremony?

Enjoy your planning and the build up to the day and don’t get to caught up with everyone opinions on what you should and should do.

Make the most of every second of the day because it absolutely flies by. Take it all in and also make time just the two of you to absorb the atmosphere of the day.