Orangery Wedding by Louisa Dettmer, Kent Wedding Photographer

Laura & Matt Hart

The Orangery Maidstone

The Wedding of Laura and Matthew, The Orangery, Louisa Dettmer Wedding Photography

Laura & Matt chose The Orangery Maidstone for their autumn wedding, we asked Laura to share her story with us.

Scroll down the page to see links to all the wedding suppliers and Laura’s top tips for other Brides.

Laura’s Wedding Story:

I have been a wedding planner for 6 years so I knew exactly what I wanted, the main thing for me is to be married, yes I wanted the wedding to be amazing but I have dealt with many bridezillas over the years and I didn’t want to get so wrapped up in the wedding that it took over what was important. We are so glad we got to share our day with so many of our friends and family that we couldn’t have asked for more.

The Dress.

I went shopping on the hottest day of the year and had booked 2 shops to visit. I had an image in my head of what I thought I wanted, however, I kept an open mind. I would suggest trying on something in every style as the dress I chose was the complete opposite to what I thought I wanted. I found the dress in the 2nd shop and when I first tried it on, I really wasn’t sure as it was so different to what I envisaged. I then tried on a few more different styles after and then realised that actually, I wanted to try the dress back on again and when I did, I knew it was the one. I tried about fifteen dresses all on the same day but no two were similar.

The Venue.

Being in the wedding industry I have always had my heart set on the Orangery just because of having such beautiful grounds. When I took my husband there for the first time, he loved it too and wanted to book before we even had the show-round.

The Theme.

Our theme was trees and leaves with autumnal colours, I have worked with a lot of brides that have been summer weddings so wanted to have an autumn wedding.
The bridesmaids wore a burgundy chiffon maxi dress with lace detail.
The groom and groomsmen wore blue tails with ivory waistcoats with a burgundy detail.
Our flowers were mainly Roses and Gypsophila but many more flowers in table center’s.
We had a four-tier cake, each tier a different flavour which was amazing as it meant most of the cake was eaten on the night.

The Ceremony.

I was really nervous in the run-up to the wedding as I hate attention, due to my job I have stood in a lot of ceremonies for brides and even that made me nervous. However, on the day when I was actually walking down the aisle time sort of stood still. I didn’t look at my guests and just focused on certain points which helped me to calm my nerves. The funniest moment was when the registrar asked if there was any reason why we should not be married both my husband and my dad turned around to the guests and gave the exact same look. For me, it’s true what they say I have managed to unintentionally pick a man that is exactly like my father.
Unfortunately, it rained the whole wedding day and as I wanted my guests to stay dry, only the bridal party, groomsmen and the groom and I had photos outside. It was freezing cold but I am so pleased we did as the pictures are amazing and you couldn’t tell it was raining. I absolutely loved the decorations the venue looked amazing.

Advice for other Brides.

1. Keep well hydrated in the weeks coming up to your wedding. All the smiling and talking is thirsty work.

2. Try to relax and be calm on the wedding morning, so much is happening but stay calm and enjoy it as it’s the only part of the day when you can truly relax.

3. Make sure you take some time out for you and your partner. The day is so busy from once you arrive it’s good to take some time as it’s your day.