Sally and Steve first met at school in their hometown of Cowbridge. Romance blossomed after leaving school and almost ten years later, Steve proposed and their autumn wedding took place at St Fagans National History Museum in Cardiff.
Sally and Steve Usher
Sally tells us more about their recent wedding, mutual love of anteaters and why a VW was the obvious choice for wedding transportation.
How did Steve propose?
I returned from work one Friday evening to find a trail of roses leading down the hallway into the lounge. At the end was Steve, down on one knee in his best suit and the most perfect ring, surrounded by our entire collection of candles and tea lights! Of course I said yes!
What made you decide on St Fagans as your venue?
Shortly after we got engaged we discovered that St Fagans was licensed for weddings. Steve and I have spent many weekends at the museum and with us now living away from home, it was perfect to spend our wedding day in such familiar surroundings.
We made use of a number of different buildings on site to host the celebrations. Our civil ceremony was in the beautiful St Fagans Castle, followed by a drinks reception in the Castle Buttery and our marriage blessing in the quaint Pen-Rhiw Chapel. We ended the day with our reception and party at the Oakdale Workmen's Institute. The museum train even transported our guests between on-site locations!
Tell us about your dress!
I wore the 1920s silk and catroux beaded lace dress by Charlie Brear. I was keen to find something that was quite delicate and not too structured - the dropped waist was so elegant and complimented the draped back beautifully.
Who supplied your flowers?
Suzi Thomas - Flowers With A Twist
We chose navy-centred anemones across all the bouquets and buttonholes with hints of autumnal orange and soft trailing ivy in my own bouquet. Suzi also added some blue thistle, which was a lovely touch with Steve having spent his stag weekend in Scotland a few weeks before.
The bridesmaids had very simple ivory and navy bouquets as these colours alone really complimented their navy dresses without being too over-powering.
Who were your bridesmaids?
My close friend Rebecca was my maid of honour. Steve's sister Kristy and another of my historical partners in crime, Sara, completed the trio.
What about the food?
Working closely with the in-house catering team Elior UK, we came up with a perfect menu. We opted for a selection of delicious savoury canapés served on Welsh slate at the Castle drinks reception including hot pork and leek wellington, hot duck leg bon bons and Welsh goats cheese herb and sun blushed tomato tarts. These were accompanied with sparkling wine finished with a seasonal blackberry garnish, and Sol beer served as alternative to wine.
We chose a hot buffet for the wedding breakfast, with slow roasted belly pork, Caerphilly cheese, smoked bacon and leek casserole and a butternut squash, white wine and sage risotto, all served with seasonal vegetables, new potatoes and mixed salad. We chose a very autumnal warm treacle tart with a gingerbread base and vanilla pod cream for dessert.
At the evening party we served a late 'afternoon tea' style buffet with finger sandwiches and cakes. This was all beautifully presented on vintage tiered cake stands.
What transportation did you decide on for the day?
I was born in the front seat of my Dad's VW beetle en route to the hospital so the wedding car was always going to be an easy choice! I fell in love with the 1958 Cabriolet 'Seren Haf' when Paul at LoveDub Weddings introduced me to their VW family.
What music did you opt for during the day?
Harpist Eluned Henry played for us at key points throughout the day. She didn't have any issues with our request for a Metallica harp arrangement to help calm Steve's nerves before the ceremony!
We booked The Marrionettes, a Bristol-based 3-part harmony trio for our reception. They played a selection of vintage and modern classics.
Are there any other quirky details which made your wedding unique, special and different to anybody else's:
Steve and I have a love of giant anteaters having come across them at Marwell Zoo near our home in Hampshire. I purchased two Swarovski crystal anteaters to be positioned on the cake as a surprise for Steve - one of which had a little black bow tie for the occasion.
My Uncle Geoff read two pieces for us during the chapel service, one of which was a book by Carine Berger 'The Little Yellow Leaf' in which he left us two leaves from the trees in St. Fagans that day. It was perfect for autumn and a lovely reminder of our day.
Overall, our wedding day was the most unique and special day of our lives. The team at St Fagans were so welcoming as a wedding venue and their vintage, historical feel fitted perfectly with our vibe for the day. I wish we could do it all over again.
For more information about weddings at St Fagans, please visit the website https://www.museumwales.ac.uk/stfagans/hire/weddings/
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