Tell us a little about you as a couple?
We met back in 2014. Andy had separated from his wife and had two boys and Janette was divorced with 3 children. We met online and our first date was a Sunday morning meeting at the Harbourside in Bristol. Neither of us had any expectations but over a period of time, and after lots of laughs and fun, we realised we were perfect for each other! Janette extended her family in 2020 with the addition of Riley - a Romanian Rescue dog. We bought our house together in 2021 and have been renovating it to make it a lovely home for us and our family. We enjoy holidays together, especially when we can take Riley our Romanian rescue dog with us and we both enjoy the simple things in life!
What made you decide on an intimate wedding?
We knew we didn't want a big wedding as we have both been married before. We have quite a large friendship group so we knew that we had to arrange something very small, with just immediate family, as we didn't want to upset anyone! We both don't enjoy being the centre of attention so wouldn't want it to be a big event.
How did you know Tree Top Escape was your perfect venue?
As soon as I saw Treetops online I fell in love with it. We knew we wanted a small wedding venue, but we definitely didn't want a registry office and we wanted somewhere where we wouldn't look silly with only a few wedding guests. We also knew we wanted Riley to be part of the day. I spoke with Kate initially on the phone and then Bob and fell in love with how it sounded – an intimate, dog friendly, venue only wedding. We knew we wanted to stay with our family so unfortunately didn't stay at the Treetops luxury accommodation, but, we definitely would like to stay for one of our anniversaries if possible. We looked at various venues, but Treetops was perfect in every way and nothing else could compare.
How did you find the planning process?
The planning was great, all the information provided by Treetops was really helpful and the suppliers were a joy to work with. I was very organised which meant that I was really able to enjoy the couple of weeks leading up to our wedding day.
Tell us a little about your wedding day
We were staying in a house in Barnstaple. Connie our hair and makeup artist arrived, she did my hair and makeup, together with my daughters Charlotte and Jodie. Me and Andy stayed in separate parts of the house so we didn't see each other. Andy and the boys drove to Treetops first and then the girls and Riley came afterwards. We got changed into our dresses at the venue. We were all very excited! On arrival, we quickly realised just how stunning this intimate wedding venue was. It was just beautiful and getting married in October meant we had the beautiful autumnal colours. The wedding itself was just perfect. Tree Top Escape wedding coordinator Justine looked after us all really well. We had written our own vows which made it so personal and special. We picked certain songs for the service and Justine made sure everything went to plan. The registrars were so lovely, they really made us feel at ease. We had the service and then headed over to The Meadow Room for food and champagne. Becca our photographer was amazing and she took lots of stunning photos of us, many of them were really natural. Every time we look at them - we remember how amazing our wedding day was and how much fun everyone had! We fed the Alpacas and enjoyed the next couple of hours laughing and eating. There were 10 of us in total and every single person absolutely loved the day. When we left the venue, after our intimate wedding ceremony, we went back to our house in Barnstaple. We went out for a meal in the evening at a local pub and we had a fantastic meal.
Who were the suppliers that helped make your day so special?
Becca Roundhill- Photographer - www.rebeccaroundhill.co.ukJustine Wood - Wedding Food www.justine-wood.co.uk
Connie from Iconic - Hair and Makeup www.iconic-hairandmakeup.co.uk
Marcia Shpaland - Room Decor www.marciashapland.com
Did you add any personal or unique touches to your day?
We wrote our own vows. I made our confetti using roses in our garden. A close friend of mine personalised some jars that we filled with sweets for our children. We had a little scarf made for Riley our dog and he had the rings in a little pouch attached to his collar. A close friend of ours had recorded a song - so that was the song we walked out of the ceremony to. All these things made our wedding day so special to us.
What is the most special moment of your wedding day?
It had to be the reading of the vows which was very emotional for both of us.
