Rena & Frederick
Rena & Frederick chose to say their wedding vows in front of the gorgeous pond at Royal Berkshire, the perfect backdrop for their forever photos.
Photography by: Nseko Bidwell
How did you both meet and how did the proposal occur?
We met at Southampton University where we both played for the Southampton University badminton team.
The proposal happened at home on New Year’s Eve in 2023, where Freddy laid out hundreds of tea lights leading to the living room accompanied with lots of photos and notes about our relationship up until that point!
What did you love most about Royal Berkshire?
The settings of Royal Berkshire are absolutely beautiful, we had our ceremony by the pond and the photos that have come from that area of the hotel are amazing. Our guests loved taking their own photos and they also commented on how convenient the layout of the wedding spaces was.
We also wanted to shout out the Royal Berkshire team, everyone we have interacted with from the reception team all the way up to the wedding coordinators have been so friendly, organised and incredibly accommodating. One example of this was our request for a bespoke evening meal that the chef was happy to prepare.
Did you have a theme or particular style for the day?
The bride’s favourite flower is lavender so we incorporated hints of lavender throughout the day – bags of dried lavender for the favours, lavender icons on wedding stationary and throughout the colour palette.
Our colour palette was a pastel lilac colour and we styled the day accordingly – chair sashes, napkins, candles, cake, flowers, bridesmaid dresses and suit accessories. This really helped tie it all in together.
Tell us all about the outfits...
The bride’s wedding dress was purchased at The Ivory Edit bridal boutique and is the Ayesha gown designed by Watters. The dress was an intricate custom beaded fabric with pearls and beading, a corset top and flowing A-line skirt. The bride also incorporated pearl details throughout her accessories, all the way down to her nails which she spent 5 hours the evening before perfecting!
The groom and groomsmen suits were bought and tailored at Robert Tracey – a local, family owned business in the home town of the couple, Staines-Upon-Thames. They opted for a 3-piece navy suit with the groom wearing an ivory double breasted waistcoat.
What do you remember most about the day itself?
We remember just how thrilled and supportive all our guests were on the day. We had so many compliments about all aspects of the day from the venue itself all the way through to the speeches.
Were there any special moments or surprises?
We were able to have a private dining experience during the menu tasting stage which was so special and had a conversation with the chef directly who was able to tailor make the food in any way we wanted. This was also carried through to the evening food which featured our favourite food – fried chicken and doughnuts!
It was a pleasure to come back to Royal Berkshire on multiple occasions leading up to the big day, including a meal with our parents and it was so lovely that we got to know the team and were always greeted with such warmth.
We loved the unique and personal touches we were able to add to the day – from a badminton net to a guess the dress game to adding table numbers from each “era” of our lives, no ask was too difficult for the team!
What tips or advice would you give to future couples?
Our advice would be to implement your personalities, hobbies and ideas wherever you can throughout the day. This made our day so special to us and to our guests.
