After over fifteen years together, in June 2025 we got married. Our dream wedding venue was our favourite destination for a family day out, Riverhill Himalayan Gardens in Sevenoaks, Kent but we didn’t dare dream it was possible
We have been regular visitors to Riverhill Himalayan Gardens for over ten years. You will often find all three generations of our family plus Vader, our greyhound, roaming the gardens or having a bite to eat in the cafe (Malabar – highly recommend!). It is our “happy place” and we have made so many memories at Riverhill over the years, from Easter Egg hunts in the spring to Pumpkin Carving in the autumn. To be able to get married at Riverhill was a dream come true! I have been lucky enough to be gifted entry to Riverhill for the last few years, being a blogger has some perks, and I have a lovely relationship with them. When I told them I was getting married they offered Riverhill for the ceremony, this is not something they had done before so we were a bit of a trial run for them. It was a success, for us at least! I should point out that we paid so this was not a freebie in any way, shape or form.
As we were working on a bit of a budget I was in charge of planning and organizing everything, which is unfortunate as I had absolutely no clue what I was doing! Luckily for me I had a friend who was good at giving me a kick in the right direction, like the day we went out for lunch a couple of months before the big day and she asked if I had any reception venues in mind. I did not. She soon sorted that!
Arranging our wedding at Riverhill Himalayan Gardens
Kate from Riverhill and I had several meetings to discuss the details, over coffee in Malabar, obvs! Monsieur Incidental and I wanted a laid back, ceremony with our closest friends and family. Our wedding was not just about celebrating us as a couple but about us as a family of four. We didn’t want anything overly fancy, it’s not our vibe, and I didn’t want any additional pressure on me or our guests, plus Little L is autistic so we didn’t want him to be overwhelmed by anything. Kate was absolutely amazing! She really knows her stuff and was able to take a lot of pressure off of me and reassure me that the day would run smoothly.
If the weather was good we were having the ceremony Riverhill’s the walled garden – just the most perfect spot for a romantic wedding ceremony! We had the garden room as a contingency plan in case of rain but we were very lucky with the weather, in fact my bridesmaids would tell you it was a little too hot on the day!
We decided how many guests we would have at the ceremony itself. Kate gave us the option to either hire fancy chairs or use the ones available at Riverhill. Fancy chairs cost a fortune and aren’t really what we wanted aesthetically anyway, as long as there were enough chairs for everyone that was fine by us.
After the ceremony we were able to have post ceremony drinks in the walled garden and use the the rest gardens to have our photographs taken. We took our own champagne (25% off 6 or more bottles at your local supermarket came in very handy!) and, rather than hiring glasses, I bought plastic champagne flutes from Sainsbury’s.
Choosing our wedding music
We were able to have music so my friend bought a Bluetooth speaker and I created a Spotify playlist.
I walked down the aisle to Lionel Richie “My Destiny”. We wanted a song that we had seen together live and Lionel was at BST in Hyde Park a few years ago. Watching my bridesmaids working it down the aisle to that was a sight to behold!
For music while we were signing the register we wanted songs that meant something to us but also our family. We chose Sade “Your Love is King” as Monsieur Incidental’s mum loves Sade. As we were getting married on a Friday The Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love” seemed very appropriate and Monsieur Incidental’s dad is a big The Cure fan (as am I). Our last two choices were for the younger attendees; Jason Mraz “I’m Yours” and Bruno Mars “Marry You” – one of my Bridesmaids LOVES Bruno Mars!
After the ceremony we chose a selection of uplifting Motown classics while we sipped champagne and had photographs taken.
A good time was had by all!
What we wore for our wedding
As we wanted a laid back, summer vibe, Monsieur Incidental and Big L wore cream linen suits bought from Marks and Spencer with a white linen shirt while Little L wore cream linen shorts and white linen shirt from Next. My dress, by Scarlett and Jo, was also also from Next and was just perfect. I am not a sequins and lace kind of girl and I wanted something pretty and floaty and it ticked all the boxes. It was one of those dresses that you put on and instantly feel confident and pretty in.
My bridesmaids bought their own outfits of their choice and, by some miracle, they complemented each other beautifully without even discussing color schemes.
Night before and wedding morning preparations!
Monsieur Incidental and Big L spent the night before the wedding at the local Premier Inn while I stayed at home with my bestie and Little L. I thought it would be best to keep things as normal as possible for Little L so he didn’t become overwhelmed and my bestie is really good with him so was able to keep him entertained while I got ready.
We had a chilled morning, apart from finding my wedding jewellery (which was silver and the princely sum of £12) had tarnished, cue a quick dash to Argos to buy a jewellery cleaner!
My bridesmaids arrived mid afternoon and we had a couple of glasses of prosecco, just to calm the nerves you understand!
I think this is such a cool photo, just ignore the label on the bottom of my shoe…
I did my own makeup but my usual hairdresser, Amy from The Sanctuary in Seal, did my hair and some of my bridesmaids. She was amazing and my hair was still in, pins and all, when I woke up the next morning – it was like sleeping on a porcupine but everyone fell asleep before I could get them help me to take them out and I was too tired to care!
Once I was made up I put my dress on then the shoes, which turned out to be far too big but it was too late to do anything about so I made do! I was in such a rush I forgot to take the labels of the bottom of my shoes (see photo above)
I didn’t think there was any point having a fancy car to arrive in so I hopped in my Bridesmaids Peugeot – which she had cleaned especially for the occasion.
Our ceremony in the Walled Garden at Riverhill Himalayan Gardens
The ceremony was at 4.30pm and I was supposed to arrive at 4pm to do the legal bits with the registrars but the traffic was horrendous! I messaged Kate in a panic who reminded me that the wedding couldn’t go ahead without me so I relaxed about being late.
When I arrived all the guests and Monsieur Incidental were already in the walled garden. One of my Bridesmaids took Little L to meet them while I completed the legal bits. We had some photographs with my bridesmaids and my Uncle who was giving me away. I was married previously as few years ago and my mum gave me away, I asked her if she would mind if I asked my Uncle to give me away this time and she was more than happy. My uncle has been like a father to me since my own father left when I was a child so it was my way of showing him how much he means to me.
Then it was time to walk down the aisle!
My bridesmaids went first. They all had fans with “Love is in the air” on that we bought from a fabulous shop, Lola and Sidney, in Rye on my hen weekend and, as it was 28 degrees that day, they needed them!
The ceremony was just perfect. Big L was in charge of the music, both boys were ring bearers and they loved every minute of it. Little L was not overwhelmed in the slightest which I think was due to the fact that he knew the venue so well and was surrounded by lovely people who he knows and loves.
Big L chose to read a poem by Dr Seuss
“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”
I think that sus us up pretty well. Monsieur Incidentals dad and my mum were our witnesses.
I have to admit I did cry a bit during the ceremony, happy tears of course. Seeing everyone I love together, happy and enjoying our special day with us was wonderful and exactly what I hoped for.
After the ceremony – celebrations and photographs with Helena M Photography
After the ceremony we stopped to take a breath, say hi to all our guests and celebrate with a glass (or two) of champagne. We had some group photographs with our guests in the walled garden and then we sloped off with the boys to have some photographs in the rest of the gardens.
When we were first discussing getting married we weren’t sure if we would have a photographer, we thought it was expensive “just for a few photos” (sorry photographers, I realise my mistake now) but after speaking to a few people we were persuaded that we would regret it if we didn’t, and they were right. I first contacted Claire Lacey Photography who I know who does gorgeous photo shoots at the gardens, she was unable to cover the wedding but suggested a friend of hers, Helena M Photography, who, luckily for us, was available as it was quite short notice.
Helena was a superb photographer, able to put people at their ease and to direct people without being bossy, and took so many beautiful photographs that we will treasure forever, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her.
After our ceremony we had our reception at The Plough in Ivy Hatch – which I will cover in a separate post…(watch this space)
I honestly cannot tell you how fabulous our ceremony was. It exceeded my expectations beyond anything I could imagine, it was absolutely perfect and I have my family, friends and everyone involved to thank for making our family wedding dreams come true. Riverhill Himalayan Gardens is just the best place to get married, it has everything you could want. Because our wedding was in June we were lucky to have the rose garden in full bloom, the wildflowers and the tranquility and shade of the rock gardens all of which gave so many options for photographs.
