David and George hard at work planting Marguerite Daisies in the long grass - ball pit balls to help random planting!
First repairs to the drive have been done - Kingsmere Surfacing is waiting now till after our "Steam" Wedding in May! (www.kingsmeresurfacing.co.uk)
Daffodils in the camping field
The garden is beginning to come alive again!
Magnolia tree outside the front door
In this beautiful weather it is looking wonderful and Our fantastic part-time gardeners are working hard to make everything perfect for this summer's weddings
Sieving soil for planting
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David Lewis on the left is one of our resident wedding photographers lewisandschofieldphotography.co.uk
The other being Stefan Osnowski stefanosnowskiphotography.com
Easter Tree in the dining room while we wait for our first wedding in May! Easter eggs collected over the years, many from Papyrus in Blandford - www.papyrus-dorset.co.uk
Thanks to our wonderful electrician, R. and W. A. Ellis, we now have an outside plug for use at weddings! This will not power the whole marquee but will cover freezers etc that need to be powered overnight.
Dennis Crane, our equally wonderful builder, has put in a new path to enable guests to get to the walled Kitchen Garden more easily.
D.W.Crane General Builder - 01258-454-104
Valentines is coming up fast as the view from my bathroom window reminded me!
We are finalising our current bookings to make sure that we have room for all those couples who get engaged this week-end! And even more exciting we are offering a box of wine to the couple who book with us first!!
Winter is the time for repairs and changes to the gardens and grounds. We are waiting for the drive to be re-surfaced - the potholes have become too many! We have planted new trees in the playground to hide the tractor as you walk to the kitchen garden and we are hoping to re-instate the Ha-Ha to focus the view from the lawns.
The frosts have brought magic to the gardens as you can see in the photographs below (taken by my brother in law Malcolm Coombs with a fish-eye lens).
September 2014 brought two wonderful weddings to Shillingstone House – both completely different in design.
The first started with a civil service in the Dining Room of the house. This was followed by a family lunch, with the wider circle of friends bringing picnics to eat on the lawn in the afternoon. A delicious Hog Roast supper from local butcher J Matto of Blandford - Woody's Hog Roast - woodysenquiries@gmail.com), had been cooking all day, and was fallen upon by a ravenous gang of children in early evening!
The evening brought a Moroccan flavour to the day with dancing in a magnificent tent provided by www.dorsetpartymarquees.co.uk. Friday had seen the lawns covered with cushions, low sofas, cushions, drapes and Moroccan lamps waiting to be installed in the marquee.
Campers took up their spots in the big field, with some staying to picnic with the bride and groom the following day.
It was a very relaxed wedding and the sun shone throughout the day.
The second wedding had a lovely traditional feel to it and was again a wonderfully relaxed day with a great family feel to it.
Wedding guests gathered on the top lawn for drinks and canapes while the Bride and
Bridegroom had their photographs taken in the gardens and grounds by simonfurlongphotography.co.uk
Photograph by Simon Furlong
Photograph by Simon Furlong
Photograph by Simon Furlong
After the first of the speeches they moved to the marquee -www.affordable-marquees.com -
Photograph by Simon Furlong
The inside looked stunning with lowers arranged on the poles and tables by a family friend - www.topiary-tree.co.uk.
The bride's mother had baked and designed the three tier wedding cake which then assembled by www.cakes-by-christine.co.uk.
A delicious dinner followed the speeches, provided by www.rebeccagreencatering.co.uk, who also cooked the barbeque provided on the following day for close family. Everyone danced the night away to live music with taxis coming at about 12.30.
Photograph by Simon Furlong
We are a little late in writing about the wonderful wedding reception of Debbie & Stuart here at Shillingstone House, but here goes! It was a perfect day from the wedding breakfast to the campfire songs at 2.30am. The weather was fantastic and helped everyone enjoy the space on the lawns to play games and celebrate the day.
Everyone mucked in to help with the preparations on the day before and those camping were up at 7am to help tidy up on Sunday before having a BBQ breakfast. The bride and groom had worked so hard to make all the decorations, props and signs giving the day a great atmosphere.
The cake stands were hand crafted by Sir Michael Salt and can be borrowed if needed for weddings!
Photographer – Kasia Novak www.peppermintlovephotography.com
Marquee supplied by Affordable Marquees (Traditional canvas pole marquees. Specialising in weddings) www.affordable-marquees.com
