An emotional wedding for Kristina and Gareth at fabulous Fetcham Park

Fetcham Park has enigmatically made its way on to the wedding scene over the last 12 months, so we were delighted when Gareth and Kristina chose to host their wedding there in September. It was Jacaranda’s first collaboration with Parallel Venues and a more breathtaking backdrop you could not imagine, especially tucked away in the leafy Surrey suburbs.

“Torn between Somerset, London and Varna (my home town) we searched for a venue for at least 8 months,” said Kristina. “We were about to put a deposit on a place in London when I read about the launch of Fetcham Park on a blog. The pictures were so nice, Fetcham looked incredible – I had to see this place!”

“From the moment I stepped in and met Laura [the owner and director of Parallel Venues] I knew it wouldn’t get any more special than that. I just hoped Gareth would be on the same page as me! We chose to have our wedding there because it has everything a couple could hope for.”

“The house is exquisite: the staircase, paintings, chandeliers, immaculate gardens, fountains…the list goes on and on. It was the combination between this and the team that we’ve met there that made us choose Fetcham Park.”

Following a local church wedding, Kristina, Gareth and their 80 guests headed back to Fetcham Park to lap up the last of the summer sunshine out on the terrace whilst indulging in canapés that consisted of chargrilled vegetable and goats cheese cannelloni, caramelised red onion tartlets topped with smoked applewood cheese, scallops and pancetta with roast garlic pea puree and deep-fried sage, as well as slow-cooked pork belly with apple cinnamon chutney and a wonton crisp.

Kristina and Gareth will always cherish the memories of their church ceremony, but their wedding breakfast and speeches were also poignant moments in the day.

“Gareth addressing my parents in Bulgarian followed later on by the Best Men was a very special moment for all of us,” said Kristina. “I was also very happy to give my own speech on the day.”

The menu for Gareth and Kristina’s wedding breakfast drew on the best seasonal produce we could get our hands on, creating a sumptuous banquet for their guests that included:

~ Starter ~
Fillet of bass with fennel puree, sauce vierge and fennel cress
or
Baked Golden Cross goats cheese, walnut crust, beetroot carpaccio, baby leaves & raisin bread crout

~ Main ~
Roast breast of guinea fowl stuffed with tarragon and pancetta with a tomato and caper dressing, tarragon oil
or
Sweet potato gratin with piedmont pepper, pesto dressing and red pepper purée

~ Dessert ~
Banoffie pie trifle with salted caramel

Not wanting to leave out the very important miniature guests, Jacaranda also created a children’s menu consisting of a special spaghetti bolognese and squidgy chocolate brownies, which they enjoyed at their own exclusive table.

Kristina and Gareth didn’t employ the services of a wedding planner, but found that Fetcham Park’s little black book of suppliers helped them to create the fairytale wedding that they had always hoped for. From the beautiful tableware provided by Couvert to the multi-tiered caked created by Cakes by Krishanthi in blush pink tones that matched the bridesmaids’ dresses, every detail of their wedding fit in perfectly with the pristine surroundings.