A magical winter wonderland wedding
The wedding couldn’t have taken place on a more perfect winter’s day. The sky was a perfect blue and the crispness of the air highlighted by the breath of the Mackintosh’s team as they scurried with equipment and provisions from the transport vehicles to the marquee.
As the kitchen staff busied with their preparations, relishing the challenge of making 10 different desserts to be served for the wedding breakfast, the front of house staff set the tables for 230 guests. When the last glass had been polished and carefully placed on the table the team looked on and admired the shimmering dining room. Behind the top table was a backdrop of lights that cascaded to the floor, which instantly made one think of Christmas. To embellish the ‘winter wonderland’ theme the ceiling was covered with black cloth and studded with tiny lights that twinkled like stars in the night.
The bride looked beautiful when she arrived with her new husband, family and friends through the falling snow created by a snow machine for the pre dinner reception of canapés and champagne. The toast-master resplendent in a red jacket caught the attention of the guests with a wooden gavel and called the guests to dinner. Once seated the prawn cocktail starter with a contemporary twist: salad of Atlantic prawns & crayfish dressed in brandy & smoked paprika mayonnaise, shredded baby gem lettuce and candied lemon peel topped with roasted garlic foam, salmon caviar with an oversized garlic croute served in a classic martini glass was presented to the hungry and expectant guests. Served in a cocktail glass with a magnificent prawn clinging to its side and an oversize wafer crouton emerging from the delicious starter. The main course of free-range sausage and mash with onion gravy was simplicity itself, served on elegant large white plates the rims trimmed with silver. As a fun twist to the sweet course each guest was given a different dessert and encouraged to share a morsel with his fellow guest. It really produced a party atmosphere with spoons darting from plate to plate and some guests having at least two desserts.
After partying the night away the guests left the warmth of the marquee into a frosty cloudless night. A winter’s wedding had come to an end.