Surprise Proposal | The Glade

Every now and again I get asked to do something and I have to pinch myself that this is my job, that I get to do these wonderful things and make a living from it. It was one of these moments when I received an email from the lovely Rachael back in June...

"Hi, I’m wondering if you can help please, I’m planning to propose to my girlfriend on the 30th August at The Glade, the beautiful glamping space at The Barn at Avington!  I want to make the space as magical and romantic as possible with lighting, candles and a few props perhaps for instance bohemian textiles etc. Is this something you would be able to help with? "

Of course my inner utter romantic squealed at this opportunity and lots of emails started going back and forth between Rachael and I discussing how we could make it as romantic as possible for her girlfriend Francesca. 

Rachael explained that she wanted to add to the natural beauty of The Glade and was keen for me to bring in lots of bohemian touches & soft furnishings. She'd also been collecting lots of wine bottles from various date nights and special occasions and hiding them away with tags on reminiscing of the occasion and wanted to incorporate these into the styling (such a cute idea) I got planning and came up with a design idea which I sent to Rachael...

I have started doing these little sketches recently as they help me, and my customers, better visualise what I'm thinking... Having not been to The Glade Before I wanted to focus the styling around the gorgeous camp. I also made Rachael & Francesca a bespoke sign with a favourite love quote on. 

Rachel loved the ideas I was proposing and we arranged a visit to The Glade to have a look around and for me to collect the bottles and tags so I could re-write them... 

The Glade itself is pretty special, nestled in the woodland with stunning views and the perfect blend of 'back to nature' and the finer home comforts you traditionally miss when camping... We met the lovely Robert who showed us round and explained that the sunset happens on a secret raised platform at the back of campsite so we changed our plans and decided to focus the decor on the raised viewing platform as that was where Rachael was going to propose, with just a few props around the fire pit and near to the sleeping structure...

On Wednesday we headed down to The Glade around 5pm and spent a couple of hours adding our special touch to an already incredible venue...It was so exciting thinking that Rachael would be proposing there very soon and being in on a big secret!

We used lots of pampas grasses, vintage soft furnishings, Moroccan lanterns and candles everywhere... We created a trail of lights through the trees to the raised platform and added a bottle of champagne and some sweet treats to make the set up even sweeter... As it approached 7.30pm and the arrival of the girls, Maxwell lit the two fire pits and I made sure everything was perfect... Want to see..?

So there you have it... We had such fun and it was so lovely to be able to make a special event, even more special. To be able to be in on the secret and share in their joy <3 And it's good news, she said YES!!!!!!

"Everything was just perfect, I couldn't have asked for anything better, you are amazing! Thank you so so much, without you this wouldn't have been the same. You helped me realise the vision in my head to make sure it was as romantic as I hoped. She said yes... and she cried a lot! You did a great job of the wine bottles and the banner is the cutest thing. We will be keeping  them for sure to incorporate in our wedding day whenever and wherever that may be."

And here's the happy couple... <3