Luxury Wedding Venue Tylney Hall | Charlotte and Abdul’s fairytale wedding day with Lebanese Zaffa Band

Charlotte and Abdul’s wedding was like a modern-day fairytale. Their church ceremony and reception, which took place at one of the most beautiful luxury wedding venues in Hampshire, Tylney Hall, were elegant and emotional, whilst being loads of fun too: how can it not be, when you have a Lebanese Zaffa band?!

Getting ready

Charlotte, her mum, Maid of Honour and two bridesmaids started the day off at home, where they were getting ready. They spent the morning having their hair and make-up done and sipping champagne before the big moment when Charlotte put her dress on. She’d chosen a beautifully structured Jesus Peiro design from Miss Bush Bridal with a high neck and full skirt, which she wore with a bejewelled headpiece and double layer veil. 

Abdul got ready with his Best Men at a hotel a few miles away. To complete his three-piece blue suit he wore a white tie, a collector’s watch, and cufflinks engraved with his and Charlotte’s initials and their wedding year in Roman numerals. His wedding ring also bore an inscription of their wedding date on the inside of the band. (It’s details like this that make booking a second shooter such a good idea, because it means you can get photos at both locations at the same time. But don’t worry, this isn’t yet another organisational thing to add to your wedding to-do list; your wedding photographer will sort it all out as soon as you’ve given the word!)

A stunning Catholic church ceremony

Charlotte and Abdul chose to have a Catholic ceremony at the St Joan of Arc Church in Farnham. Before we’d even stepped foot inside, the wedding felt totally magical and surreal, as beyond the fence loads of school kids were lined up, pressing their faces closer to have a look (some of the teachers were even peeking, too)! Charlotte and her dad arrived in a vintage Rolls Royce and with that, the ceremony could begin. 

Once Charlotte and Abdul had been pronounced husband and wife we lined all of the guests up in the grounds for a confetti shot. We also took some photos with the guest of honour, Charlotte’s Grandad, who wouldn’t be able to make the whole wedding. He looked incredibly dapper in his three piece suit and even borrowed Charlotte’s dad’s top hat for some of the photos!

Fairytale wedding reception

After the ceremony, the newlyweds got back into the Rolls Royce to travel to the reception. Hampshire is home to so many incredible luxury wedding venues and Tylney Hall is truly one of the most romantic. 

Sitting at the centre of 66 acres of glorious parkland in Hook, luxury wedding venue Tylney Hall itself is a Grade II listed mansion house which radiates old world charm. The drinks reception took place on the outside terrace, where a saxophonist played as guests mingled, hugged, sipped and nibbled on the delicious looking canapés. In the adjacent gardens we took some group photos, and I momentarily whisked Charlotte and Abdul away for some photos around the grounds, too. The imposing, impressive glamour of the venue and the grounds meant there were plenty of grand, historic backdrops to make the most of, and the dappled sunlight through the trees was the perfect finishing touch! 

As well as stunning grounds this luxury wedding venue has a number of stunning reception rooms and Charlotte and Abdul had chosen the Chestnut Suite, a grand space with high vaulted ceilings and a feature fireplace. They’d kept the decorations simple, with an elegant colour palette of white and light green to compliment the metallic champagne features in the room. 

Each table was decorated by the romantic flicker of taillights, as well as with a sophisticated light green and white floral arrangement. The top table stood in front of the fireplace, which was decorated with a sweeping bough of greenery studded with white roses. To contrast the crisp white tablecloths at the other tables, the top table was covered in a metallic champagne lace. 

To welcome their loved ones into the reception room, Charlotte, Abdul and their parents formed the receiving line, which guests made their way down before entering the room.

Lebanese Zaffa 

After that, it was time for the bride and groom to enter – which they did in serious style. To pay homage to Abdul’s heritage, he and Charlotte had arranged a Zaffa: a traditional element to any Lebanese wedding. During the Zaffa, a band of dancers and drummers escorted them into the room, and led them to the dance floor where they showed off their skills (Abdul even had a go on the drums!) During the folkloric Lebanese songs, everyone is invited to join them there on the dance floor for a super fun, super high energy 20 minutes. 

After the speeches and the meal, we went for another walk around the luxury wedding venue grounds, this time venturing a bit further to the picturesque stream and stone bridge that crosses it, as well as the immaculate walled gardens. Back inside, once the cake was cut, it was time for Abdul and Charlotte’s (second) first dance. Charlotte’s dress filled the floor as they twirled, surrounded by all their loved ones but totally lost in each other: it was a really, really special moment.