When Chris, 29, whisked Rhiannon, 29, off to Paris to mark their eighth anniversary, deciding where to propose was tough; on a bridge overlooking the Seine maybe, or by the magnificent Eiffel Tower?

As it turned out, the weather in Paris was so scorching hot, Chris couldn’t tempt Rhiannon away from the air-conditioned cafés. His chance finally came in the cool of their hotel room. “Once I was dressed for dinner, I asked if I looked OK,” says Rhiannon. “Chris said I looked great but something was missing, and he then got down on one knee and held out a beautiful ring.”

Photography by Ian at Harrison White Photography (harrisonwhite.com)

Choosing a venue for their summer wedding, held over August bank holiday weekend, was easy: the idyllic village of Chillenden in Kent with its handful of houses and ancient church. “I’d already imagined our guests in the pub before the service, the church filled with our loved ones and everyone walking next door to a marquee in my aunt and uncle’s garden for a great party,” says Rhiannon.

Rhiannon carried a bouquet of Lily & Myrtle (lilyandmyrtle.co.uk) peonies with pearls threaded through to match her dress from The Bridal Design Studio in Beckenham (020 8650 0055). She continued the theme by wrapping a string of crystals and pearls in her hair.

The groom looked equally smart in his traditional morning suit hired from Austin Reed (austinreed.co.uk), which he teamed with an elegant floral tie from Marc Wallace (marcwallace.com) and Dunhill (dunhill.com) shoes.

The stylish outfit was finished with a pair of Christian Louboutin (christianlouboutin.com) shoes from her girlfriends (the perfect gift for Rhiannon, who is an advertising manager for Harrods), a moonstone and turquoise bracelet, and Vivienne Westwood (viviennewestwood.co.uk) pearl earrings.

The bridesmaids’ dresses from The Bridal Design Studio in Beckenham (020 8650 0055) were made by the same dressmaker who made Rhiannon’s gown; their wrist corsages complemented the pink and green flowers used throughout the day.

Guests sipped pink prosecco on hay bales covered in blankets before enjoying a barbecue of leg of lamb, jerk chicken, Cumberland sausages, and halloumi and pepper skewers; dessert was summer pudding with clotted cream, dark chocolate and raspberry roulade, and a cheese tower.

The Kent countryside and their bird-motif invitations designed by a friend ("she said she’d create our stationery years ago on a night out and we held her to it!”) were sources of inspiration.

They captured the country feel with fresh hops around the cake table, dancefloor and bar.

Rustic frames made of twigs displayed the table names while decorations using country-garden flowers such as delphiniums, stocks, hydrangeas and lisianthus bloomed under the marquee.

Guests kept their cool with pretty sandalwood fans. Rhiannon added vintage style ribbon printed with their vows and guests’ names so they doubled as place names.

The couple swapped their cake for a cheese tower from High Weald Dairy (highwealddairy.co.uk).

Pots of fruit puree were peppered around tables to add to the English country theme.

“We used the bird motif on the place settings and the invitation’s peach border on the table plan and table names,” says Rhiannon. “We wanted everything to look as natural as possible.”

“People missed their cabs because they wanted to keep on partying!” says Rhiannon. “As the day drew to a close, I felt ecstatically happy to be Mrs Humphries, and so happy it hadn’t rained!”

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