I always KNEW

from An Essex Wedding - Issue 111 July/August 2023

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Amber and Ricky met at school. Ricky was in the year above and very popular and younger Amber – a selfconfessed geek(!) – their paths never crossed. Until one night... as Amber explains, “I wangled an invite to Ricky’s 18th birthday party. He stumbled up to me and said, ‘I have no idea who you are, but I can’t stop looking at you’. I never ever forgot that sentence. Fast forward eight years, I downloaded Hinge, and who was one of the first people to pop up? Ricky! In my gut I just knew that this was it and a month after matching, Ricky asked me to be his girlfriend.”

Ricky proposed in Cancun. As they approach the restaurant Amber had favourited online, the waitress blindfolded her. Amber tells us, “I was shocked. My initial thought was that he’d just decorated the table nicely as a surprise. We were walking for a while, then turned onto the beach. We came to a stop and Ricky took the blindfold off. In front of me were the most gigantic lit up letters saying Marry me? I remember Ricky saying some lovely words - then after a lot of gasping, disbelief and laughter I of course said yes. It was truly amazing.”

The couple said their I dos at Greenwoods Hotel and Spa on 6th April, 2023. Here, the happy couple share some of their favourite moments...

I’d been to so many venues, and Ricky was being a groomzilla, in my opinion! My Mum had been to a reception at Greenwoods and advised me to go and take a look. I went on my own the first time and loved it instantly. It’s such a beautiful big space, and I knew I could turn it into my dream wedding. I kept the theme very minimal with a few personal touches. We had eucalyptus featuring on our place cards, table plan and welcome sign, which kept in with the sage green and spring vibe we were going for.

I customised the dress to have detachable off the shoulder sleeves. I wanted to keep the styling simple, so I opted for a mediumlength, beautiful lace veil with detailing matching the dress at the bottom and kept it simple with a pair of earrings.

My dress was called Lucie by Justin Alexander. I always knew I wanted a fishtail style dress, and I f fell in love with this within an hour of being in my first bridal shop, Serenity brides in Colchester.

Our venue was decorated by Decorative Events and it was stunning. We had blossom trees for a spring feel, a white rug for the aisle, and of course we had to have a light-up dancefloor - that was a huge hit!

Our favours were his and hers sweetie bags, with both our favourite sweets inside! Mine were fizzy bubblegum bottles, Ricky’s were sherbet lemons.

Saying those special words, ‘I do’.

The flowers were done by a trusted family friend. I let her have free reign because I knew she’d come up with something stunning, which she did. It was all pink, greens and silver which was so on theme and looked incredible.

With six bridesmaids it can be tricky to please everyone, but they all seemed happy and looked stunning.

The groom wore a navy suit from Moss Bros. He and his groomsmen all wore the same, the difference was the best men had navy waistcoasts, whilst he had grey.

Introducing Mr & Mrs Spriggs!

AMBER & RICKY’S CONTACTS

We hired a magic mirror photobooth. The guests absolutely LOVED this; it was such a hit! The company were absolutely seamless too with the arrival and set up. We got such hilarious pictures that were put in a guestbook for us to look back on, which has been so funny - we have come across a few gems!

Venue & catering, www.greenwoodshotel.com | Photographer, www.instagram.com/sandephotography20 | Dresses, www.serenitybrides.com | Hair stylist, www.instagram.com/louiseemmacurtisbridalhair | Make-up artist, www.emmagarrodmakeupartist.com

Suits, Moss Bros|Cake, www.milliescookies.com|Decorations, www.decorativeevents.co.uk | Mirror selfie booth, www.mirroredmoments.co.uk