The sun is SHINING DOWN ON US

Ellie and Jonny incorporated yellows and purples into their big day at Denbies Wine Estate Images courtesy of James Croft Images and Jonny met through Jonny’s former flatmate, who just so happened to be Ellie’s childhood best friend. “I spotted that Ellie was on a dating app and dropped her a message,” says Jonny. “She was on holiday with our mutual friend at the time who thought we would probably have a few dates, but it wouldn’t become anything serious. That friend ended up as one of our bridesmaids and was very happy to be proven wrong.”

Jonny had planned to propose under Victoria Falls during a romantic holiday in South Africa, but due to COVID-19, the trip got cancelled a week before they were due to leave. “I decided to re-create the idea in England,” shares the groom. “We booked properties through Airbnb on the south coast for a week. It was boiling, but I had the ring in my coat pocket, so I couldn’t take it off as I didn’t want Ellie to find it. I was planning to stop at a bench overlooking the sea where Ellie’s grandparents used to live on the last day of our trip but the day before lockdown hit! We headed back to London, and I knew I had one last chance to propose, so we went on a walk in the New Forest, where I found a lovely hill overlooking the countryside. I got down on one knee, and she said yes!”

Setting The Scene

“We both have huge families, so we knew we needed a big venue able to accommodate everyone,” says Ellie. “As soon as we saw Denbies Wine Estate, we loved it. It’s such a beautiful space, and although we thought it was out of our price range, the staff did us an amazing deal. Everything couldn’t have been more perfect. Dawn and the team at Denbies Wine Estate facilitated everything so brilliantly.

“I really wanted silk flowers for environmental reasons,” adds the bride. “I asked for bright, summery colours with deep purples, and Kate from Hedgerose and Honeysuckle did an incredible job! The pagoda decorations made the ceremony pop, and her installation on arrival looked amazing! She was reliable, communicated wonderfully and was great value.”

Instead of traditional favours, the couple booked a photographer who took photos of their guests, which were printed onto magnets.

Their table names were themed around the 28 musicals that they’d seen together. “My brother-in-law sourced posters from each of the musicals,” recalls Ellie. “We then placed these around the table plan, which looked great.

“We thought long and hard about the cake,” continues the bride. “It often gets left at the end of the night as people have eaten too much food, but the visuals and taste from Ever After Cakes convinced us to go for it, and we have no regrets. The cake looked amazing, and with five different flavours, pretty much everything got eaten.”

Denbies Wine Estate provided the catering. “We ended up with two tastings, one for us and the second with both sets of parents,” explains Ellie. “Everyone enjoyed the food, and there was lots of love for the giant cheese board which came out towards the end of the night.”

Dressed To Impress

“I wore three different dresses throughout the day,” shares Ellie. “Since our registrar and religious ceremony were at the same venue, I wanted to wear something different for the smaller service. The first look was a plain, but beautiful, white dress bought from a charity shop. I then changed into a stunning gown and, at the end of the night, I swapped it for a more relaxed look that I picked up during a holiday in Gran Canaria.

“The groomsmen chose morning suits from Dapper Formalwear for Men,” adds the bride. “I couldn’t recommend them enough. Jonny opted for a double-breasted waistcoat, while the others had single-breasted versions. Not only did the suits look wonderful, but they also had the most excellent yellow ties and pocket squares to match our colour scheme.”

The couple bought the bridesmaids’ dresses from JJ’s House. “They had good reviews online, and we were able to get sample colours in different

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Time To Celebrate

“To keep everyone entertained, we had Israeli dancing and a Jewish wedding staple, provided by Oysland, a four-piece band with a caller,” shares Ellie. “We had a DJ perform after dinner as we danced the night away. They were particularly great at keeping the kids entertained as he set up and played great tunes. Every song was a banger, and the dancefloor was packed all night.

“Part of the traditional Israeli dancing involves the bride and groom being lifted on chairs,” adds the bride. “It looks spectacular and is loads of fun. Being a mixed-faith wedding, some of those doing the lifting weren’t hugely experienced and despite some advice to ‘use your shoulders, never your hands’, one of our groomsmen lifted Jonny with a ropey technique. The result, captured perfectly by our photographer, was a wonderful moment of panic as Jonny threatened to topple forward from six feet in the air!”

Memorable Moments

Jonny was a bit cynical before the wedding. “I knew it would be good, but I felt the idea of it being the best day of your life was over the top, but it turns out it really was the best day of my life,” remembers Jonny. “Weddings are great, but a celebration where you know and love everyone there, what more could you ask for? To be surrounded by 200 people who mean the most to us and to be able to celebrate our love together was just perfect.

“There were so many wonderful moments, but when Ellie walked in, about an hour before the first ceremony, I started to get emotional about how beautiful everything was,” adds the groom. “The sun burst through the clouds just as Ellie started to walk down the aisle, and our rabbi asked us to turn and look at all the faces of our guests during the ceremony, which was a special moment.”

Ellie felt stressed in the run-up to the big day. “I listed all the things that could go wrong in my head, but the minute I walked into the venue and saw our coordinator, Dawn, smiling in the courtyard with Kate’s incredible floral installation, I knew it was all in hand and enjoyed every second,” recalls Ellie. “We were overjoyed after thinking a big wedding might never be feasible that so many people we loved were together celebrating with us.

“Our photographer, James Croft Images, took the time to get to know us before the wedding, and we had a chat over Zoom and then an in-person meet-up before the wedding,” continues Ellie. “On the day, he put us completely at ease and took charge when needed but was never in the way. Once we saw the photos, that joy was amplified. It’s almost six months on, and I still look at them pretty much every day. Those photos capture what a wonderful day we had, preserving our memories and giving us the perfect window back into the joyous occasion. I can’t stress enough how important it feels to pick the right photographer, and James was absolutely the right one for us!”

Honeymoon

“For our honeymoon, we had three days in Paris immediately after, which was lovely and romantic,” explains the bride. “We are planning a big trip at some point in the next few months possibly back to South Africa.”

ELLIE AND JONNY’S CONTACTS

Venue and catering, Denbies Wine Estate, www.denbies.co.uk | Photographer, James Croft Images, www.jamescroftimages.com | Groom’s suit, DAPPER Formalwear for Men, www.dapper.co.uk | Bridesmaids’ dresses, JJ’s House, www.jjshouse.com | Hair and make-up artist, Debbie Storey, www.debbiestorey.co.uk | Cake, Ever After Cakes, www.everaftercakes.co.uk | Flowers, Hedgerose and Honeysuckle, www.hedgeroseandhoneysuckle.co.uk | Band, Oysland, www.oysland.co.uk | DJ, Boogie Nights Disco Hire, www.facebook.com/people/boogie-nights-disco-hire/100063738316602

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