SIMPLY STYLISH

REAL WEDDINGS SIMPLYstylish

Julie and Craig’s wedding was a happy mix of close family and friends, great food and special touches

Images courtesy of Ben Chapman Photography

Julie and Craig didn’t let distance get in the way of romance even though, when they fi rst met online, they were living a three-hour drive away from each other. He was based in London and she was in Nottingham and after getting to know each other over the phone they spent the next two years alternating between their homes every weekend before fi nally settling down together in Grantham.

“Craig has the most amazing blue eyes and he looked so kind and gentle in his profi le picture,” reveals Julie. “Apparently he was attracted by my eyes too! We shared several messages but before we actually got to speak my mum had a heart attack, so everything went on hold for a while. When things settled down, I was relieved to fi nd he was still interested.” After their fi rst phone call they spoke every day for hours after work until fi nally meeting in person and embarking on their long-distance relationship.

Craig popped the question in September, 2017 while they were on holiday in New York. Julie had already pre-warned him, that if he ever did decide to propose, not to do it in public as she hated fuss. So true to her wishes, he got down on one knee in the hotel bedroom as she came out of the shower. “I had absolutely no idea what was going on, it was a complete surprise and I just stood there in shock,” recalls Julie. “Once I’d calmed down and said, ‘yes’ of course, all I could think about was calling my parents back home before they went to bed!” They tied the knot on 28th September, 2019, at All Saints Church in High Kelling, Norfolk followed by a reception at the nearby Pheasant Hotel. Read on for Julie’s account of their big day...

I couldn’t get the idea of the church wedding I’d always wanted out of my head. We spend a lot of time with Craig’s parents near Holt and there’s a tiny little chapel across the road in the woods which we’ve always loved, so once we decided to get married there, everything else fell into place.

Walking into the church and seeing so many friends and family, including some that I hadn’t seen for ages, was emotional. I loved the dropped shoulders of my ivory lace Dracane dress by Pronovias.

My amazing hairdresser Amie did the whole bridal party’s did the whole bridal party’s hair including both mums. She was fantastic, helping to calm my nerves on the morning and my nerves on the morning and making sure everyone looked fab! making sure everyone looked fab!

Craig went to Richard James in Saville Row, London for his bespoke navy three-piece suit. I still tease him now that it cost more than my dress! Both dads, the groomsmen and ring bearer Mason all wore navy suits with blush pink ties while Craig’s was ivory to stand out from the rest. Craig is a fan of fast cars but also loves vintage VWs, so we chose Daisy, a stunning vintage cream Beetle with a soft top for our wedding transport. Unfortunately, it rained on the day but that didn’t stop us from having the roof down for a while, with umbrellas of course! It looked stunning at the church and later on the pebbly Weybourne beach!

We’d been for meals at The Pheasant before and the food had always been amazing, plus there were enough rooms to accommodate all our guests and several doggies too!

We’re both sticklers for detail so we put a lot of thought into all we put a lot of thought into all the special touches.

Craig made the place names, table numbers and table plan. The table centrepieces were large glass hurricane vases surrounded by fl oral rings to match the rest of the bridal fl owers.

The food was incredible! Our guests enjoyed a threecourse meal with three choices for each and then in the evening we had a huge cheese table with local specialities, bread, biscuits and accompaniments.

We used a bookcase in the conservatory to display personal photos of our parents at their weddings along with candles and pictures of our two beloved cats.

The cake looked stunning; three layers of delicious sponge in lemon, raspberry and elderfl ower fl avours covered in buttercream and decorated with fl owers to match our theme. Singer and guitarist Steve Young played during the drinks reception and kept the dancefl oor busy all evening with some of our favourite tunes and other hits for all ages.

Our photographer Ben was so much fun and easy to be around, we clicked from the moment we fi rst met him at a wedding show.

THE W-DAY SUPPLIERS

Photography | Ben Chapman Photos | www.benchapmanphotos.com | Venue | The Pheasant | www.pheasanthotelnorfolk.co.uk Dress | Off The Peg Bridal Outlet | www.offthepegbridal.co.uk | Accessories | John Lewis | www.johnlewis.com Hair | Gemma Holiday Hair Artistry | www.gemmaholiday.com | Groom’s suit | Richard James | www.richard-james.com Cake | The Sugared Rose Cake Company | www.facebook.com/thesugaredrosecakecompany | Flowers | Sweet Williams www.sweetwilliamsnorfolk.com | Transport | Arrive Vintage | www.arrivevintage.com | Stationery | Tree of Hearts www.treeofhearts.co.uk | Entertainment | Steve Young | www.alivenetwork.com | LED letter hire | A Little Hire | www.alittlehire.com