8 minute read
RUSTIC ROMANCE
romance RUSTIC
Kylie and Billy had a beautiful wedding with homely, traditional and romantic touches
Images courtesy Rafe Abrook Photography
Kylie first met Billy during a night out in London, where they were introduced through mutual friends. She was attracted to his eyes, charm and humour, while he thought that Kylie was the most beautiful girl in the club. She says, “People talk about that special spark, but I honestly remember a moment during the night when sparks flew – we both had met our match.”
Billy proposed on Christmas day after the pair and their son had finished opening presents. She says, “Billy and Leo disappeared upstairs together, which I didn’t think much of at the time. I stopped in my tracks when my little boy came running towards me with a box and Billy was standing behind him with a smile.” She continues. “I cried as I opened it and saw Billy down on one knee, the rest was a blur really and I couldn’t even say ‘yes’ because I was crying so much! It was simple, sentimental and cosy – just how we like things.”
SETTING THE SCENE
The couple’s main goal was to stay calm during the day and not to let other peoples’ opinions get in the way of their perfect wedding. As wedding plans were well underway, the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK and caused them both to change the venue and date to work with the restrictions in place. The bride says, “Even though we changed our plans a couple of times, we ended up having the wedding of our dreams. The pandemic forced us to have a slightly more stripped back version of the day that suited us both really well. If it wasn’t for the restrictions, we could have ended up having a wedding that really wouldn’t have been us.”
The wedding took place on the 26th June 2021, which worked out well because some of the restrictions started to lift and allowed them to have even more guests on the day. The bride travelled to the venue in a 1962 MkII Jaguar in white, which looked beautiful in photographs.
The ceremony took place at St Peter’s Church, in the couple’s home town. Here, many of Kylie’s family had tied the knot and it’s where her brothers and herself were christened. Her grandma also used to be the church florist and her uncles were choir boys.
The atmosphere on the day was magical, with so many loved ones in one place, ready to be part of a celebration of love again after such a long time.
The Loft St. Albans is a 600-year-old building that provided the perfect reception space with open beams, soft lighting and rustic touches.
The naked-style cake looked beautiful and was a massive hit with guests and included lemon, vanilla and red velvet flavours. Fresh flowers and foliage finished off the design beautifully and the cake sat on a wooden stand.
The day before the wedding, the couple started to panic as they’d realised that no one had been arranged to decorate the venue and they decided to call the cake supplier Kate for help. Kylie says, “She answered my desperate phone call and saved the day! Kate decorated the venue perfectly and we were blown away with how beautiful everything looked.”
The horseshoe-styled table sat 60 people and featured different bottles and vases to decorate the space. Fresh and contemporary British cuisine was served to guests, which tasted delicious.
Each place name was handwritten and each guest was given sweets in a little cone-shaped bag for the favours. For those with a sweet tooth, they could tuck into the pick ‘n’ mix station.
The flowers were inspired by the English countryside and had lots of foliage. The bride says, “I wanted the blooms to look like I had picked them up from a garden.” The florist is friends with Kylie and Billy and really captured the look perfectly.
LOOKING THE PART
After trying on a few dresses, the bride fell in love with a Stella York ivory dress from Pure Couture that featured spaghetti straps and a princess style. She added a veil created by the boutique’s seamstress and earrings from Victoria Percival to achieve the desired bohemian vibe. After looking in the mirror for the first time, the bride felt overwhelmed but so beautiful and fully herself.
The groom looked dashing in a brown/beige suit from ASOS that he had tailored professionally and finished off the look with a sage-green tie and a dark-brown waistcoat from Moss Bros. He stood out from the rest of the groomsmen, who were all in navy suits and brown ties.
The bridesmaid all wore different gowns in taupe from JJ’s House. Kylie says, “I got the girls to choose their own style of dress as I wanted them to feel happy and comfortable on the day.”
TIME TO CELEBRATE
The couple booked a DJ last minute to keep guests entertained as soon as the Government announced that weddings could go ahead. Kylie says, “Everyone was in high spirits as for some, it was their first time out for a long time. The party was so electric, and we have friends commenting on how much fun our wedding was every day – it warms our hearts.
MEMORABLE MOMENTS
Billy was very nervous before the wedding as he isn’t great with public speaking or being in the limelight, but he ended up surprising himself with his confidence. His speech had everyone roaring with laughter and Kylie was in awe that he faced his biggest fear! She, on the other hand, wasn’t nervous until just before she walked down the aisle. It didn’t help that she had kept everyone in the church waiting and was late to the ceremony. She says, “As myself and the bridesmaids are hairstylists and make-up artists, we created our looks on the day, which is great but set us back a lot.”
The bride loved planning the wedding with her mum, who’s been an incredible support throughout the whole experience. Kylie says, “I couldn’t have done it without her!”
HONEYMOON
The couple set off to the beautiful Sopwell House for two nights to reminisce the day and celebrate the wedding. They’re currently planning a trip to Hawaii next year for their main honeymoon and can’t wait to discover the beautiful island.
“Our top tip for others would be to trust the process and enjoy every minute of the day. Don’t try to please others before yourself.” – Kylie
Hayley Pomfrett
Described as the “cream of violinists”, Hayley has toured the world with Adele, Michael Bublé, Rod Stewart and many more.
With a huge repertoire of music from well-known classics through to modern pop hits, she will work with you to find your perfect selection of favourite songs for your ceremony, drinks reception, wedding breakfast, or all three!
www.hayleypomfrett.com
Tel: 07740 307542 Email: info@hayleypomfrett.com @hayleypomfrett @hayley_violinist
Loft serves the best Loft serves the best of British produce, of British produce, cooked simply but with imagination. cooked simply but with imagination.
Your ideal destination for Wedding Reception Lunch or Dinner and listed in the Good Food Guide 2019 and 2020 ‘We deliver accomplished modern British food – clean flavours and creative dishes driven by seasonal produce of impeccable pedigree sum up the approach.‘
Amy Woodham Photography is a place for people who love life, who laugh out loud and hug tight.
07376259661 amy@amywoodhamphotography.com www.amywoodhamphotography.com amywoodham_photography amy woodham photography
KYLIE AND BILLY’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Venue, www.loftstalbans.com | Photographer, www.rafeabrook.co.uk | Bride’s dress, www.purecouture.co.uk Bride’s accessories, www.victoriapercival.com | Hair, www.instagram.com/hairbykylie__ | Make-up, www.eleanorcolemakeup.com Bridesmaids’ dresses, www.jjshouse.co.uk | Groom’s suit, www.asos.com | Cake, www.facebook.com/katescakes85 Flowers, www.facebook.com/carlysparksfloraldesign | Entertainment, www.djrymo.com/home-mobile.html Cake stand, www.mhwoodland.co.uk
