10 minute read
WE ARE FAMILY
WE ARE familyCatherine and Rob said “I do” at South Lodge in July, 2021
Images courtesy of Love Heart Photography
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Catherine’s online dating success rate was pretty impressive given the first time she used Bumble she was matched with Rob. When they met for their first date at a pub in Worthing they immediately hit it off, Catherine says, “We laughed all evening and stayed until closing. Five days later we went on our second date and have never looked back. We have the same sense of fun and our connection is undeniable.” They’d also discovered common ground in that they both have two children, one boy and one girl.
Rob proposed at Brighton’s Drake Hotel in 2020, the first day restrictions were lifted allowing people to stay in hotels again. He booked a sea-view room and decked it out with “marry me” bunting, rose petals, presents, flowers, a card and champagne. When Catherine walked into the room, she found Rob on one knee proffering the bespoke teardrop diamond ring he’d had designed and made by Orla James Jewellers in Worthing. It took her a good few moments to absorb the scene but eventually said “yes.”
The pair had spent one of their best nights at South Lodge having enjoyed a New Year’s Eve bash, complete with incredible food and memorable entertainment. “We loved the idea of going back to get married there and having the same band,” Catherine explains. The venue also has the option of getting married outside, which very much appealed. “Given all weddings during lockdown had been postponed and lots more were booked for 2021, we were over the moon to secure a summer date there,” she continues.
Read on as the bride shares more memories of the big day...
Rob says, “Catherine took my breath away as I watched her make the long walk down the aisle. Standing in front of our closest friends and family marrying my best friend was perfection.” I didn’t feel nervous at all. Our ceremony was at 3pm and it felt like a long wait as we just wanted to get on with it! Saying my vows to my best friend was everything.
We used the flowers from the ceremony and my bouquet as the centrepieces for the reception tables. Our flowers were a beautiful bright selection. We chose our florist after seeing her work featured in a real wedding in Your Sussex Wedding! We were blown away with Sam from The Crazy Daisy Company, who knew exactly what we wanted and produced some stunning floral displays.
For our wedding breakfast starter we enjoyed a bespoke menu of breads, oils and dips, followed by charcuterie and cheese boards for main, and a trio of desserts – lemon meringue tart, triple chocolate mousse and an exotic fruit pavlova. The place names were Polaroid photos of myself and Rob with the person whose seat it was. We also had table confetti featuring our initials; a plaque that read, “And so together they built a life they loved;” fairylights with pegs holding more Polaroid photos of the two of us throughout the years, plus the children; colouring placemats for the littlest guests; glow sticks to “let love glow” and light-up the dancefloor; cassette cards to write song choices on for the DJ; and a wooden RC plaque for guests to write messages on.
I wore Delilah by Maggie Sottero. It was perfect since I knew I wanted a fitted, more mature dress with a long train for the grand aisle walk. I paired it with a crystal-edged cathedral-length veil and a Swarovski crystal tennis bracelet – a gift from my parents, and pearl drop earrings – a gift from Rob. Rob was dressed in a royal blue suit with a white shirt, blue checked waistcoat and royal blue paisley tie. He accessorised with tan leather brogues and a personalised tie pin displaying the coordinates of our first kiss. My gift to him was personalised cufflinks engraved with: RobCatherine 29.07.21 Our Happy Ever After.
Our sons, aged eight and four, were the ring bearers. They wore matching royal blue tailored shorts and waistcoats, with blue dinosaur-print bow ties. The flowergirls were our eight- and six-year-old daughters who wore matching ivory dresses each with a large bow on the back.
Celebrating our love with only our closest friends and family was all we wanted. It was a very relaxed day and we partied hard late into the night! Dancing with everyone after 16 months of Covid lockdowns and restrictions was fantastic. My make-up artist, Kate, and hair stylist, Jo, went above and beyond helping to set up photo and video shots, assisting the flowergirls and mother-of-the-bride as they got ready. Not to mention helping me with many little things on the morning.
We booked The Dominos for our wedding, the incredible band we first saw that New Year’s Eve. We were so lucky to have them with only a year’s notice. They also provided us with a DJ between sets. We have a lot of friends in the music industry and they were blown away by the talent of the band. They were just phenomenal.
We went to Antigua on honeymoon. The trip was originally planned for 2020 and was actually where Rob intended to propose, but Covid postponed it to 2021, so we made it our honeymoon. It was stunning, everything you dream a honeymoon should be and more. My top tip is to get a videographer if you can. We were blown away with ours and have watched our video over and over again.
THE W-DAY TEAM
Venue | South Lodge | https://www.exclusive.co.uk/south-lodge Photographer | Love Heart Photography | www.loveheartphotography.com Dress | Whyte Weddings | www.whyteweddings.com Flowergirl dresses | Next Jewellery | Tiger Lily Jewellery | www.tigerlily-jewellery.co.uk Make-up artist | Kate Mitchell Make-Up Studio | http://katemitchellmakeupstudio.co.uk Hair stylist | Olivia Grace Professional Hair | www.oliviagraceprofessionalhair.co.uk Flowers | The Crazy Daisy Company | www.thecrazydaisycompany.co.uk Wedding rings | Goldfinger Rings | www.goldfinger-rings.com Videographer | Ground Films | www.groundfilms.com Entertainment | The Dominos | www.thedominos.co.uk
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