REAL COUPLES

A SOUTH AFRICAN STUNNER Emily & Grant

A stunning country garden wedding with a wow-factor dress from one of our favourite designers. Bride Emily tells all...

How did Grant propose?

Grant and I started dating at age 18 in 2011. Over the last decade we have lived in different cities, different countries and different time zones. When Covid hit in March 2020, Grant and I left the city to stay with his parents in a nature estate in Mpumalanga for the five weeks of hard lockdown. Although everything happening in the world was so scary, it was a special time for us in the sense that it allowed us the chance to be just the two of us away from the world in such a beautiful place. We therefore have happy memories of that time and place. In November 2020, we returned there for a long weekend. On the Friday evening, Grant and I went for a walk to the top of the mountain. We got to the top just before sunset and Grant proposed whilst we watched the sun set over the opposite mountains, surrounded by giraffe, impala and kudu. It was just perfect. When we got back to the house, my parents were waiting – Grant had flown them up as a surprise for the weekend – and we spent the night drinking champagne (and crying lots of happy tears!).

What dress did you wear and where did you buy it?

I wore the beautiful Bailey, with the added soft bow, from Elbeth Gillis’ Grace Collection, bought from Elbeth Gillis Bridal Couture in Cape Town.

What accessories did you wear and where were they from?

I had very few accessories, because the focus was my dress: just pearl cluster earrings from a local shop (Barethreads Accessories) and a gold paperchain bracelet from Catbird, a gift from Grant.

What did the groom wear?

He wore a classic black Canali dress suit (tuxedo), with a Liberty print bow tie from Le Colonel Moutarde (bought from Le Colonel in Brick Lane).

How did you feel when you saw him up the aisle?

Walking down the aisle was a magical blur. All I could see through my tears was Grant at the end of it and I remember feeling that nothing had ever felt so right.

Who were your bridesmaids and where were their dresses from?

I had 7 bridesmaids – my sister and my best friend were my co-maids of honour and then my 5 best friends were my bridesmaids. I bought them sage dresses from ASOS – simple, but beautiful.

What was your wedding theme and how did you create it?

We went for an elegant garden wedding theme with the colour scheme of whites and greens (mostly sage). The canapes and reception were held in the garden of my parents’ home, the home I was born in, and therefore we wanted a theme that complemented my mum’s beautiful garden. We went for a look that was elegant, classic and formal, but which was still a garden wedding.

What was the highlight of your day?

Marrying my best friend! It is impossible to touch on just one highlight – the food was amazing, the band kept us dancing all night and I was surrounded by my favourite people in the world. I think what was so special was that the getting ready, the bridal photographs, the canapes and reception were all held in the home I grew up in. The ceremony was in the beautiful stone church down the road; the same church I had been christened in as a baby. There was just so much meaning at every stage.

What was your best buy?

Definitely my dress – it was everything I had ever dreamt of!

Photographer:

Michigan Behn Photography

Bride’s Dress: Elbeth Gillis

Groom’s Attire: Canali

Bridesmaid Dresses: Asos

Wedding Planner: Amy York Events

Make -Up: Algria Ferreira

Hair: Jeanette Genis

Caterer: Annalize Catering

Band: Me And Mr Green

A CLASSIC WEDDING IN GRANTHAM Vanessa & Daniel

A chic day with a subtle Monopoly theme! Bride Vanessa shares her story with us...

How did the groom propose?

We had a weekend break to London booked. Daniel had planned the entire weekend out including drinks at the Shard and a nice relaxing shopping trip. For our last night in London, Daniel had a table booked at Marco Pierre’s Steakhouse. For the final course of the meal I was presented with a beautiful plate covered in sparklers, a chocolate pudding and the nicest ring I have ever seen. He got on one knee and I was speechless. Thankfully a kind hearted member of the public was quick thinking and managed to capture the moment for us.

What dress did you wear?

I wore a Stella York dress. The dress was selected because of the high illusion neckline that is the focal point of this organic-inspired bodice, featuring asymmetrical floral laces that seem to wildly grow over the collarbone. The flourishing petals and vine-like structures of the laces gently curve over the sweetheart neckline and side cutouts of the fitted crepe silhouette, creating striking contrast and negative space elements that are utterly exquisite..

What accessories did you wear and where were they from?

Due to the details on my dress and the nature of the amazing venue, I selected a range on minimalist accessories. I wore a pair of pearl earrings and a matching bracelet that my mother gave to me the morning of the wedding. A close friend provided the ‘something borrowed’ by allowing me to wear the same stunning necklace she had worn earlier that year at her own wedding. My hair accessories were from Debenhams.

What did the groom wear?

The groom wore a royal blue Marc Darcy three-piece suit with a single-breasted waistcoat, sky blue paisley tie and pocket square. His outfit was finished off nicely by a pair of Modena Tan Lace up Cavani boots that boasted a range of blue details.

How did you feel when you saw him up the aisle?

Once I was stood at the top of the aisle I had the same overwhelming feeling of happiness and nerves I had on the day that he proposed. Then I saw him cry as our daughter toddled down the aisle towards him and it was at that point, I just wanted to rush to the front of the orangery to hug him.

Who were your bridesmaids and where were their dresses from?

The bridesmaids were both the bride and groom’s younger sisters. It was beautiful to see them all come together

on the day. All four of the bridesmaids wore a light blue floral embellished maxi dress and had a bouquet of white gypsophila.

What was your wedding theme and how did you create it?

We both very quickly settled on a nice light blue as the main colour for our big day. Due to the characteristic and nature beauty of Stoke Rochford Hall, we didn’t feel the need to overcomplicate things and wanted to just let the venue speak for itself. So, in terms of themes we only had a very subtle Monopoly theme for our table settings. The groom is extremely competitive – if I can still love him after a game on Monopoly I always will! Guests’ names were positioned on a Monopoly board for the seating plan and each table had a utility card that detailed everyone’s menu choices.

What was the highlight of your day?

My highlight was when we were saying our vows. All eyes were on us but yet it felt like we were the only people in the room. That was until our 1-year-old daughter decided to start preforming and entertaining guests. Ella was singing, dancing and trying to smell the flowers on the arch way. It was at that moment I realised it was my little family against the world from that day on.

VENDORS

Photographer:

Berenice Gress www.magicalshot.co.uk

Bride’s Dress: Stella York

Groom’s Attire: Marc Darcy

What was your best buy?

My favourite buy was our four-tier wedding cake. We approached Emma Boon at Sweet and Savoury, Metheringham and she gave us complete free rein over the entire design. Emma went above and beyond to accommodate all our wishes. Each tier was a different flavour, the top tier was a lemon sponge, then we had red velvet, a lovely chocolate layer and then a massive Victoria sponge to finish it off. Family and very special friends helped to add the finishing touches to the cake on the day. Lynn, Cath, Sue and Tom perfected the lovely waterfall of flower that hugged the front of the cake and ensured it was our dream wedding cake on the day.

What’s your saving tip?

My biggest tip would be to have faith in small businesses. All the little gambles we took on small starter businesses definitely paid off and saved us an absolute fortune. It was the larger well-established businesses that were harder to communicate with and that caused us stress. We aimed to have every aspect of the big day taken care of so everyone involved could relax and enjoy the day. However, when we were let down by multiple vendors, family members, close friends and the venue worked incredibly to stitch everything back together and I honestly think they did a better job. Their input was priceless to us.

A FABULOUS SUFFOLK WEDDING Poppy & Oli

This couple spread their day over a whole weekend! Real bride Poppy tells us the details...

What was the proposal like?

Well we were supposed to go to Marrakesh but setting the tone it was March 2020 and after a lot of advice not to go, we both had our eyes on Wilderness Reserve as a place to visit and thought whilst we had the time off from work, we’d see if they had last minute availability. Oli organised the most beautiful bonfire experience and having been shown around the estate that day, he asked me if it’s a venue I could possibly see us getting married in, to which I said yes! He then said ‘let’s put those plans into action’ and then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! The rest was a bit of a blur.

Why the date (and what was the date)?

We moved the wedding twice because of Covid, so when we pushed it to 2022, April 23rd was the next available date!

Why the venue?

Wilderness Reserve is where we got engaged and where we were just before locked down. Only when you go and stay there do you see how special it is and with all the different properties and areas. A weekend wedding works so perfectly.

How many people and why?

We were 150 which worked perfectly. Wasn’t too big and meant we spoke to everyone whilst also managing to have the best time.

How did you feel getting ready?

I was pretty calm to be honest. I had to keep reminding myself that I am getting married today! Around 12.30 I started to get so nervous. I just asked my friends to go downstairs to have lunch which gave me a bit of peace and quiet and then the next three hours flew by and by the time I knew it, I was waiting to walk down the aisle.

Who were your best suppliers?

All our suppliers were incredible and did the most fantastic time but if I had to mention a few, it would be our catering team from Social Pantry and Leanne and her team from Wild about flowers, I mean look at those flowers and of course our incredible photographer Sandra from Divine Day. The pictures will always be an amazing memory and she was so sensational at capturing the whole weekend so perfectly.

Tell us about finding your dress. I have had my eye on Mira dresses for a while and knew that type of style was perfect for a wedding at Wilderness Reserve. I found one particular one I had

seen so the amazing team at Browns Bridal managed to have a sample sent over from the US for me to try on. I was living in Brussels at the time so came back for the day to try it on. I immediately fell in love and knew it was the one for me.

How was wearing a wedding dress?

It was pretty surreal to be honest. I did quite a few dress fittings and was just so excited to finally wear it and show Oli as I knew he would never have guessed the type of dress I was going for!

What was the most special part of the whole day?

It’s pretty tough finding one specific point. I think the moments Oli and I took ourselves aside and just watched everyone having a great time. Seeing friends who have never met, getting on. That was definitely really special. I also loved the time we came into the tent for dinner and hearing everyone shaking their tambourines and dancing a long to the music. I knew having tambourines would be fun but gosh that moment 150 people all do it together, there is definitely something amazing about it!

What music did you choose and why?

We had the most incredible bands over the three days and picked them back in 2020. EightRay have an

VENDORS

Photography

@divinedayphotography

Event Planning

GSP Events | @gspltd

Production

Dreamwave | @dreamwavegroup

Band

8Ray | @eightraymusic

Flowers

Wildabout |@wildaboutflower

Catering

Social Pantry |@social_pantry

Hair

Kasia Fortuna | @kasia_fortuna

Make-up

Ausra Ruksene | @ausra.ruk

Videography

Andrew Gemmel @andrewgemmell_filmproducer

Venue

Wilderness @wildernessreserve

Cake

Hazelbury Kitchen @thehazleburykitchen

Stationery

@susannahgarrod Dress @mirazwillinger Earrings @jennypeckham Shoes @sophiawebster Bag @sophiawebster Rings @sophiebreitmeyer

amazing selection of talent and honestly we couldn’t have been happier with Empire of Sound who did the whole Saturday and Royal Roaming who did the Sunday.

What was your first dance?

Our band learnt our first dance so sung it live and it was amazing. We picked Fast Lane by Rationale as it always reminds me of Oli dancing in the kitchen when he is cooking, completely in his element!

Would you recommend your venue to other brides?

I would, yes, definitely. It really is incredibly special and you and your guests will always have an amazing time there.

Did you have a theme?

No we just said flowery would work there!

Where did you go for your honeymoon (or where do you plan to go?)

We had a friend getting married in Colombia 6 weeks after ours, so we decided to make a bit of a trip from that. We also went to Lisbon straight after and couldn’t recommend it more, just getting away even if it’s for a few days to just switch off. We were both so exhausted, I think it took us a week to recover!