WEDDINGS Matt & Emmy’s day

A Home Grown Wedding

A beautiful retro wedding at Oakham Castle with home-grown greenery and the groom’s beloved classic cars! This month we enjoy a special day with Emmy and Matt Tomkins...

Wedding Photographer: Ben Davis Photography, 07515 776526, www.bendavisphotography.com.

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW? Hopefully, well-enough to provide some beautiful blooms for your wedding. And with Emmy contributing her green-fingered talent and providing the wedding floristry for their home-grown wedding, fiancé Matt found himself taking equal pleasure in contributing their wedding cars… his beloved classic Morris Minors!

Living near Colsterworth, Matt is not only a classic car enthusiast but also works in Peterborough as a writer for Practical Classics magazine. Meanwhile, not only does Emmy employ her talents in the couple’s own garden, she also works as Assistant Head Gardener at Grimsthorpe Castle. The couple’s respective interests not only made their wedding more affordable, it also made the day all the more memorable, too. “We met through an online dating app, and were both fortunate that neither of us had been online that long before finding each other,” says Emmy. “We both feel very lucky indeed to have found each other!”

“Matt had taken me to a Morris Minor rally which included a camping weekend – every girl’s dream, surely – then on the way back, he decided to take a 40-minute detour, much to my dismay, as I recall!” “We stopped and took a lovely walk through the Peak District, where Matt proposed in a beautiful location, by a waterfall. I was really impressed, it was so romantic… apart from the midges and bites! Looking back, I should have known a proposal was imminent because it was the first time that Matt has ever willingly left a classic car rally early!” “The first element of the wedding we booked was Oakham Castle. We were engaged just before Covid and originally booked our big day for summer of 2020, but we had to postpone it for a year.” “We didn’t have too many ideas about how we wanted our day to be, although we considered an outdoor wedding or something involving camping. What we did know for sure is that we didn’t want a traditional church wedding.” “After looking around a few places, we visited Oakham Castle, and it was perfect! The atmosphere was so serene, and it had the kind of beautiful architecture that still gave us a traditional feel. It was the first time we had both been to the landmark and it just took our breath away with its horseshoes hanging on the wall.”

“Since we were trying to keep costs down – and trying to make the day as personal as possible – the day before the wedding, our family and friends all helped to decorate our venues.”

“We also chose Sewstern Village Hall as our reception venue to ensure we were local to our home. Everything was centred around Oakham Castle, which worked well as it was only 20 minutes or so from our home and from my parents’ home, where I grew up.” “Once we had our venue booked, the rest of the elements were all organised quite smoothly, as everything was created by us. Our wedding breakfast was created by a good friend and our cake was made by Matt’s grandmother, who made an amazing job of it… it was so beautiful!”

“My wedding dress was a vintage 1970sstyle dress chosen for our first wedding date, but as time went by, I fell out of love with it. I happened to see the perfect dress online and sent the photo to my best friend, who thought it was perfect. I purchased it just a few weeks before the big day! I absolutely fell in love with it, from its Champagne colour, to its capped sleeves and floral lace.”

“Although we didn’t really have a coherent colour scheme, everything seemed to tie-in really well and it was all consistent with our vision for a fun summer wedding. The guests all attended in bright colours, which was lovely. The bridesmaids’ dresses were picked by my best friend who happened to find one perfect dress in a high street shop and asked my other bridesmaid to go and try on the same style too.”

“Matt’s suit came was from a tailor in Stamford, Paul Richman. To his credit he was actually very well-organised for the first wedding date, so his suit ended up sitting in the wardrobe for two years before the eventual big day.”

“Since we were trying to keep costs down –and trying to make the day as personal as possible – the day before the wedding, our family and friends all helped to decorate our venues.”

“What we always wanted was to create a day that nobody else would have. Of course, I also made all the bouquets and floral decorations myself – I had a really specific idea in mind and I wanted them to look quite natural. The style of my garden is quite ‘prairie’ in nature, with a cottage garden feel, so I really just wanted to reflect the look of our garden in our wedding. I used the grasses and flowers that I had grown and made sure there was a consistent look throughout the day. I even dried out some allium seed heads in our greenhouse for the table decorations.” >>

>> “We had a fabulous live band to provide our entertainment. They were made up of a random selection of people that are a part of the Temple Funk collective, a group which has pioneered a modern take on dance music using brass instruments, drums, and even a singer. They were absolutely fabulous!” “One of the funny highlights of the day was my best friend and maid of honour being pulled over by police on way to Oakham Castle. We were already pushed for time, and she hadn’t broken any laws (it was just a random check), but to be stopped in a car which was wearing a full complement of wedding ribbons, with people in suits and dresses was amusing... thankfully we all made it to the Castle on time!”

“After the wedding, we went to Scotland for a week for our honeymoon and spend the time touring around a few places, staying in different hotels on the way. The best bits of the honeymoon would definitely be the food – it was incredible – but we also enjoyed a night out in Edinburgh as The Fringe was on so we had a really good time.” “I think my best advice for other brides is that it’s very easy to get carried away with what you think is traditional and what people will expect you to do for your wedding. Sometimes, though, you should just choose what fits in with your idea of your day. Don’t be afraid to do something a bit different if that’s want for your wedding!” n

Wedding Photographer: Ben Davis Photography, 07515 776526, www.bendavisphotography.com.