Tell me about the proposal?
Matt proposed at Gulfoss waterfalls during a trip to Iceland when we were there at the beginning of 2020. I still don’t know how he managed to pull it off and hide it so well. I literally had no inkling whatsoever.
Tell us about your wedding where was it set and what was the feel of the day.
Our wedding was at Dodford Manor. We chose the venue because as soon as we walked in, we turned to each other and said ‘this is the one’. It had everything we were looking for. The feel of the day was relaxed laid back and quite rustic. Matt and his Mum made the cake, Matt made all of our wedding signs and I did all the writing on them as well as the stationary. We made a kid’s corner and had garden games on the lawn so that the children didn’t feel uncomfortable or bored at any point.
We had our micro wedding last year the day before November’s lockdown, so we were technically married but had waited so long for our actual “wedding” and to celebrate. We had a humanist celebrant (Karen Sutton) who told our story/journey as a couple and we also did handfasting with both our families tartans as a symbol of both families being joined together.
What did you love/hate about dress shopping?
I initially bought a dress literally just before the first lockdown…. The whole thing was an awful experience and also rushed because of lockdown. I ended up hating it and being sad and frustrated about the whole process. I had always followed The Bridal Boutique on Instagram and adored all of the posts and stories. As our wedding was pushed back 5 times, in early 2021 I decided to get in touch with Madi and despite the shop not being open at the time I told her all of the styles I had seen and liked, all my worries and anxieties about getting another dress… And she made it happen! I fell in love with a halter neck Jesus Peiro dress and that was it.
What made you pick your dress?
It just stood out to me. It’s so classic but yet so different. It suited my shape and my taste perfectly. When I tried it on I just felt so different to the other dresses I had tried.
How did you style your day, and yourself?
Our florist Roxie (Willow and Wild) did an amazing job of styling the venue with beautiful flowers which went with our taste. We didn’t want a ‘theme’ but the styling had nods to our love of the outdoors and love of the garden. We put fresh herbs on each table as centrepieces, had wildflower seeds as favours and signs placed in our watering can.
My makeup was done by Sophie Duffy and hair styled by Natalie (The hair book wedding stylist). They both did a great job to make sure I looked good but still look like me on the day. My shoes and earrings were from Freya Rose (had to be big heels as my husband is 6ft 5), I wore a pandora bracelet that I was given on the morning as a gift from Matt and I also wore my Mum’s bracelet which has flowers from my Grandad’s funeral in. I also wore Chanel Coco Mademoiselle.
What advice would you give to brides now?
Go with your gut. Don’t let others try and persuade you to do what they think is right. And although planning can get stressful, enjoy it because once the wedding is done, you’ll wish that you could do it all again (planning included).
We went ahead and got married the day before lockdown (with just 48 hours notice) because we had no idea if we could have the wedding we had planned at one point. Being married was what was the most important to us so we just went for it. Plus as well, most of our wedding purchases had to be done online because nowhere was open for the majority of the time. Not having face to face consultations with most of our suppliers was tough.
Thank you so much Holly for sharing your special day with us, and huge congratulations on your baby news xxx
Venue – Dodford Manor
Photography – Jonathan Flint
Catering – Jenkinsons
Florist – Willow and Wild
Make up – Sophie Duffy
Hair – Natalie (The wedding hair book stylist)
Cake – Made by the Groom and his Mum
DJ – Big Bopper
Celebrant – Karen Sutton
Shoes – Freya Rose
Jewellery – Freya Rose and Pandora