How did you and your partner meet?
We first met in 2015, when we both started working at the same company on a graduate scheme. We didn’t really chat much or know each other very well, but knew of each other. Then as time went on we noticed that we were on the same commute into work as we lived very close to each other. We would chat often on the commute, getting to know each other a little and sometimes Luke would then come and find me and join me for lunch.
This happened for about 2 years, until Luke eventually asked if he could come round one evening to help me as I had a punctured car tyre and wanted to get it sorted, after this we started to regularly go out for meals (we made a list of restaurants to try) and for days out cycling around the peak district. This blossomed into the relationship and we’ve been together ever since.
Tell us about the proposal?
I knew Luke was planning on proposing, he not so subtly found a ring designer near us and went to meet them then would come back asking for a number of ring designs I liked! The proposal itself was private; During our holiday in Cornwall in 2020 we were out at a botanical garden for the day, we sat down on a private bench overlooking the sea and he got down on one knee. I was so shocked he managed to hide the ring somewhere on his person without me noticing that morning that I didn’t listen to the proposal properly but I am sure it was beautiful! He told me afterwards he hid it in his coat the night before just to be extra secretive.
Give us an overview of your wedding vision and how it came to life?
Our wedding vision was to have as many things that reflected us; we love autumnal colours; we are quite laid back, love refined things and enjoy travelling round the country sampling michelin tasting menus. These things led us to choose our venue Hampton Manor. It is very refined and has excellent food however it does not come across as pretentious. We were able to have bare wood long tables with leather chairs which worked with our relaxed autumnal theme and a cocktail bespokely designed for us. It did not require a lot of additional decorating as it is already decorated beautifully. Our event stylist ran with the autumnal theme; she used peaches, toffees and rust colours in the flowers and decorated the tables with lanterns, brass candlesticks and coloured table runners. It was perfect and felt so cosy in the Hampton Manor courtyard. We had a cocktail hour that went down well with the guests and finished the night with a live band and lots of dancing!
Tell us about your experience dress shopping at BBW?
I’d been to a couple of boutiques prior to visiting The Bridal Boutique Warwickshire, however I did not have any luck finding a dress. This was due to the assistants either being too passive or overly pushy, or the dresses not feeling special enough. When my mum and I arrived at BBW, Madi took the time to learn about me, my dress vision, my husband and our venue. She picked out two dresses for me to try, but allowed us to browse and find a selection of our own. The designers that BBW stock are so different to any other shop, they are stunning quality and felt a level above the other boutiques we had been to. Madi was super helpful, offering advice and constructive feedback when trying on each dress – this is something we really wanted. When I came round to trying on the two dresses that Madi had selected for me, well I was taken aback! They were perfect, I just couldn’t decide between the two! Madi dressed me with a veil and beautiful pearl earrings and in the end I bought both dresses and all of the accessories.
What was your favourite moment of your wedding day?
Lukes favourite moment of the day was seeing me, there was a quiver of the lip when I walked down the aisle. I’d say my favourite moment was standing at the front of the ceremony room together, hand in hand and just focusing on each other saying the vows. I was trying my hardest to not cry! Our favourite joint moment was hearing the band play our first dance song and us dancing and singing together.
What advice would you give to brides planning a wedding?
* Don’t compare to all of the social media photos of weddings that you see, ultimately you need to create your own day! Trust your suppliers, they know what they are doing. Sometimes less is more, you don’t need absolutely everything, as long as you are relaxed your guests will be too. Not everything will go perfectly – we were hit with a storm on the morning of the wedding, you just have to take it in your stride.
Venue: Hampton Manor
Photographer: Amy-Rose Deffley
Flowers and Styling: Ava Event Styling
Cake: Cakes by Sophie Page
Hair & Makeup: Zara Beautiful Hair & Makeup
Rings: Si Vis Amari
String Trio: Nero String Quartet
Band: City Beats