Tell us a little about yourselves!
Ame and Josh met at Nottingham Trent University in 2009. Josh moved to Ame's home town (as he’s originally from Essex) after finishing uni so that they could stay together. He got a job there and the couple started a family together. In 2019 he proposed to Ame as a complete shock and surprise in Lisbon, overlooking the city. "This was very special and started the conversation of what wedding we would like to have. Then the pandemic hit and with a second child on the way- we didn’t start wedding planning until November 2021 when the rules were lifting and weddings were starting to go ahead again with little to no restrictions. As we knew we wanted a close intimate wedding, we knew that by July 2022 we would be likely to be able to include everyone we wanted to."The couple have two young boys – ages 6 and 3 and are very family orientated.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
Our wedding was all about family, sharing love and emotion. Something very important to us was that the day would be ‘real’ - we have two children, so we wanted them to be comfortable and feel at ease with the day, as well as our family, close friends and their children. We found Henge Estate online and it was perfect for hosting our wedding, to accommodate all of our guests to stay for a weekend. We loved the aesthetic of Henge Estate, it gorgeous grounds and the pillars and balcony at the front of the building. When we saw that Salisbury Registry Office (for our ceremony) was close by and also a beautiful building, we were sold on getting married there and having our reception back at Henge Estate. We had both never been to Salisbury before our wedding day.
How many guests did you have?
30 guests - just close friends and family.
Tell us about your outfits.
Outfits were styled by Ame. For the brides first look, the sleeves were created by a seamstress. Ame handmade the headband herself. Later in the day, for the first dance reveal, Ame took the headband and veil off and wore a sheer organza top which was created by a seamstress. A low wrap pony tail and the sheer organza top over the bridal dress was the look for the evening.
Ame created her own bridal bouquet, bleaching flowers herself. She wanted to incorporate her own style on the day making it unique to her and her family. Josh and their two boys, all wore beige, brown and oatmeal colours to match the aesthetic. The young boys outfits were made by a seamstress and designed by the bride. It was important they would feel comfy and the outfits would suit them running around and playing, as well as matching the aesthetic and style of the day. The colours tied in and matched the bridal flowers, clothes and buildings.
Ame had one maid of honour her sister and then two other bridesmaids. Josh had a few mates as groomsmen but we didn’t have them dressed as matching one another. Josh wanted to feel comfortable and casual on his wedding day so he wore a linen loose shirt without a blazer.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
It was so important to ensure we shared promises to one another for our future together, which we wrote ourselves to say with our vows. It was important that the day was ‘real’ to us as a family, and to share those moments with loved ones. When planning it was also important to us to not get stressed or ruin the build-up to our day, we wanted to do lots of it ourselves but also to trust the other professionals we had chosen to help us make our day special, such as our photographer Natalie from Agnes Black, and also Hannah with our food from Rainbow Grazing Co.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
The day goes so fast! Everyone says this, so we had a brief timeline to follow to ensure time was managed and we fitted everything in. We wanted this to flow and not feel too rigid, therefore we had few staged photos and just included a few things within our schedule such cutting the cake and speeches. To keep our day suitable to all of our guests with young families we didn’t have a sit-down meal and instead just had a graze table to suit every age of our wedding guests. This also gave us more time to freely enjoy our day without it feeling as rigid.
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
Tips for couples with their wedding booked, would be to enjoy every moment (including the build up and planning stages). Don’t get stressed planning it, it’s the whole part of the fun! Trust the professionals you have included to do their jobs within your day. And ensure you have the day as you want to, it's your day- you won't have any wedding regrets then! Also it goes so fast, so just enjoy every second!
Photographer : Natalie Wheat (Agnes Black) @agnesblack | Ceremony Location : Salisbury Registry Office | Reception Location : Henge Estate, Shrewton House Henge Estate @hengeestate | Catering + Beverages : Rainbow Grazing Co @rainbowgrazingco | Flora : by the Bride | Bride's Outfit : Made by a seamstress | Bride's Headband : Made by Bride | Bride's Shoes : Zara @zara