Tell us a little about yourselves!
I’m an artist, and Connor is a web-developer, and our story began many years ago at school in Norfolk, UK where our families are based, though we ourselves now live in London, with our gorgeous cat. As my profession might suggest, I love all things art, whereas Connor is a sports fanatic, and we’ve been best friends for almost 14 years.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We got married in a lovely little village called Tendring, in a gorgeous church called St Edmund King and Martyr, followed by a fabulous reception at my aunt and uncle’s beautiful home, just a minute down the road.
We got married there, first and foremost, because my aunt and uncle’s home is one of the most heavenly places ever, but it also just so happened that it was the perfect middle-ground between our families based up in Norfolk and Suffolk, and the majority of our friends living around us London-way.
We will always be so grateful to my aunt and uncle for letting everyone we love descend on their home for the weekend – it was out of this world, and completely perfect.
How many guests did you have?
We both have huge families, so we had the wonderful company of 170 friends and family with us for the entirety of the day. It was important for us to have everybody we love enjoying every second alongside us.
Tell us about your outfits.
We knew that our day was going to be relatively traditional, but with a colourful and playful twist, which was representative of us as a couple. We gave our guests the option to wear morning dress or lounge suits, and so Connor and the groomsmen wore morning suits, with their Favourbrook waistcoats –generously gifted by one of the groomsmen at his wedding some months earlier– which have the most exquisite mother of pearl buttons.
I felt as though I had ‘completed the internet’ as far as dress shopping was concerned, and though I tried a handful of dresses on, none were quite as striking, or suited me as well as the glorious Vivienne Westwood Long Cocotte dress. I went with my two sisters to try it on initially, and it was absolutely that clichéd feeling of ‘this-is-the-one’. And so, I wore this magic dress, with a pair of white sequined and embroidered cowgirl boots from Momo New York.
The veil was also quite important for me, as growing up, and even now, I am often called Daisy-Dot by my family, and so I knew that I wanted to cherish that through a polka-dot veil. I initially struggled to find a veil that wasn’t just tiny dots, until I came across the wonderful Nikeen Asar, who had the most sensational polka-dot veil, in ivory silk devore velvet. It felt whimsical and fun, but married beautifully with the Vivienne Westwood dress – a match made in heaven.
As for the accessories, I was gifted a stunning pair of Maison Sabben long, baroque-pearl earrings, by one aunt, and a vintage aquamarine pendant by another, which I attached to a more dainty gold chain belonging to my maid of honour, Catherine – my something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue! Connor’s grandmother also made the most painstakingly intricately lace garter, which I wore for the day too – an heirloom for future generations we hope!
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
As an artist, and being a colourful couple, I had quite a specific vision for our day, and so, with the help of our family, we organised each and every element of the weekend ourselves with huge amounts of research and care. Ultimately, we wanted to create a fun and memorable time for ourselves and our guests.
Important details for us consisted of a petal-pole marquee, for which we sourced multicoloured chairs from Luna and the Lane, balanced by a kaleidoscope of lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The marquee sides were also removed for all our guests to enjoy the stunning panorama of the garden and lake we were so lucky to be immersed in.
I knew I was in the safest of hands with regard to flower arrangements too, as my Aunt took these on, using only blooms from her garden and the local area to add to the colourscaping of the day. Like magic she produced the most beautiful arrangements for the tables, my bouquet and even the groomsmen’s buttonholes.
We handmade hankies for all of our guests in various fabrics from Liberty and India, initialled with gold embroidery – it was a mad labour of love, but the most joyous sight entering the marquee to everyone waving them in the air. Hankies are quite nostalgic for me and my family –taking me back to our childhood where Dad would use the same one across the faces of me and my siblings – and so they made an apt gift for our guests.
Connor and I love games, and so before the speeches we had organised a game of head-or-tails, which we had discovered on our rally trips and transpired to be a riotous, and hilariously funny start to the speeches.
Coming from a family of foodies, the food was of great importance, and so we hired the fabulous London Basque Kitchen who made starters to die for, and the tastiest paella main, as well as scrumptious canapés. They were a dream to work with and kept everyone’s drinks topped-up. Connor was also set on having an open bar, which was an added bonus for our guests.
As with most things, I spent hours researching the band, and I’m so glad I did. We had the fantastic The Rockets Collective, who I could not recommend more. They bought the BEST energy. We couldn’t have asked for a better band to dance the night away to, and they did our first dance, Yes Sir, I can Boogie, total justice. If you see them during your own research, don’t hesitate to book them, they are the best in the game, and you are guaranteed a wonderful and riotous night!
As all our guests were having to travel to the venue, we gave them the option of glamping on-site for the night, with the treat of a quiche and BBQ brunch the next morning, and an ice cream van before the treks home. We found the marvellous Victoria Lily Events, who created the most beautiful village of glamping tents you could ever imagine, and their booking system meant that guests could organise it themselves without having to go through us – it was a total breeze.
A last-minute addition which I would recommend to anyone, is popping some disposable cameras on the table. They all came out brilliantly, and were a hilarious addition to our professional photography, by the awesome Yazmine May.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Particularly to those couples who have a vision and put a mad number of hours into the lead-up of this whirlwind of a day, or weekend: make sure that from the moment you wake up on your wedding day, until the whole thing is completely over, you fully immerse yourself and completely savour every single second, as the whole thing flies by. Relinquish all control, get a handful of people you trust to be on stand-by for any issues, and just have the time of your life – it is the best reward for all your hard work.
Also, if budget allows, get yourselves a wonderful photographer, and if possible, videographer. We now have gorgeous photos and footage of our wedding day which will forever be treasured. Being able to relive our magic day whenever we wish, in our opinion, is priceless.
Are there any vendors you would like to tell us a little more about?
All our vendors were utterly brilliant!
Photographer: Yazmine May @yazminemayphotography | Videographer: Gorgeous Films @gorgeousfilms | Ceremony Location: St. Edmund King & Martyr Church, Tendring | Reception Location: Private Home, Tendring | Celebrant: Reverend Laura Garnham | Entertainment: The Rockets Collective @therocketscollective | Planning + Styling: by the Bride | Marquee Company: Events Under Canvas @eventsundercanvastipis | Tables + Chair Hire: Luna and the Lane @lunaandthelane | Tableware Hire: CMA Hire @cmahire | Flora: Bride's aunt, Church Bouquets by the church flower arrangers (including Bride's Aunt). | HMUA: Amy Davies @amydaviesmakeupartist | Catering + Beverages: London Basque Kitchen @londonbasquekitchen | Cake: by a Friend of the Bride | Wedding Dress: Vivienne Westwood @viviennewestwood | Wedding Veil: Nikeen Asar @asar_london | Engagement Ring: Vintage | Cowboy Boots: Momo New York @momonewyork_ | Earrings: Maison Sabben @maisonsabben | Glamping Tents: Victoria Lily Events @victorialilyevents