Aimee and David had a fun, colourful and playful wedding in October. They wanted their day to be as fun as possible for their guests, and to reflect their personalities. “We did what we wanted and didn’t feel pressured to do things because it’s deemed ‘traditional'”, explained Aimee. “I didn’t want bridesmaids. I have loads of amazing friends but I just didn’t feel the need, and I didn’t want their partners to feel left alone and awkward on the day, plus it saved money. I don’t regret my decision at all.”
Although it rained on their day, the bride was happy about it! “We were secretly pleased it rained on the morning of our wedding as we really wanted an indoor ceremony but the venue were encouraging it to be outside (weather permitting of course). The gardens at Little Hermitage are stunning but equally the interior is so beautiful and we really preferred the idea of being inside as it felt cosier for our 50 guests, plus I didn’t want my hair to get windswept. So the rain meant we got our own way!”
“I loved my grand entrance, walking down the staircase at the back of the ceremony room. I was so excited I practically ran down the aisle, but my dad kept pulling my arm, saying ‘slow down!’ Our good friend Philippa did our ceremony, she did an amazing job and it really gave it a personal touch. She worked with us to write our own vows, and we had a few funny bits to ease any nerves.”
The entire wedding was one big DIY project which saved money and made things super personal. “David hand cut Jeff the giant gold dinosaur from wood and painstakingly pieced him together”, the bride laughed, “he turned out to be the star of the show! We also made hundreds of tissue paper tassels (with help from my mum), the photo collages, the ribbon backdrop, the papermache arrow with LED lights, and the giant letters. We spray painted real pineapples gold, decorated the guestbook, and for favours we filled glass milk bottles with rainbow drops and put little straw flags in them with the guests names on. I designed all the wedding stationery and also made my own veil (for a grand total of £8!) The whole day was a real labour of love and extremely personal to us.”
“The one thing we wish we’d know about planning a wedding before we began is how quickly vendors get booked up! It’s never too early to book them! Fortunately we were extremely happy with everyone we booked and we didn’t have to compromise at all. We thought booking things 12 months in advance was organised but it was amazing how many people were already unavailable!”
“After the venue hire/catering from Little Hermitage, our biggest expense was our photographer, and she was worth every penny. Having beautiful photos that captured the day was extremely important to us. It’s the one thing we weren’t going to scrimp on. Emma from ELS Photography did an amazing job and we are thrilled with the photos. She got us straight away and she appreciated all the details and captured them better than we ever could have hoped!”
“Our advice for future brides and grooms is do what you want!” she concluded. “It’s your day, don’t be pressured into things you’re not happy with. Have fun, laugh, don’t stress about speaking to every single person, if they want to talk they will come to you! Stop, look around, take a deep breath and take it all in! It’s easy to get swept along and lose track of time so it’s important to stop and take it all in every now and then! And only use vendors you like as people. Ultimately, they are still guests at your wedding. Why invite people you don’t like? It’s important they get you and your vision. Don’t scrimp on the important things. There’s plenty else to compromise on.”
