Having been together for ten years before they married it was vitally important to Becky and Colin that their day reflected their history and love for their family.
“We chose a colour palette of burgundy and peach,” explained the bride. “We both love texture and colour so wanted our decor to be as tactile as possible. We made all the tassels and bought a lot of cheap odd items to dot around the place. I loved our ‘help yourselves’ drinks bar we had an amazing sign writer, Kate Alice Lettering, do all our drinks signage which pulled everything together.”
“We put all the alcohol in tin baths with botanical ice cubes and surrounded them with flowers as our centrepieces. All the food was served platter style, very family-oriented and relaxed. Everyone was sharing food and with no table plan everyone just sat where they wanted. This was one of our favourite things about the day, that it was relaxed and inclusive of everyone. We also had an animal and reptile encounter which was really fun.”
One of Becky’s favourite DIY projects was their cake stand. “We carved our own cake stand and fabricated a metal base for it. On the day, we filled it with dry ice and instead of cutting the cake, we poured water on it! It looked like a forest floor full of amazing desserts! I made two of the bridesmaids dresses and froze botanical ice cubes for the drink centrepieces too. We also all sat making the tassels for months!”
Becky looked stunning in her BHLDN gown which she bought online and had it shipped over from the US. Even with customs fees it ended up being one of their biggest savings of the wedding. “My dress was £450”, she said. “It’s sometimes more cost effective to get an occasion dress rather than a wedding dress. Also we saved money called in favours from everyone we know, that’s the most cost effective way.”
“Our budget was £20,000 and of that our biggest cost was hiring in trestle tables from Anthology Vintage Hire rather than using the ones already at the venue. I’d say it was an ‘extra expense’ rather than the biggest though because we could have used the circular tables that were already there but we really wanted that open relaxed style of dining for the meal. I’m glad we did it as the wedding breakfast ended up being my favourite part of the day. Everyone was laughing and moving about, there was a huge paella pan and so much food and drink, everyone was having an amazing time.”
And her advice to future couples? “Get yourself an amazing wedding photographer!” Becky concluded. “Your cake will be eaten, you won’t wear your dress again and the day is over before you know it, but if you have amazing photos, they last forever. Kelsie was incredible, we were so comfortable with her, she really made the day special. Also, take 10 minutes away from everyone, just you and your partner and breathe it all in, you will be surprised how fast the time goes.”
