Freya and Rob's Hot Pink Woodland Wedding in West Sussex
THE LOVE STORY
How and where did you first meet?
Rob lived in Chesterfield at the time and I lived in Manchester. We lived about 50 miles away from each other. Both of us were, at the time, using the Bumble app but were out of each others radiuses. Rob’s best man, Mark, lived in Manchester at the time and during Rob’s trip to visit Mark he decided to show him how Bumble worked. During this demo as luck would have it, I popped up as an option! As you now know, Rob swiped the right way! Luckily for him, I decided to swipe too and the rest is history! It was truly a sliding doors moment!
What were your first impressions of each other?
Rob thought ‘WOW’ particularly at my curly my hair and my smile, so he says. He has always said that he’s ‘punching’! I thought, ‘WOW’, he looked even better in real life! There was a little worry that he was going to be a handsome ‘player’ - but he really wasn’t a player at all.
“Bizarrely, he chose to tell me a fun fact about why men have nipples - a handsome odd-ball, exactly what I was looking for!”
When did you know you were in love or that Rob was "the one"?
Rob sent me a video that he made asking to be my ‘valentine’. He sent it to cheer me up as I was having a bit of an off week and I realised then - he was so cute and was my one!
Tell us about your first date and my first impression of Rob.
We met in person in Altrincham, a market town in outer Manchester, a few weeks after chatting back and forth online. I was shocked that he was actually as handsome in real life, even better actually! I found that to be a rare thing in online dating and might have been catfished a few times. I had brief thought that he was going to be a ‘player’ you know? A bit of a ‘man about town’. Thankfully, this thought quickly diminished as we were walking to Altrincham market to have a few drinks. Bizarrely, he chose to tell me a fun fact about why men have nipples - a handsome odd-ball, exactly what I was looking for! We had drinks at the market then we went on for cocktails and ended the night with some delicious tapas. The night ended with some tequila shots in a local pub and the next day, we were watching secret life of the zoo! Our first date lasted about 30 hours.
How did the proposal happen? Who asked, and where?
It was my birthday weekend and Rob had prepared a surprise ‘night away’ from the kids so that I could relax on my own and chill. All I knew was that I was going away for the night but I didn’t have a clue where or what was going to happen. This was all revealed in a series of letters, that Rob had written to drip-feed what was going to happen throughout the day and night, starting with a Wiston Estate vineyard tour and lunch. After that, a taxi picked me up and took me to a cottage where, through another letter, Rob revealed he was coming to the cottage the following morning to join me.
That following morning I was just expecting Rob to turn up in the family car and we’d spend a lovely day and night together. However, Rob turned up in a classic 1960s Jaguar e-type convertible, ready to whisk me away on a ‘birthday’ picnic to Sheffield Park. We had a lovely walk around the park and settled down in a meadow for our delicious picnic. Over the years Rob has been teasing me when we are in any slightly romantic setting by saying ‘oh, this would be a great time to propose,’ and this is what Rob did in this moment - yet this time it wasn’t a joke and Rob was down on one knee and popped the question. It was so perfect.
“I have always loved summer and bold, bright and impactful colours. I’ve never been into neutral or beige”
THE WEDDING DRESS AND THE BIG DAY
How did you choose your wedding venue and what made it the perfect fit?
We never imagined we’d get married in a conventional way. We’ve done absolutely nothing in the “right order” and I’ve never followed life’s rules. You would always find us outside as we just love nature and that’s only grown stronger since as time has passed. We found Two Woods Estate online and thought it looked just right. When we had the tour and turned the corner through the metals gates, it literally took my breath away. We couldn’t think of anywhere else once we had seen it and in fact, we cancelled all other viewings afterwards. We had found our venue!
What was the inspiration behind your wedding's theme, decor, and colours?
I have always loved summer and bold, bright and impactful colours. I’ve never been into neutral or beige - it’s just not me and funnily enough, not Rob either. I wanted our personalities to show through and using colour was a great way to do this. We had envisioned being outside in nature, surrounded by a riot of colour. I also took inspiration from ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ as it’s my favourite Shakespearean play, so elements from that played a part in the inspiration as well.
What were you looking for in a wedding dress?
I have to admit I didn’t really know what I was looking for. I know I wanted to feel really bridal but I did not necessarily want to lean into the ‘bohemian’ theme too much as I wear a lot of crochet style dresses during the summer as it is. I definitely wanted to feel like a woodland, princess, bridal fairy! At first I kept being steered in one direction and I thought I wanted a lot of detail but actually ended up in something the opposite. I thought I had found THE one; a gold glittery dress from BRIDE by Aster, but I had seen a dress called Dempsey that was due to arrive at the store, not long after my first appointment. I booked a follow up appointment to see the gold glittery dress AND the Dempsey dress together. There was just something about it in the photos - lightweight, dreamy, romantic but very bridal. It even had a 3D floral neckline that I thought was perfectly ‘on theme’. The moment I stepped into the dress, I remember Hannah catching a glimpse of me in the mirror over my shoulder, as she did the dress up. We locked eyes and our mouths dropped. It. Was. Perfect! I was so excited and happy that I listened to my gut and waited for Dempsey. I didn’t even try the other dress back on. It was everything I wanted and being that it was full ivory with no lace of glitter, I knew my bold colour palette would look awesome with it! Sold!
How did you choose the bridal boutiques you wanted to visit?
It was a mixture really. Recommendations from friends, although some turned out to not be that well-founded. I also played particular attention to Google reviews and did my research on the styles of dresses in store.
How many boutiques did you visit on your dress journey and how did you know you had found THE ONE?
I went to five in total and of those, I visited two on my own. I do really recommend visiting some shops alone on your journey, because I felt I could really think about what I wanted, without anyone else’s opinions clouding my thoughts. I think in my head I was always waiting for BRIDE by Aster as a sort of ‘best for last’ boutique and the other appointments were all ‘rehearsals’. I just got such a good vibe from them online and I wanted to go there knowing I had several dresses under my belt. Turns out, I was right!
What accessories did you choose and where did you buy them?
I have always liked to choose a different style of earring and I really wanted something as a keepsake, and something I could wear again. I’m not personally a fan of pearls which are more traditional. I wanted something colourful and something that matched my personality. I didn’t want to pretend to be the ‘classic’ bride as that just isn’t me. I wanted my whole outfit to feel totally authentic. I also wanted something unique and handmade in the UK. My earrings and hair pins were by the Lucky Sixpence - the pins were created from inspiration of the earrings. I also wanted a WOW veil that was bespoke and handmade in the UK. As my dress has a clean finish, no lace or sparkles, I decided that I could go a little extra on the detail of my veil. Maybe one day in the future, my daughters can wear my veil as their ‘something borrowed’!
“ I loved absolutely everything about it and have NO regrets. Not one.”
Did you enjoy dress shopping? Any especially good or not so good experiences?
At BRIDE by aster I had THE BEST time. The staff really paid attention to every little detail and truly understood what I was trying to articulate. One of the other boutiques that I visited was really nice too but in the others, I felt as if they really didn’t ‘get me’. They began to feel a little too pushy when they realised that I perhaps wasn’t their ideal client or that they didn’t have what I was looking for. There was one stylist in another boutique that put me in some really bad choices and kept saying I looked amazing, when I really really didn’t! I actually just stopped looking until my BRIDE by Aster appointment came along, as it really did put me off shopping for a few months.
How did you feel walking down the aisle in your dress and what did Rob think?
I felt totally fine until literally the moment that I waited at the entrance to the woods - I got very shaky! Adrenaline and excitement sure do weird things to you physically! My dad was brilliant and kept telling me to breathe through my nose, slowly. I feel like that’s his answer for a lot of things in life but on this occasion, it was the right advice! As soon as our fantastic celebrant Bex started the ceremony and Rob held my hands, I managed to calm right down as I relaxed into the moment. Thankfully, when it came time to read the vows, I was fully in the moment and had totally mellowed. Rob looked at me like I was the best thing he’d ever seen. I will never forget that moment.
Advice and Reflection
What was the most challenging part of the wedding planning process?
I didn’t really find it challenging if I’m honest. I loved it and Rob and I did most of everything together, so it felt easy and special at the same time. I can understand why it would get stressful if it had landed all on my shoulders but we had amazing suppliers and thankfully, we make a pretty good team.
What advice would you give to other couples who are currently planning their wedding?
Do what YOU want and really come to terms with how you feel about your day and the things you want. Stand true to that little voice inside because it’s probably talking to you for a reason. Like anything else, on any other day or event, people will always have opinions. Who cares? It’s all fine. It’s YOUR wedding. Just in the same way that other people choose what they want to do. So like anything else in life - do what makes you happy. Your gut instinct is always right. Also, if there is anything worrying you, talk about it with each other. It’s amazing how open communication keeps everything feeling that little bit easier.
Is there anything you would have done differently about your wedding?
In all honesty, no. I loved absolutely everything about it and have NO regrets. Not one.
What was the best purchase you made for your wedding?
Our photographer and videographer, hands down. We’ve had our video back recently and it just captured the day and mood perfectly! It’s amazing to be able to look back at our photographs but being able to have the video as well makes it ten times more magical.
Supplier Spotlight
Venue - Two Woods Estate, Pulborough
Photographer & Video – This Modern Revelry
Dress - Dempsey by Modeca
Hair Stylist – The Artful Hairstylist
Make-Up Artist – Kimberley Louise MUA
Florist – Whimsys Floral Design
Caterer – Smoke Tin Kitchen
DJ/Band – The Roaming Folks & Wildcard Band
Ring Designer/Shop – Aurum Jewellers (They made the rings from my late grannies wedding ring and Rob’s late grandad’s rings)
Celebrant - Bex The Celebrant
Stationery – Illustration by Chan, Wedding Timeline and Spicy Margaritas Sign (Freyas dad), Vinyl Stickers and Fabric Banners by Daydreamer Creative, Table Plan Pink Initial Wood Stumps (Rob’s bestie James - groomsman)