THE LOVE STORY

How and where did you first meet?

Will and I met at work. He was a nursing student and I had just started in the hospital as a psychologist. We admired each other for about six months before someone tried to set us up at the Christmas party! Unfortunately I wasn’t able to go but fast forward to the beginning of January, when Will’s placement was ending, and he finally sent me an email with his phone number!

What were your first impressions of each other?

I thought he was very handsome and I’d told my friends and family about the ‘fit student nurse’ on the ward soon after I started working there. Will was impressed with my footwear - seriously. He loved my VANS and DM’s. However, we were working in a hospital and there was still talk of COVID so we were wearing face masks for the majority of the time and I always wondered what his smile was like.

“we both sat in McDonald’s at 3am and cried about how much we loved each other”

— ellie

When did you know you were in love or that Will was "the one"?

That’s a good question! I’m not sure there was ‘one moment’ when I knew but I couldn’t believe how kind, caring and interesting he was. There was one particular evening, after a fun night out in London, where we both sat in McDonald’s at 3am and cried about how much we loved each other. We still laugh about that now! Admittedly, there was a lot of crying in the first few months because we couldn’t believe how lucky we were!

Tell us about your first date!

Technically, our first date was on facetime because I caught COVID and had to cancel the ‘physical’ date that we had planned. Instead, we decided to watch a film together on teleparty. We both ordered take-aways and sat together on FaceTime. Five hours later and somehow, we were both on cloud nine! The following weekend we met up for our first ‘in person’ date and enjoyed a day out in London. We went to an art gallery, lots of different pubs along the Southbank and we played Monopoly Deal – this is now one of our all time favourite card games and we have several packs!

How did the proposal happen? Who asked, and where?

We had a weekend away planned with my parents and my brother the The Mumbles in Wales. This was a trip we had postponed since COVID, before I had even met Will. This time, trip back on, he came with us. He persuaded me to go for an early morning swim on the beach and said he was going to set up the camera to film us going in. He then asked us to pose for a picture and that’s when he got down on one knee! He pulled out an absolutely beautiful ring that he had designed and that his uncle had made for me. I was blown away! We were jumping around and crying and of course, never made it into the sea! We spent the day celebrating with my family and calling all of our friends to let them know!

THE BIG DAY

How did you choose your wedding venue and what made it the perfect fit?

I always knew I wanted to get married at my family church in Northamptonshire. I have been going there since I was three years old, so it was really special to know we could get married there with so many people who had watched me grow up. Fortunately, Will also loved the family church, so that was easily agreed! The next part was the venue. We found The Stanwick Hotel online and I remembered I had been to a wedding there many years before. I always remembered the beautiful gardens and outdoor space of that wedding, so we went to visit. The staff were so friendly, helpful and accommodating of our preferences and the room was big enough for the amount of guests we wanted to invite. The gardens looked even more beautiful than I remembered and they had built an outdoor bar area, which was perfect for our early September wedding.

What was the inspiration behind your wedding's theme, decor, and colours?

Neither of us had any strong preference for any particular colour scheme, so we decided to go for ‘wild flowers’. This was partly because we love the song by Tom Petty but mostly because it meant it would be colourful and natural. We are people who love colour and a bright life! We also felt that it matched nicely with the ‘end of summer’ time of our wedding, as well as the beautiful gardens at The Stanwick Hotel. I was fortunate enough to marry Will who’s sister-in-law has written several books on dried flowers - she is an incredibly talented artist. Bex was kind enough to agree to make the wedding bouquets, the pocket holes and she decorated the dining room in the venue with beautiful garlands of dried flowers and pretty bunches hung along the ceiling beams; it was so pretty!

“my mum’s wedding dress also had long sleeves with a flared cuff, so it felt like a really lovely nod to that.”

— Ellie

THE WEDDING DRESS

What were you looking for in a wedding dress?

As Will is from Surrey and we had been living in Guildford for a couple of years, I knew I wanted my dress to be from somewhere in Surrey – partially for ease of trials and fittings but also because it felt lovely to have a bit of my new home there, in my old home (The Midlands), on the big day.

How did you choose the bridal boutiques you wanted to visit?

I had found a couple of dresses I liked on Pinterest and knew I needed to visit the boutique locally which sold those. I also was keen to try on some second hand dresses and found a local boutique which offered that. I chose BRIDE by Aster after googling local boutiques and being really impressed with the range of styles that they offered as I didn’t really know what I wanted, and wanted to try on everything from very classical, to a bit edgier. They ticked all the boxes for me! I also had fallen in love with one of the dresses on your website (although I didn’t end up getting that one!)

How many boutiques did you visit on your dress journey and how did you know you had found THE ONE?

I visited three boutiques. BRIDE by Aster was the second, but I was convinced my dream dress from Pinterest would be the dress in my third boutique of the journey. However, after trying on Darcy, I couldn’t stop thinking about her and none of the other dresses, even my favourite from Pinterest, matched her. I loved how she made me feel – glamorous, chic and stylish, but with a very romantic and classical feel. I also loved the long sleeves – I never thought I would choose a dress with long sleeves but it was just the right amount of ‘different’ I was looking for. Besides, my mum’s wedding dress also had long sleeves with a flared cuff so it felt like a really lovely nod to that.

What accessories did you choose and where did you buy them?

I chose a veil from a local boutique. I knew I wanted a veil with pearls going all the way down, and I wanted the veil to be longer than the dress. It was from Pamela Jane Bridal Boutique. I loved it and kept it on right up until the first dance – it really added to the simplicity of Darcy.

Did you enjoy dress shopping? Any especially good or not so good experiences?

Overall I did really enjoy it. In hindsight, I would maybe spread out the shops a little more. I went to three in two days but this was because my parents were visiting over that time and I wanted them both to be there. It can feel quite overwhelming, so spacing out appointments and time for reflection is important. Generally I had really pleasant experiences and everyone seemed very understanding and not too pushy.

“He’s such a big character, so big tartan suited him perfectly!!”

— ellie

How did you feel walking down the aisle in your dress and what did your partner think?

Walking down the aisle was a bit of a blur but I remember feeling so happy all day. My dress made me feel so special and we got married in the church that I had been going to since I was three years old. Seeing some old faces in the congregation was so special and looking back at the photos, my smile was enormous! In fact, lots of people commented that I didn’t stop smiling all day. I even had to take paracetamol because my face hurt from smiling so much! The dress felt so elegant, and walking down the aisle in my family church, is such a special memory that I will cherish forever.

Where did Will get his outfit from?

It was made for him by Roomten in Farnham. The tartan is specifically Irish Tartan from County Clare, as that’s where his mum is from. He really wanted a nod to Ireland and his mum’s heritage as it’s been such an important part of his life. He’s such a big character, so big tartan suited him perfectly!!

ADVICE AND REFLECTIONS

What was the most challenging part of the wedding planning process?

I loved wedding planning and in true Ellie style, everything was oragnised well in advance. I enjoyed doing small bits over a long period of time, so I never ended up feeling stressed about the wedding at all. I think the most challenging part probably came at the beginning of the process, as neither of us had any idea about what we wanted or what we wanted our wedding to look like, although we were very eager to keep it relaxed and fun for our guests. I mean, when you’ve never organised a wedding, where do you start?! It was a bit overwhelming at first, but we soon made the big decisions and then the little ones fitted in nicely. I would say that the initial guest list was also tricky! We love people, our friends and have a big family, so naturally, we wanted to invite everybody. Our budget and venue, however, would not allow for that. We felt a bit brutal at times but actually, it all worked out perfectly.

What advice would you give to other couples who are currently planning their wedding?

Enjoy it! Everybody says it but it really does go so quickly. For me, wedding planning and celebrating our engagement were all part of the process of the wedding as a whole. Make the things that seem daunting into fun date nights. For example when we were table planning, we set aside one whole evening, got a huge piece of card, lots of sticky notes, a bottle of wine and some good music and loved getting it organised. Similarly we made date nights out of wedding crafts – making the name places, designing the order of service, wrapping ribbons around things! It made the whole process feel so exciting and relaxed.

Is there anything you would have done differently about your wedding?

Honestly, looking back I could say there were a few things I would change and sometimes I ask myself if we made the right decisions about certain things. But then, I reflect and think that if we had changed anything, it wouldn’t have been ‘our wedding day’. What I remember most is how I felt all day - ecstatic! So even though we would have liked some more canapes or maybe a different menu, or should we have got a band or paid for a videographer? No, our wedding day was exactly how it was meant to be and it made us both so happy.

What was the best purchase you made for your wedding?

Definitely the wedding photographer! Since getting married just over a year ago, I can safely say there has not been a single week when I haven’t looked at some wedding photos in some capacity. Whether it’s the photos in our house, our screensavers on our phone, or remembering specific moments and scrolling through to photos to re-live it. The photos are our lasting memories of the day and it was the best money we spent. Plus, our photographer Mike was so relaxed and fun, that we hardly noticed he was there - when we did, he made things seem so easy and relaxed.