How they met
“I really fancied David the first time I laid eyes on him,” remembers Danielle. “He was the site manager, looking after the refurbishment on the ward opposite mine. However, I thought he would have a girlfriend, so I didn’t bother going to chat to him. Luckily for me, my friend from work accosted him in the lift on my behalf, and after a small interrogation (to make sure he was suitable for me!), she swapped our numbers. He sent me a text message later that day,” she smiles
The proposal
For their one-year anniversary, David booked a surprise holiday to Barcelona. “While we were there he arranged for us to take a helicopter flight and he presented me with a gorgeous Tiffany ring, just as we were flying over the city. I was completely and utterly surprised! I had no idea he’d been planning to ask me – I definitely didn’t see it coming,” adds Danielle
The bride’s outfit
“I was extremely lucky – I actually won my wedding dress in a competition,” beams Danielle. “The gown was handmade, especially for me by the very talented Claire Pettibone, in conjunction with Blackburn Bridal Couture in London. It was a halterneck design, with cotton underneath and a tulle layer over the top,” she explains. Danielle completed her aisle style with a tiara she borrowed from one of her bridesmaids, cute heels from Rainbow Club and a pair of earrings that were a gift from David
The groom’s outfit
David looked a million dollars in his dark-grey morning suit from Andrew McDowall in Chichester. “He looked so handsome, and couldn’t stop smiling,” recalls Danielle. “I was actually very relieved when I saw him, because in the lead up to the wedding he kept teasing me saying he was going to wear jeans. I was really pleased to see him looking so smart!” she laughs
The bridesmaids
Danielle was looked after on the day by her four fabulous bridesmaids – her two sisters, Abbie and Bryony and two best friends, Fay and Kim. The girls wore gorgeous frocks from Alfred Angelo, making them very easy on the eye. Their dresses were bought from Proposals in Chichester
The ceremony
Danielle was walked down the aisle by her father for their civil ceremony at Grittenham Barn. Their service included three readings; On Your Wedding Day, The One, and a final extract with an unknown title. The barn was then transformed into a wonderful reception space, ready for the wedding breakfast.
The flowers
“Our flowers were all by the brilliant Angel Like Flowers,” explains Danielle. “We said that we didn’t want any particular colours, we just wanted country flowers. I really couldn’t have been more pleased with the final result! We have had so many compliments about how gorgeous they were, even our registrar took a picture of my bouquet on her phone and she said they were the nicest she had ever seen. David really didn’t want a traditional flower as a buttonhole so he chose a seed pod with lavender and sage leaves, for something really unique,” she adds
The details
“The barn had lots of stunning fairy lights inside, and as we didn’t want to take away from how beautiful it already was, we just decorated it very simply with bunting that we bought online,” recalls Danielle.
The cake
Danielle had originally hoped to be a bit of a DIY bride in the kitchen, however, when disaster struck, it was her husband-to-be who came to the rescue! “The wedding cupcakes I tried to make went wrong from the very beginning, so I rang David in tears,” remembers Danielle. “He calmed me down and put in a call to our caterers, who made 100 vanilla cupcakes at the very last minute!”
The favours
The couple decided not to have traditional favours, but Danielle’s sisters surprised them both with a sweetie table for the evening reception. Our bride also left magic tricks and colouring books on the tables for the children to play with, along with giant garden games like Jenga, croquet and Connect 4 for the big ones!
The honeymoon
Danielle and David spent three incredible nights in New York followed by a super relaxing seven-night stay in Barbados.
Danielle and David’s real wedding gallery
