The proposal
Making the most of one of their favourite hobbies, James popped the question while they were on a skiing holiday. “One of our favourite things to do together is skiing – we were on holiday in Alpe d’Huez in January 2011 when Jim took me to the top of a mountain,” explains Alex. “We skied down, and about half way he stopped to ‘get a drink’. He was rummaging in his bag for a while, and eventually pulled out a Kinder Surprise – my favourite chocolate. He handed it to me, then unclipped his skis and got down on one knee. My ring was hidden inside the plastic egg,” beams Alex
The bride’s outfit
All of Alex’s dress wishes came true when she put on her silk wedding gown from Ellis Bridals. “I knew it was ‘the one’ because I felt so excited and couldn’t wait for Jim to see me in it. Also, at first I didn’t think I wanted to wear a long veil, but it ended up being my favourite accessory of the day!” smiles Alex
The groom’s outfit
“My mum used to own a men’s formal hire business called Harrington’s Hire in Guildford. She is still very good friends with the man who bought the shop off her, so we got all the groomsmen’s outfits from there,” explains Alex
The bridesmaids
Our bride found picking the right bridesmaid dress the hardest challenge. “I had a clear colour and style in mind – but couldn’t find anything like it,” says Alex. LK Bennett came up trumps in the end
The ceremony
Our couple were married in St James Church in Shere, the same church where bride Alex was christened, in the village where she grew up. Their service included two readings and three different hymns
The reception
Following the church service guests were taken to Bartholomew Barn for the wedding breakfast and evening festivities. “We had 90 guests who stayed for the whole day – we wanted to avoid that awkward moment when sober evening guests arrive,” explains Alex. “I knew I wanted us to all enjoy a sit-down meal together, so we served up pear and stilton tart to start, roast lamb for mains and an amazing crème brûlée cheesecake for dessert. I also sourced all the decorations myself, and with the help of our best man and his wife we decorated the room beautifully. There was a lot of emphasis on purple, flowers, hearts and candles, but it wasn’t over the top,” she adds
The honeymoon
“We organised our own trip, which was a 10-day road trip around California, followed by a further 10 days in Fiji,” remembers Alex. “It was a long way for us to go, but totally worth it.”
Alex and James’ photo gallery
