They were both living in Cyprus when Stuart and Amie met, their room mates knew each other, and so they eventually crossed paths. Stuart recreated on Amie how his room mate and girlfriend were together, with fake kissing, dancing and telling her he loved her! “I felt like Baby in Dirty Dancing when she gets whisked of her feet at the dance,” she says.
A little while after their first encounter Amie was taken ill and in hospital, wondering if Stuart would visit her… The evening she was discharged there was a knock at her door and it was Stu! “He’d heard I was ill but home now and was passing on his way back from work,” she says. “He brought a deck of cards to cheer me up with… wait for it… magic tricks!” He proposed to Amie by getting down on one knee with a ring in a sea shell at sunset, in super romantic Fiji. “He proposed on his own birthday!” says Amie.
Amie got her beautiful boho dress from brand Ghost. It was the only time in her whole life she’d bought something without trying on a hundred others first! When she walked into the store that her mother had suggested they visit, she spotted her dress and to her surprise both her and her mum said, “that’s the one!” Complementing the boho, effortless feel to the dress were rose gold Mehndi on her hands and feet, two rose gold upper arm cuffs, pearl anklets with lace and a pearl headband to attach the veil that her lovely mother had made for her. She finished off her stunning look with tall ivory platform sandals with laser cut lace detailing.
Amie’s flower girls were dressed in the most beautiful little swing dresses from BHS in ivory with pearl embellished collars and lace embroidery, accessorised with soft peach dolly bags. Her bridesmaid wore a long pleated nude dress from Miss Selfridge with
soft peach roses on a pearl wrist corsage for added detail. Each girl wore a delicate headband. Her groom and his best man all got their light grey suits from Next – the perfect colour to go with this amazing beach wedding day.
The couple found their venue when they went to the South of France for a long weekend: “we literally found this hidden gem of a restaurant,” says Amie. “It’s a quiet nature reserve, on a completely unspoilt beach without even a road to get there!” The restaurant itself is a temporary structure made from reclaimed timbers and driftwood, that the owner re-builds every May then takes down in September.” The ceremony was on the beach, and the meal and speeches took place in the Farmhouse.
A large part of Amie and Stuart choosing these gorgeous venues was that they didn’t have to do a lot of decorating because they were so beautiful already, “It would have been a crime to cover the tables with traditional white cloths!” says Amie. However, they did add some small touches – fine lace table runners, heart shaped pebbles, white bunting and picturesque fairy lights. The bride’s very talented mother made her bouquet and the flower girls corsages on the morning of the wedding with fresh flowers.
Food had a Catalonian influence – tapas share platters as starters with sangria, followed by duck or fish with white wine for the main and half baked chocolate cake with bourbon ice cream and champagne for dessert. Yum! Favours were thoughtful, and helpful – fans to cope with the heat – although, it turns out they had enough of a breeze anyway. But what about the cake? “Don’t ask! It was a total disaster, we didn’t get it until a day after the wedding.” Oops!
SUPPLIERS
LOCATION | The South of France
CEREMONY | On the beach
DRESS | Ghost
BRIDESMAIDS | Dresses from Miss Selfridge
FLOWER GIRLS DRESSES | BHS
GROOM | Suit, Next
ENTERTAINMENT | A “typical alcohol and disco combo” with a playlist made up of everyone’s individual requests!
HONEYMOON | Stuart arranged a South African safari – it was top of Amie’s list of things to do!
PHOTOGRAPHER | Hayley Pettit
