Hayley & Ross
Ross proposed in a small bistro while we were holidaying in France. It wasn’t a surprise because we had both talked about it and knew we were excited to get married, but it was perfect.
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My pleated, knee-length dress was ‘Made’ by L’agence and came from Harvey Nichols. It featured a corset top with pleated layers over the top and a tie at the waist. I didn’t want a traditional dress so this was exactly what I was looking for!
My parents gave me a Marisa Arna bracelet and my aunt, a florist, made my fantastic flower crown.
I added shoes from Topshop to complete my bridal look.
Ross looked dashing in a navy suit from Reiss.
I had three bridesmaids, my two cousins and my sister. We wanted the wedding to be colourful so they all wore brightly coloured dresses from ASOS and Hobbs.
My close friend Lesley Vye took care of my beauty for the day – she was the only person I wanted to ask having grown up with her. I’d definitely recommend having a friend do it if you can, it’s so much more relaxing.
Walking down the aisle with my dad and then back out with Ross was the best part for me. There was such a sense of happiness for us all. My mum also made a small speech and read a poem during the ceremony.
We had a buffet-style BBQ served to the tables. It worked brilliantly because guests could choose which meats and sides they would like best, rather than us choosing a set meal for them.
My dad gave a traditional father of the bride speech, and then Ross and I said a few words together. He then gave his groom’s speech. The speeches were rounded off by Ross’s best man.
A colourful and fun wedding was top of our priority list!
“We made our own origami backdrop of rainbow coloured birds and streamers for a homemade photo booth and sourced an abundance of colourful decorations to go around the barn. We also had a streamer backdrop and balloons for our cake table.”
My aunt, Paula Pryke, is a florist so she supplied our flowers in a wonderful array of colours. Her hard work transformed the barn into a real showstopper.
Another homemade affair, my mum made our traditional fruit cake. A friend also provided the cake toppers!
The Harmonics played for us during the reception and we also had plenty of garden games to keep everyone entertained and a photo booth to capture some funny snaps. Hiring a band was our best planning decision – it made a massive difference!
Rather than providing traditional favours, we put crackers on each table that contained temporary tattoo transfers. Our guests had a lot of fun with those!
We chose ‘My Girl’ for our first dance because it is a song we both really love.
We honeymooned in Corsica, indulging in some sunshine, swimming and lots of wine!
“Instead of choosing traditional transport, we opted to cycle to the reception as a group with our bridesmaids and best men. It was brilliant fun!”
Seeing all our friends and family together and celebrating made the day perfect.
Make your own dessert and get friends to help – it’ll save you money and is great fun! When you’re planning, stay true to what you want and not what others think you should do, then relax and enjoy the day because it really does go by quickly.
CEREMONY Ickworth Hotel | RECEPTION VENUE Suffolk Barn, Hawstead | DRESS L’agence at Harvey Nichols | BRIDESMAID DRESSES ASOS and Hobbs | GROOM Reiss | JEWELLERY Marisa Arna | SHOES Topshop | FLOWERS Paula Pryke | ENTERTAINMENT The Harmonics | PHOTOGRAPHER Francesca Secolonovo
