Katie & Laurence
This couple had the best fun at their funfair wedding in Cardiff Bay
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Eleanor Jane Photography,
eleanorjaneweddings.co.uk
Four years after first saying “I love you”, Laurence proposed to Katie at St David’s Hotel. “He gave me a box filled with fairy lights and Polaroid pictures with funny and romantic captions. There was a small package at the bottom of the box, which contained Scrabble pieces spelling out ‘Will you marry me?’. We both cried! Laurence even secretly filmed the entire thing.”
60 dresses into her search, Katie finally found a dress that balanced tradition with unique touches.
“Although I never had ‘that’ feeling with my Adriana Alier dress, it was the first time I felt comfortable and like the gown suited me, which was a relief! Aoife at the boutique, CocoMio Bridal, made the experience so enjoyable.”
The bride made her strapless gown her own by reducing the size of the skirt and adding a dusky pink belt, tied in a bow, to complement their colour scheme. The design also featured a fun overlay of white polka dot fabric.
“My parents gifted me a Vivienne Westwood necklace and my sister gave me the matching earrings for the big day. I chose a Crown & Glory veil with pom pom edging to complement the dots on my dress. And my shoes…”
“I’d chosen my gold, glittery Irregular Choice heels long before I even started looking for my dress!”
The groom chose Next suits in blue for himself and the ushers. “We bought the suits for the groomsmen as a way to say thank you for everything they’ve done, not only for me but for Katie and I as a couple, too,” Laurence explains. “We kept them secret so we could surprise Katie on the big day.”
“Laurence had promised he would be stood looking for me at the end of the aisle so I had someone to focus on as I walked in. I welled up when I saw him and couldn’t wait to be by his side.” Joining Katie for her big entrance were four bridesmaids. They dressed in Dessy gowns from All About Eve Bridal. Katie also chose four flower girls, who wore pink tutus made by the bride’s mother.
Despite having a hair mishap, rescued by her father at the very last minute, the bride stayed positive. “My makeup, on the other hand, was fantastic! The artist was hilarious and really added to the excitement of our wedding day. She used mostly MAC products and made my face look natural and wonderful.”
Laurence and Katie exchanged vows in a civil ceremony at St David’s Hotel & Spa, including ‘Blessing for a Marriage’ by James D Freeman and ‘The Art of a Good Marriage’ by Wilfred A Pertson.
“I was lost for words when Katie walked down the aisle, she looked so beautiful.”
“My dad cried the whole way down the aisle with me. Getting married was amazing, we hugged before we kissed and it was the best feeling,” Katie gushes. Rather aptly, then, the couple walked back up the aisle as husband and wife to ‘Best Day of My Life’ by American Authors.
High spirits continued into the speeches, where plenty of humour was added, too. “I spent the majority of my speech talking to Katie,” reveals Laurence, “thanking her for making my life into an exciting adventure – there’s never a dull moment when she’s around. I also offered a light-hearted apology to our guests for getting them up early enough for our 10.30am ceremony… and then came my surprise for the father of the bride.
When I asked his permission to marry Katie, he’d jokingly said yes so long as I provided a chicken and goat for a dowry, to which I agreed. I surprised him by adopting a goat from an animal sanctuary in his name, presenting him with a framed photograph and certificate during my speech. Luckily it went down well!”
Decorating their funfair wedding day by the beach, the couple chose a pink, gold and sparkly theme.
Giant pink and gold confetti balloons, provided by Bubblegum Balloons, and a gold tassel garland added instant fun as well as colour. Gold and pink pom-poms complemented the theme, and fairy lights filled windows.
“We also had a light box, decorative letters from Spotted Peach, my business, and giant wooden letters made by my father,” Katie says. Pink, purple and white blooms, supplied by Jayne Foote, blossomed from collected jam jars.
“My sister made our three-tier cake, decorated with white and gold icing and pink sugar peonies. My father made the cake stand and we bought a cake topper from Better Off Wed for a finishing touch.”
Surprises continued throughout the day, with Katie hiring magician, Adam James Reeves to perform after the ceremony, knowing her groom would love it. Laurence, in turn, arranged for a plane to fly a ‘Mr & Mrs Wilcox’ banner over Cardiff Bay, before the couple and their guests made the most of the beach’s fairground rides.
After such an exciting celebration, it seems a honeymoon that started in Las Vegas was the only way to go – and go Katie and Laurence did! They twinned Vegas with San Francisco for a relaxing finish to a fun-filled honeymoon.
Suppliers
CEREMONY St David’s Hotel & Spa, Cardiff Bay
RECEPTION VENUE Norwegian Church, Cardiff Bay
DRESS Adriana Alier, CocoMio Bridal
BRIDESMAID DRESSES Dessy
GROOM Next, Schuh, Tie Specialist
ACCESSORIES Vivienne Westwood, Crown & Glory, Irregular Choice
DÉCOR Bubblegum Balloons, Spotted Peach
FLOWERS Jayne Foote
ENTERTAINMENT Adam James Reeves, DJ Bryn Stone, Air Ads
VIDEOGRAPHER InstaWedding
