We love this oh-so-personal red and black wedding with quirky touches!
The proposal
“We were out mountain biking on Cannock Chase one sunny summer’s evening, and (as he told me later) Garrick was aiming to get to a viewing area to ask me to marry him, but because it was such a lovely day, all the viewing points were busy. In the end he stopped half way up a hill climb, while I was trailing behind all sweaty and dirty, and he just blurted it out!” laughs Gemma.
“To say I was surprised is an understatement. After 15 years together and no real mention of marriage I was gob-smacked into a stunned silence, and I’m rarely without a joke or a comment! Garrick plays his cards very close to his chest, and hadn’t told his plans to anyone (not even my dad in case he let it slip),” she adds.
The bride’s outfit
After a difficult year overcoming breast cancer, Gemma felt she deserved the chance to be indulgent, so she treated herself to not one, but two gorgeous wedding dresses. Her beautiful one-shoulder wonder was from KT Bridal in Broseley and the 1950s-inspired shorter dress was from Candy Anthony in London.
The groom’s outfit
“I trust Garrick’s taste implicitly, and was perfectly happy with his decision to hire his suit from Peter Posh,” remembers Gemma.
The bridesmaids
“I always loved the idea of a black and red combination, and also wanted my girls to wear a dress they felt comfortable in, and would want to wear again,” explains Gemma. The girls wore Debenhams dresses along with Melissa by Vivienne Westwood shoes to match the brides. Crafty Gemma also made button bouquets for herself and her best girls to carry down the aisle. We love them!
The ceremony
“Although we’re not regular church goers we both wanted a religious service because it made the sanctity of marriage more real,” says Gemma.
The reception
The reception took place at Madeley Court Hotel in Telford. The couple invited 36 day guests and a further 120 in the evening.
“The speeches were probably one of the most surprising parts of the day – I didn’t think any of the three were all that keen to perform, but they all did brilliantly. Dad wrote a poem that was funny, touching, and very clever. Garrick’s was personal and sweet, while the best man’s was just hilarious. Thank goodness I have them recorded on DVD so I can watch them again,” smiles Gemma.
The honeymoon
The first trip was a minimoon to Lake Garda and they also intend to use donations from the wedding to go to either New Zealand, Fiji or Canada – but haven’t made their minds up yet!
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