How they met
“We were both a bit drunk when we first met!” laughs Julia. “We were introduced by mutual friends on a night out at University. A few weeks later we went on our first date to a Mexican restaurant in Canterbury called Cafe Des Amis,” she adds.
The proposal
“It was a bright crisp Monday morning in February 2012 with no clouds in the sky,” remembers Julia. “We’d decided to go for a walk along Whitstable beach as it was such a nice day. I saw an old beaten-up boat in the pebbles, went over to investigate and Rob suggested we have a sit down on the breakwater. We sat there for quite a while so I suggested we carry on the walk as we may get piles (great subject for this special moment!) but Rob had no intention of moving as he was just waiting for a few fellow walkers to leave the section of beach before popping the question!”
The bride’s outfit
Julia looked a million dollars in her breathtaking Allure gown, that she bought from Orange Blossom in Kent. “I felt like a princess in the snow,” beams our bride. “The silver thread in the lace glistened and reminded me of fresh snow.
“I also felt relieved because by that point I’d been looking for ‘the one’ for quite a long time, searching for the perfect dress.” Julia used a multi-layered pearl necklace, and transformed it into a delicate hairband. Her necklace was a sliver locket borrowed from the groom’s mum.
The groom’s outfit
Robert’s wedding day outfit was all found as individual pieces on the high street. The white shirt and light coloured jacket were bought at Zara, the ‘slate’ trousers were from H&M, the belt from burtons and shoes from Kurt Geiger.
The bridesmaids
Julia’s three beautiful best girls wore dresses that she found in the House of Fraser sale. “Because they were half price, we bought an extra dress and then cut the material up to use as straps for the bridesmaids’ dresses and cravats for the men,” explains Julia.
The ceremony
The couple chose a traditional Roman Catholic wedding ceremony. “My greatest memory was definitely when my Polish grandmother (a witness to our marriage) took my hand during the ceremony to have a look at the ring. She sadly died while we were on honeymoon, so this memory has since become even more special to me,” recalls Julia.
The flowers
“We chose Blackwells Florist in Bexley Village, Kent,” says Julia. “This florist is local to us, and I always buy my flowers from them as they last so long. They didn’t add on money as soon as I said ‘wedding’ – just charged us for the blooms they used. I gathered some jars from friends, decorated them and the florist filled them with lots of beautiful spring flowers,” she adds.
The reception
The couple had their reception at the beautiful Preston Court. “We both feel very strongly about using local produce where possible and our wedding breakfast menu reflected this,” says Julia. “The lamb was the most tender meat I have ever tasted and the potatoes were so delicious I went back for seconds!”
The details
“Our reception venue was already so quirky and beautiful, it didn’t require much extra decoration,” remembers Julia. “The favours were small white porcelain pots, which I had painted with a flower motif and each guest’s name, so they worked as place cards, too. These added some greenery and decoration to the tables.”
The cake
“Neither Rob nor I have a sweet tooth, so we chose to have a cheese cake rather than a sponge cake. It was comprised of five layers of rounds of cheese stacked on top of the other and decorated with ivy and raffia. We served the cheese as dessert, which saved us a lot of money.”
The first dance
“We always knew we’d choose Many Of Horror by Biffy Clyro,” explains Julia. “The lyrics are about being so madly in love you can’t live without each other, but also wanting to kill each other sometimes!” she laughs.
The honeymoon
“We really spoilt ourselves with a three-week trip starting in San Francisco, taking Route One to San Diego, then a week in Maui, Hawaii and finished off in Vegas,” says Julia.
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