“We wanted a real wedding day full of cherry-blossom-pink simplicity”…
The first date
“David came to my house for a meal and enthusiastically sat there eating garlic bread to be polite, even though he is actually allergic to it!” laughs Laura.
The proposal
“David had booked to propose the romantic way – in a hot-air balloon!” remembers Laura. “The weather was so awful though that the ride was cancelled and David ended up proposing in his car!”
The bride’s real wedding outfit
“I loved it as soon as I saw it,” says Laura. “I’m not really into frills and sequins, so this simple, elegant and timeless design by Alfred Angelo was just perfect. It felt like the real wedding dress I’d always dreamed of.” Laura’s ivory taffeta gown with a lace-up back, was bought from Ann’s Bridal Room.
The groom’s outfit
David wore grey pinstripe trousers with black tails and a blush-pink cravat, all from Birtchnells in Berkhamsted. “He looked very smart indeed and very happy,” says Laura. “He was positively beaming at me as I met him at the altar!”
“Having everyone you love in the world there with you to celebrate your union is quite a humbling thought…”
The bridesmaids
“There were eight (yes, eight!),” laughs Laura. “I have a very large family and I wanted to include the girls on David’s side too, so we just thought the more the merrier! I wanted them to wear something that could be adapted to suit a range of ages in my favourite colour: cherry-blossom pink. The grown-up girls wore full-length gowns in a strapless design, while the two twelve-year-olds had straps on their dresses. My eightyear- old flowergirl, Nicholle, had a cream inlay on her dress, whereas everyone else had pink.” Laura’s girls wore Hilary Morgan designs, bought from a local dressmaker in Dunstable.
The ceremony
“We had one biblical reading and one secular poem during our church service,” explains Laura. “The sun filtered through the stainglass windows and lit us up as we became man and wife, which was just magical,” she adds
“After seeing a previous attempt of my dad speaking on DVD, it was a bit of a worry, let’s say. He was under strict instructions!”
The reception
The couple continued their real wedding celebrations at The Node in Codicote. “We designed our own welcome board at the entrance to the venue with pictures of us both when we were younger,” says Laura. “For the centrepieces, we placed three floating carnation heads in dark pink, light pink and cream, with wild grass in fishbowls, and then placed these on circular mirrors. Silver and pink confetti was scattered on the tables to look like stardust.”
The cake
The couple designed their own three-tiered cream and pink extravaganza, with a tumbling tower of iced flowers – A real wedding treat if there ever was one!
The honeymoon
“We went to Borneo and stayed in rainforest lodges – what an experience!” says Laura.
