Hayley & Umesh
A romantic glamour theme for this elegant white and pink wedding
PHOTOGRAPHY BY The Crawleys, the-crawleys.com
The romance of the Caribbean was not lost on Hayley and Umesh, with this groom choosing an evening stroll along a beach in Aruba to pop the question to Hayley. “I wasn’t expecting a proposal, but I was a little suspicious as to why he was so enthusiastic about going for a walk at night. He got down on one knee with a diamond ring and of course I said yes!”
“The Pronovias gown I chose was the opposite of what I thought I wanted.”
Hayley’s experience choosing her wedding dress was equally as surprising. “I’d had something sleek with straps in mind, but my dress had a tulle, frilled skirt, a sweetheart neckline and a train. I tried on about 15 dresses, but some I just tried on for fun!”
The bride accessorised with a full-length veil, a Pronovias pearl belt and two pairs of sandals – a nude pair by Valentino and a pair that sparkled with Swarovski crystals and pearls.
“Umesh opted for a dark blue suit from Hugo Boss. He wore a pink tie to match the bridesmaid dresses too. For our Hindu ceremony, Umesh wore a really intricate outfit called a Sherwani, from India. I was a little nervous on the wedding morning, but my nerves quickly turned into excitement when I saw Umesh!”
Three bridesmaids attended Hayley. “They wore pink Reiss dresses with pearl jewellery and looked amazing. My nephew also walked down the aisle ahead of us, carrying a ‘Here Comes the Bride’ sign.” Super cute! “Travelling to the venue with the girls in a Rolls Royce was one of the most surreal moments of the day!”
“A good friend of mine recommended my hair and makeup artist, Fatimah. She is so talented and used Kryolan, MAC and NARS products to create my look.”
“It was only on my wedding morning that I realised how important suppliers’ personalities are, as well as their work.”
“Fatimah is so calm and kind and it made all the difference. Find images of the looks you like to take to your trial and purchase the lipstick or pencil that you’ll wear on the day so that you can reapply. My makeup stayed in place beautifully!”
Hayley and Umesh celebrated their marriage first with a Hindu ceremony, tying the knot in a civil ceremony the next day at Combermere Abbey, too. “My father walked me down the aisle, making me laugh along the way which helped me to relax and enjoy the moment. We had a harpist playing some traditional Indian songs.”
After the ceremony, the newlyweds invited their guests to indulge in a fusion feast. “We offered everyone a choice of three menus to pre-order from and the food had an Indian twist. Dishes included curried cauliflower velouté, Tandoori-marinated salmon with fennel, apple and red cabbage slaw, and Earl Grey panna cotta with caraway shortbread and dehydrated strawberries.”
“One of the highlights of the day were the speeches – they all left us in stitches!”
The couple styled their day on a romantic glamour theme, choosing a pink, silver and white colour palette. “We ordered foil-pressed invitations and place cards from Minted and metallic pearl pocket folds from Pocketfold Invites. We designed our own personalised, foiled stickers too using Sticky Things.
The day was entirely organised by us, with the help of our suppliers and the team at Combermere Abbey. My mum and siblings ensured everything was in order at the venue while we got ready.”
Keeping their romantic glamour theme simple, flowers were displayed in silver mercury glass vases, mixed with matching candleholders that were filled with scented Yankee candles. The Flower Divas took care of the blooms, working with blousy roses and high-impact hydrangeas to create their chosen elegantly romantic look.
Bloomsbury Wedding Cakes created the four-tier wedding cake, decorated in silver leaf and pink flowers and featuring red velvet, coconut and lemon layers.
“Planning the cake was one of the most fun parts of the planning process, particularly as Marise from Bloomsbury Wedding Cakes served us afternoon tea to try a selection of flavours!”
“With Umesh being Hindu and a lot of his family attending, some travelling all the way from India, we wanted to ensure there was something for everyone when it came to entertainment. We had a harpist playing traditional Indian songs before our DJ, Funkasia, took over. He created a play list of many genres, including Bhangra.”
“Our first dance was to a slow cover of Justin Bieber and Major Lazer’s ‘Cold Water’.”
“It was a few weeks before the wedding and we still hadn’t chosen a song. Then we saw Black Dylan cover this song on television. We asked our DJ if he’d be able to arrange for us to dance to it and he went the extra mile, organising it for us in a short time frame.”
After the wedding, the couple honeymooned in Santorini. “I’ve always wanted to go there,” Hayley reveals. “I’m so glad we did because it was one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen. We stayed at the Cocoon Suites where we had our own private Jacuzzi with views over the ocean. It was the perfect place to enjoy the sunset from!”
“After the ceremony, our photographers took us away for photos in the beautiful gardens and the lakeside abbey. We are so grateful that our photographer Liam captured such stunning photos for us.”
SUPPLIERS
VENUE Combermere Abbey
DRESS Pronovias
BRIDESMAID DRESSES Reiss
GROOM Hugo Boss
ACCESSORIES Pronovias, Valentino
INVITATIONS Minted, Pocketfold Invites, Sticky Things
FLOWERS The Flower Divas
CAKE Bloomsbury Wedding Cakes
ENTERTAINMENT Rachael Gladwin, Funkasia
HONEYMOON Cocoon Suites, Santorini
