Sarah was home from university for Christmas when she first met Gary. “I'd gone out with some friends in Hitchin and Gary was in the same pub. We had a mutual friend so our groups mixed throughout the evening,” Sarah says. “We noticed each other and started chatting as we were leaving the pub – a bit tipsy with Dutch courage! We found out that we only lived five doors down from each other!”
A few years later during a holiday in Vietnam, Gary proposed. “We were in a restaurant in one of the tallest buildings in Ho Chi Minh with huge windows overlooking the city. There was only one other couple in there at the time, so he took the chance to propose while it was quiet and private,” Sarah recalls. “I thought he was messing around at first! It was lovely and a complete surprise.”
Here, Sarah tells us more about their big day…
I wore a dress from Essense of Australia. It was summery with lots of detail and a long train, with blush undertones. My mum owns a bridal shop, so it was quite easy to find exactly what I wanted.
I opted for natural make-up and wore my hair down in loose waves.
I accessorised with a cathedral-length, lace-edged veil with Swarovski crystals and gold, glittery Jimmy Choos.
Gary wore a lightweight greyish blue three-piece suit. The groomsmen wore the same but had light pink ties and Gary wore a floral tie with matching colours.
Our bridesmaids looked gorgeous in long blush dresses that were lovely and floaty and off-the-shoulder.
The Barn at Alswick is a contemporary airy space ina stunning old barn. We loved the stunning grounds with immaculate flowers and a wild meadow.
I wanted the flowers to be a big part of the day. My wild bouquet was huge and brimming with my favourites peonies, roses and hydrangeas. I loved it!
My dad drove me to the venue in his classic white Porsche 911, which has been a big part of my life as I grew up.
We had milk jugs full of flowers at the ceremony that smelt beautiful in the summer sunshine and roses in jars were tied to the chairs with ribbon.
Our Mr and Mrs Patterson black board was hand-painted by my friend Katie
We opted for a mixture of high and low centrepieces. We had candelabra and hurricane vases with candles and floral arrangements that were placed on gold table runners.
My friend Katy designed and illustrated our wedding stationery to match our colour scheme and flowers.
Our table plan followed the same design as our stationery and we added the finishing touch by placing it an antique gold frame.
The amazing tuk tuk photo booth reminded us of one of our firstholidays together in Thailand. It was a great hit with our guests!
We wanted a simple cake that matched our theme. We chose red velvet, lemon drizzle and Victoria sponge it was delicious.
For our favours we had gin and tonic and prosecco flavoured sweets as they're our favourite drinks and guests loved the sweet cart.
A pianist played during the ceremony and a five-piece band got the party started later on with a mix of modern and classic tunes. We barely left the dancefloor all night!
Gary arranged for an ice cream van to turn up in the evening as a surprise. It was the perfect treat. We even had a go at making the perfect Mr Whippy it's harder than it looks!
Bride's dress and accessories
Bridesmaid's dresses
Cake
Catering
Entertainment
Entertainment
Flowers
Groom's suit
Hair
Make-up
Photo booth
Photographer
Stationery
Venue
Venue styling