Today we share Amber and Joey‘s wedding on the 8th of July 2021 at Elmore Court which had 97 guests.
YOUR LOVE STORY
How did you first meet?
We first met at Durham University during a Swing Dance class. Joey was teaching and I was trying not to trip over my own feet. We saw each other at a few more classes and then went to a Postmodern Jukebox concert together and realised how much we liked each other.
The proposal: was it a complete surprise and where did it happen?
We were on holiday in Rome and Joey was planning to propose at some point later in the week but couldn’t wait so popped the question on the first night in front of the Trevi Fountain.
THE BASICS
Which three words would you use to describe your wedding?
Colourful, Elegant, Romantic.
Did you have a wedding planner? If so, what role did they play in your planning?
Elmore Court provided a wedding planner for us, Adele, who was absolutely incredible. She had multiple meetings with us throughout the lead-up, but particularly when the Covid guidelines changed the week before our wedding and she still made it all work just the way we wanted.
Who was your photographer and how did you choose them? Our photographer and videographer were Gaetano di Giacomo Media Productions. We stumbled across him on Facebook but were blown away by his videos when we dug deeper into his website. We loved his style and he was so helpful in answering all our questions to make sure we were completely happy with the process.
Did you have a videographer? If so, who were they and why did you choose them? See above.
Why did you choose this particular venue?
We looked around so many different venues, both in the Cotswolds where we currently live and also in Norfolk where I’m from, but as soon as we looked around Elmore we immediately knew it was the one. I had always dreamed of an English country house wedding and Elmore was the epitome of this, with a beautiful ceremony room and purpose-built reception venue on the grounds so we could dance the night away.
They were the complete package; the staff were incredibly attentive, the food was incredible, and the grounds were stunning. There were plenty of rooms for friends and family to stay in and a beautiful drawing room with a private bar so we could continue the party into the night.
AISLE STYLE
Where was your dress from (please include shop/boutique, design and make, if relevant)?
My dress was an Oleg Cassini from David’s Bridal in Ivory Stone.
Please describe your dress – material, finishing touches, style
Mermaid style off-the-shoulder dress with a cathedral train, six different types of lace, and 3,000 beads.
My mother made my evening dress which was a simple silk a-line short dress, perfect for swing dancing.
Did you have any other accessories?
(Jewellery, veil, tiara, shrug etc.) I wore a long champagne waterfall veil from Rainbow Club with a dried wildflower hair comb to compliment our wildflowers theme. I wore my mother’s pearl drop earrings that she wore to her wedding as something borrowed.
What did your husband and groomsmen wear?
My husband and groomsmen wore peacock blue three-piece suits from Moss Bros with floral ties from Etsy and tan brogues. They had wildflower buttonholes made by our florist to match our bouquets,
THE WEDDING LOOK
What were your wedding colours?
We couldn’t settle on specific colours and really loved the countryside feel of the venue so went with a wildflower theme. There were lots of pale blues, pinks, yellows and a spot of lilac. Our bridesmaids wore matching high-neck dresses in dusty blue chiffon and we had blue tapered candles on our tables.
Did you have a theme or a particular inspiration for your wedding? See above.
Which flowers did you have in your bouquet and in your arrangements at the wedding? (Please include the name of your florist) Our fantastic florist Amber Persia put together a huge loose bouquet of delphiniums, foxgloves, sweet peas, cornflowers and peonies. It was finished with hand-died trailing ribbons in dusty blue to match the bridesmaids. We used similar flowers to line the aisles and in a variety of vintage glassware on our tables.
What other decorations did you have?
The venue itself was already beautifully decorated so there wasn’t much else required, but we had a collection of tall tapered candles behind us at the top of the aisle in our colour scheme to create a nice glow.
What was your stationery like (from invites to table plans and menus)?
I designed all of our stationary myself and drew a line art sketch of our venue as the header for our invitations. I wanted everything to match and created an invitation bundle including helpful information and our website. I created individual menu cards that were part of the place settings and printed out all of the place cards onto wildflower seed paper so that they could double as favours for the guests to take home and plant.
How did you decorate and name your tables? We went with three long tables plus the head table so that we could have all of our guests interact. Down the middle, we had a scattering of tapered candles in glass candlesticks, tealights, and vintage glass vases for our wildflowers.
What individual touches did you include (e.g. any DIY details, unusual ideas, personalisation)? One of our friends made a copper arch for us to hang our acrylic table plan from, which we later repurposed into a photo booth later in the night.
THE WEDDING EXPERIENCE
What was the weather like?
The weather was perfect sunshine all day, despite a forecast of rain in the morning, and even ended with a beautiful sunset as the perfect surprise.
What pre-reception drinks did you serve?
We created his and hers cocktails; Joey’s was a Harvey Wallbanger, and mine was our own concoction which we called a Bakewell fizz – amaretto, cherry syrup, and pink Prosecco. They were all topped with edible wildflowers and cherries.
Who made your wedding cake and what was it like?
Our wedding cake was made by Confetti Cakes and was three tiers – Baileys, Lemon and Poppyseed, and Chocolate Orange, which were all incredible. It had a simple buttercream finish which I then decorated myself on the morning of the wedding with edible wildflowers that I had pressed for a few weeks at home!
What kind of entertainment did you have?
As we are both swing dancers, we had a fantastic swing band called The Chaser Quartet who did some classic jazz and then a set of jazzy modern pop songs. We had L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole as our first dance which meant a lot to us. As I walked down the aisle we had Joey’s best man play Butterfly Waltz by Brian Crain live on the piano which was beautiful.
Did you provide any favours? As above.
AND FINALLY…
NOW YOU’RE MARRIED
What were your most memorable moments from the day?
My most memorable moment was revealing my dress to my bridesmaids and my father for the first time, I will forever remember their reactions. We were blown away by all the speeches and have watched them back multiple times on our wedding film.
What planning advice would you give other couples?
Make sure you get in quickly with your key elements such as venue and photographer, as they tend to be booked up the earliest and go with your gut. We would highly recommend having a videographer as it is our favourite way to look back on the day and share with friends.
