Scott proposed to me on our 6 year anniversary. He made me breakfast in bed and when he came back up the stairs he returned with a bunch of red roses and got down on one knee next to the bed. He had even put a bottle of champagne on ice downstairs, it was very romantic.
Scott and I both knew we wanted to get married somewhere modern and contemporary so when we found Moddershall Oaks Country Spa Retreat we knew it was the place for us. They have the most stunning Swarovski chandeliers in the function room and the venue is set in beautiful woodland.
The staff couldn’t do enough for us and the spa facilities were just amazing, in fact we all took full advantage of these the day after our wedding. Our bridal party stayed overnight in beautiful 5 star rooms. It meant a lot to us that we could spend the day after with the people we cared about the most.
The theme we decided on was classic black and white with diamonds. We went back and looked around the venue again and got the inspiration from its modern décor. I also looked through wedding magazines and Pinterest to get ideas.
I’m a big lover of taking photographs, it’s rare to find me at a party or special occasion without a camera strapped to my hand to document every moment. As I couldn’t be the one taking the photographs at my wedding I knew I had to get a photographer that was going to do a brilliant job.
Sam Rigby Photography was recommended by a family friend, as soon as we met her and saw her photographs we knew she was the one who could capture our special day the way we wanted. Scott is not keen on having his photo taken and getting him to smile can be a challenge. She made us both feel at ease and managed to get amazing natural photos as well as gorgeous posed shots. We hired a photo booth for the evening which went down great with all the guests. We put all the photos in the guest book and people wrote next their photo. It’s a brilliant keepsake.
My bridesmaid Katie did my hair on the wedding day. She’s such a fantastic hairdresser I was so privileged to have her style my hair as well as the other bridesmaids.
My mother in law made the cake which looked and tasted amazing. She really did well to go along with our black and white theme. I used local suppliers for decorations and flowers who were recommended by my venue. I explained my theme and they both ran with it. When we stepped foot into the room where we had our wedding breakfast it took our breath away. I couldn’t recommend them more.
The whole day was so perfect that choosing my favourite things is so difficult. One of the most special moments is my best friend Sammy sang A Thousand Years by Christina Perri during our ceremony. It was so emotional there was barely a dry eye in the house. We’ve been friends since the age of 4 where we met in reception, she said she liked my shoes and we haven’t looked back since. I have always loved her voice, it was very special and something I will never forget.
The speeches were definitely one of my favourite parts of the day in particular Scott’s. He’s very quiet natured and I knew getting up in front of 70 plus people was such a big thing for him to overcome. His speech was incredible and meant so much to me. I couldn’t have been prouder of him.
If I had any advice for people getting married it would be to relax and enjoy every aspect of it all. From the planning, to the day itself, just have faith that it will all work out in the end and be the best day of your life. It can be hard to let go but trust the people you have hired, this will pay off and relieve a lot of stress.
Venue: Moddershall Oaks Country Spa Retreat. www.moddershalloaks.com
Wedding decorations: Venue Perfection www.venueperfection.com
Dress: Sottero & Midgley, Wedding Belles at Four Oaks www.weddingbellesbridal.co.uk
Hair: Katie Mulcahy @KatieMulcahy85
Photography: Sam Rigby Photography www.samrigbyphotography.co.uk
