After meeting on a blind date, Stevie and Kit took the next step in their relationship with a romantic proposal during a winter walk at Hampton Court Palace. Following that wonderful moment, it was time to start planning their fabulous wedding.
The Wedding & Reception Venue
From the outset, Stevie and Kit knew that they wanted their wedding day to be fun and relaxed. Their priorities were for their guests to enjoy themselves and celebrate in style, so the first task on the wedding to-do list was to find the perfect venue.
“We viewed three venues and we just knew that Gaynes Park was right for us as soon as we arrived and were shown around. The whole venue was beautiful – the Orangery, the Mill Barn and the gardens.”
“Gaynes Park is the perfect blend of rustic and glamorous and gave us everything we wanted.”
Wedding Planning
When it came to deciding on the details of the day, Stevie and Kit let their wedding develop organically and, rather than sticking to a rigid colour scheme or theme, they simply chose items and ideas that they loved.
“We learned very early on that weddings come in all shapes, sizes and budgets. Once we had an initial budget in mind, I created a simple spreadsheet to help keep track of spending, who was paying for what and when. This was very helpful as it can be so easy to go over-budget and get carried away when buying things for your wedding.”
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Stevie found her gorgeous Justin Alexander gown at Confetti & Lace after a lot of searching, and it’s fair to say that the style she chose was quite a surprise.
“My dress wasn’t the style I thought I would choose at all! I cried when I put it on, and it was the first dress that actually made me feel like a bride and not just like someone playing dress up.”
Stevie accessorised her look with Rachel Simpson shoes (something new), Kit’s grandmother’s pearl earrings (something old) and she also borrowed a blue garter from her mum. Stevie’s chapel-length veil by Richard Designs was held in place with a dried floral crown by Folkey Dokey and this bespoke piece was absolutely stunning.
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Stevie’s five bridesmaids wore lace tops and tulle skirts from For Her & For Him and although Stevie found choosing their outfits a little tricky, she received so many comments about their outfits and skirt colours of dusky rose, olive green and mustard, looked totally divine.
It’s fair to say that Kit looked every inch the super sharp groom on the big day and he even managed to keep his look a secret from Stevie.
“Kit’s suit was from Alexandra Wood Bespoke in Shoreditch and was kept a surprise from me until the wedding day. It was green tweed and I absolutely loved it (although I felt slightly sorry for the men having to wear tweed in 30-degree heat!). He looked so handsome. The groomsmen, and my dad, hired matching grey suits from the same shop, also in tweed.”
Stevie and Kit planned a fun and quirky wedding that was filled with sunflowers and so many brilliant details.
“We worked with Mediterranean Occasions to decorate on the day. The Mill Barn was dressed with a nude ribbon backdrop, twinkly festoon lighting and electric candles leading to the mezzanine. Paper lanterns were hung from the ceiling of the Gather Barn and we hired garden games from The Prop Factory for our guests to enjoy during the drinks reception in the Walled Garden.”
In the Orangery, photographs of the couple’s parents and grandparents on their wedding days were placed all around. It was one of the details that was incredibly special to Stevie and it didn’t go unnoticed by the couple’s guests.
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Stevie & Kits cake was also a huge hit and the flavours were just amazing! Layers of lemon, pina colada, white chocolate and raspberry and a rich chocolate came together to create a delicious semi-naked cake, decorated with a Lady & The Tramp themed cake topper.
On the day, Stevie was accompanied down the aisle by her father. “I loved walking down the aisle and having a chat with my dad on the way down and seeing Kit’s nervous but excited face at the other end! Our mums gave our readings and we asked them to choose the reading themselves. Kit’s mum read an extract from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery and my mum read Union by Robert Fulghum. Both were lovely.”
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The ceremony was followed by a drinks reception in the Walled Garden before guests made their way to the Mill Barn for a sumptuous wedding breakfast.
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As is traditional, Stevie and Kit started their evening reception with their first dance. They chose the upbeat and joyful ‘Dela’ by Johnny Clegg. After that, guests hit the dancefloor and were entertained by band Groove Therapy and DJ Graeme Smith, both booked via Wedding Jam.
“We also had a temporary tattoo station that my mum helped to set up, which ended up being a big hit. It was so funny to see people getting more tattooed up as the night went on and seeing people at breakfast the next morning in the Coach House still covered in love hearts and pineapples!”
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“There were so many ‘best parts of the day’ that it’s hard to choose just one! But I really did love our first dance. There was something pretty special about dancing with my new husband in my wedding dress and our matching Converse to our favourite song and to have all of our loved ones surrounding us and cheering us on. I’m not sure that we’ll ever get to recreate that feeling again. It was magical.”
“If we could do it all again, we’d do everything the same because our wedding was everything we ever wanted! My best tip would be to only take the advice you find useful and forget the rest. Do exactly what you and your other half want.”
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