Your Real Wedding
Mia and Donovan met on match.com. Their first date was in Wimbledon in January 2007, Donovan met Mia at the station and gave her a single red rose.
The Proposal
Donovan proposed on Valentine's Day 2008 during a holiday in South Africa, where they stayed in a log cabin in Tztsikamma Lodge along the Garden Route. After a romantic meal they walked across a beautiful bridge where Donovan proposed. Donovan had arranged for the log cabin to be decorated with flowers, candles, chocolates & pink champagne for their return!
The Bride’s Outfit
Mia found an amazing place called Designer Wedding Dress Exchange and was amazed with the choice of stunning one off designer gowns & accessories. The dress was a Maggie Sotero for only £500 (originally £2,000!). Most of the dresses were ex-samples or only worn in photo shoots. The dress was complimented by a stunning shrug with fur trim by Suzanne Neville.
The Groom’s Outfit
The groomsmen wore black tails with cranberry silk waistcoats and cream cravats and Donovan wore a cream waistcoat and cranberry cravat, all from Impeccable in Weybridge, Surrey.
The Bridal Party
Mia had one bridesmaid and two flower girls. The bridesmaid's dress was from South Africa and Mia bought stunning flower girl dresses for £10 each on ebay, as she struggled to find anything suitable in the shops during October.
Wedding Theme
Being a winter wedding, Mia and Donovan chose deep cranberry red with ivy and pearls as a theme for the wedding.
Rings
Both Mia and Donovan found their rings at H Samuels. Mia’s was white gold diamond cut and Donovan's was platinum.
Flowers
Mia’s bouquet had deep red roses and ivy tied with cream silk ribbon. The bridesmaid had the same but smaller with a cranberry ribbon and the flower girls carried baskets and dropped rose petals as they walked down the aisle. The table centrepieces were church candles surrounded by pearl wreaths and ivy on mirrors. On the head table they had candles within a display of roses and ivy.
The Ceremony & Reception
Mia and Donovan had a church service at St Martin's with 42 guests and then went on to Horsley Towers for the wedding breakfast and further guests arrived for the evening. “When I saw the venue I thought it would be way over our small budget but their prices out of season were amazing!”
The Cake
The wedding cake was a white chocolate 3-tier cake from Marks & Spencer’s, which looked amazing with white chocolate roses on it. The cake was delicious but Donovan ate Mia’s piece so she never got to try it, but they have the small top tier in their freezer to eat on their anniversary so Mia can enjoy it then. The cake was cut in the evening when all the guests had arrived so that they could take photos.
The Photographer
Adrian Meridith of Meridith Weddings who is a family friend was the photographer for the day. Unfortunately due to the weather the outside photos were limited but they still had a good selection taken inside. Mia “can't pick a favourite, there's too many lovely ones!”
The Honeymoon
Mia and Donovan went to Sal in the Cape Verde Islands (south of the Canary Islands) for one week. The weather there is perfectly hot all year round and it was only a 5 hour flight.
Best Memories of the Wedding Day
“The most emotional part I'll never forget was when the vicar joined our hands and then raised them up, I can't remember the actual words he used but it almost brought me to tears”.
Bride’s Top Tip
“Don't waste too much time perfecting background music, I spent hours and don't even remember hearing any of it on the day!”
Groom’s Top Tip
“Stay calm, enjoy every minute and definitely don't get drunk!!!”
Best Buy
“My wedding dress & the flower girl dresses.”
Money Saving Ideas
“You can definitely have a dream wedding on a tight budget. You just have to shop around and take time to get the best for your money. Don't waste money on things like fancy cars or shoes that no one will see under the dress!”
Bride’s Beauty Tips
“Don't have a sauna or facial steam just before the day as this can bring out spots, and don't do anything drastically different with your make up or hair, natural is the way to go. Also, carry translucent pressed power with you on the day to keep away any shine”.
Photography: Meridith Weddings
