Anna and Paul met after Anna moved to Wiltshire. Anna and her friend had ventured out to explore an area called ‘Old Town’, and she saw Paul with a group of friends. He had a big beaming smile and was very cheeky, and his friends later commented that they had never seen him so relaxed.

“The gentle but very funny man had something about him that made me take stock.”

The Proposal

Before Anna’s 30th birthday she had mentioned to Paul that men had lost the art of writing love letters and poems.  He totally surprised Anna when he not only wrote a gorgeous poem but had it mounted as a gift which Anna read every day. A year later Anna was diagnosed with a loss of hearing in both ears and this played a crucial role in Paul’s proposal.

On the anniversary of them meeting, Anna had cooked a meal of several different dishes from Mexico and was feeling ‘a little frazzled’. After the dinner, they exchanged gifts and Paul's card had two little circles drawn inside the card.  Anna was reading the sentiments Paul had written, all the time thinking “what sort of boyfriend doodles in an anniversary card?!” She eventually queried this, and Paul gave her a big smile and then asked her to stand up. Paul started to read a poem and Anna went into a dream, thinking to herself “I can’t wait to tell the girls that Paul really listens to me. He remembers things I say”.  She then realised that he was reading a proposal, and was in total shock when he went down on one knee and proposed.

Hen and Stag Parties

Paul was taken away for the weekend to Nottingham with a huge group of family and friends.  They participated in 'It's a Knock Out'.  Mud, laughter, general stitching up of each other and a Homer Simpson costume ensued!

Anna went to Center Parcs with a big group of family and friends. She was made to wear a blow up guitar and veil for the entire four days. They took part in activities including evening archery, sailing, a spa day and Mr and Mrs Quiz.

The Bride and Groom’s Outfits

Anna chose a Maggie Sottero wedding dress, which was then altered by Miss Bush, Ripley, Surrey.  Anna had several handmade details which made her dress look unique

Her dress was lace, with a trailing ivory double bow which flowed over the train. Anna also wore a vintage lace full length veil and two large roses in her hair.

In the evening Anna changed her sash from ivory to black, with a handmade black fascinator replacing the veil with sparkles, black shoes and dark red lipstick to complete the look.

Paul's wore a very simple and classic grey three piece lounge suit with a navy tie and handkerchief, hired from Moss Bros.

The Bridal Party

Anna’s younger sister was maid of honour, and she wore a dress with a green/blue hue, made in Italy and bought from a boutique based in Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire.

Paul had a best man and seven ushers who all wore identical suits from Moss Bros, matching Paul's grey suit, but with ivory waistcoats with a navy pattern.

“We wanted Paul to stand out, and his gorgeous double flower buttonhole and waistcoat certainly achieved this.”

Flowers

Anna and Paul’s wedding flowers were mainly a mix of blue delphinium, blue hydrangea and cream Avalanche Roses, arranged by Evolution Floristry of Swindon. Anna chose an elegant shower bouquet of blue delphinium, blue hydrangea, cream Avalanche Roses, cornflowers and scabious, and her maid of honour and the bride and groom’s mothers wore wrist corsages of Avalanche Roses, foliage and a little hydrangea. Paul and his groomsmen wore buttonholes made from Avalanche Roses and asparagus fern.

The Ceremony and Reception

The wedding reception was held at St Mary’s Church in Swindon, and it is the church where Paul’s granddad got married. 100 guests attended both the ceremony and reception.  After the ceremony, Anna, Paul and their guests made the 80 mile journey to Anna’s uncle and aunt’s house in Lee Common, Buckinghamshire, for a marquee reception.

The Cake

The wedding cake was made by Gabby Aquilina and was a large, square, dark chocolate cake with spirals and twirls. The cake was served with strawberries Anna had soaked in vanilla sugar.

The Photographer

Anna and Paul chose Lis McDermott Photography as their wedding photographer, who they were recommended by Evolution Floristry. Anna has many pictures that are special to her, but she particularly likes the picture of Paul leaning up against the distressed barn.

Wedding Details

The marquee lining was ivory with a navy blue swag, and Chandeliers added soft lighting.  The chairs had soft gold and navy seats, and the favours were homemade pots of jam and marmalade with cute gingham tops and ribbon.

The Honeymoon

Paul organised the honeymoon and kept the details a secret from Anna until the wedding day. They went to Paris, which included a night trip up the Eiffel Tower and meals by the Seine, and then went on to Barcelona.

Memories

Anna: “My favourite memories are my uncle seeing me in my dress at home before we set off, the sermon, and private photographs with Lis on the day.”

Paul: “The first time I saw Anna walking towards in the church, all the family and friends in the marquee and the Chinese wish lanterns.”

Tips and Ideas

“Give yourself time to think and don’t rush and buy anything.”

Bride’s Top Tips

“I have several different beauticians because they all specialise in different things e.g. one specialises in manicures and pedicures, one waxing, the other was brilliant at eyelashes etc.  I went to each of them and asked 6 months before what sort of time scales I needed for things to be done.  I made sure the dates worked for me and, with plenty of notice, they will fit in with you.“

Groom’s Top Tips

“We decided the write 'usher packs' for each gentleman who was helping on the day.  These gave literally all the information that would be necessary, including maps to the reception venue, cards for the best man to use in his speech from people who could not be with us, timings of things so they knew what was happening, lists of hotels/taxi's...all manner of information so that no one in the wedding party was stuck at any point.  The maid of honour was given a bag which had 20 small bags of confetti to give out for photos, make-up, perfume, Anna’s change of outfit items, the handmade horseshoes for the day and evening outfits.”

Best Buy

“The beautiful flowers for everyone.”

Bride’s Beauty Tips

“Go to the professionals and make sure you don’t spend silly money on the packages.”

Photography: Lis McDermott Photography

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