How did you two meet?
Connor and I met when we were 16, on one of our first days at college, he approached me in the corridor outside one of our classes and introduced himself. We didn’t speak much for a couple months after that but we always smiled at each other when we passed in the corridors, eventually I asked him if he’s finally going to ask me out and we went on our first date, 9 years later on the same day we finally tied the knot.
How did you know they were the one?!
As cheesy as it sounds, he was just so easy to be around, he always made me laugh and he literally felt like the other half of my soul. We were so young when we met, we didn’t know what to expect but we’ve been through every milestone in our lives together and there was never any doubts that he was the one I wanted by my side.
What about the proposal, how did it go?
After 7 years there was no way he could have made the proposal a surprise, we had a house, we had dog, it was the next step. Never the less, he was determined to still try to surprise me, and the only way to do that was to completely catch me of guard, which is exactly why he did it at 7 o’clock in the morning when I was still half asleep. He got out of bed, put our song on and got on one knee. I always wanted a private proposal and it was a very him thing to do. He then took me on a surprise getaway the next day to celebrate at The Grand hotel in York, was amazing!
Tell us about your venue, how did you choose it?
We got married at Stretton Manor Barn in Chesterfield. It really didn’t take us long to decide as we both knew we wanted a barn wedding. I found the venue pretty quickly, it was new at the time so we arranged a viewing only a month after we got engaged. It was the first venue we went to see but it was exactly what we were looking for so we booked it then and there for 2 years later. The venue was perfect! The day went so smoothly and they could not have done more to help us.
What was your wedding style/inspo?
I have been planning my wedding for as long as I can remember, my mum says I came out of the womb planning and even though things changed over the years I was pretty confident with what I wanted. I had all my Pinterest boards ready to go, which I actually showed Connor on our second date, it’s a miracle I didn’t scare the poor 16 year old boy off. I really wanted an autumn/winter wedding as it’s my favourite time of year and my favourite colours. The fact our anniversary fell in November was even better as I loved the idea of getting married on that day. I went back and forth a lot on colours but we ended up with green, white and dark blue velvet accessories. I’m a massive flower person so that was a very important part of our decor but other than that, I actually did everything myself. I love being creative so I really enjoyed collecting decor over the years and putting our personalities into the wedding with all the finer details.
Tell us about your dress!
The dress was also really important to me, there’s not many times in life where you can wear a beautiful ball gown and play princess. I found it all a bit overwhelming at times as there are so many different styles out there! All I really knew was I didn’t want to wear white, I wanted sleeves and I wanted some kind of lace. I found Elizabeth Kate on Instagram and loved the look of it instantly. I get quite anxious in social situations and have a lot of insecurities but as soon as I walked in Holly and Kim made me feel so welcome. I described what I wanted and they got it right first time, I ended up trying on a fair few dresses but always went back to the first one. They helped me add sleeves and change the back, added a custom veil and truly turned the Rebecca Ingram Minerva wedding dress it into my dream dress!
Connor wanted to add that seeing me in my dress on our wedding day is something that he will never forget. We did a first look and his reaction was great. He said “it truly captured every aspect of Hope”.
What was your favourite part of your wedding day?
This is so tough! But I think it would have to be our first look. We’re both private people and wanted to do personal vows but didn’t want to do it in front of our friends and family. So, an hour before walking down the aisle we met, just the two of us and our photographers and read our own vows to each other in our way personal ceremony. It was like we was in a little bubble, appreciating some time together on our big day. Which I’m so glad we did because after that we did not get much time just the two of us after that. Dancing the night away in my slippers after all the formalities were done was also great!
Any changes? (Things you wish you’d done or wish you hadn’t!)
Part of me does wish that our little private ceremony was our only ceremony. But in the end of the day, we did that for our family and friends, not for us. I also wish we left more time for group photos as it ended up being a bit rushed and we didn’t get all the ones we wanted. We also decided against getting a videographer, which only a year on now am I started to wish we had, our photos are amazing but seeing it in action would have been a great addition.
Any tips for brides to be?
I know everyone says this, but just enjoy the day and try not to stress over the small details. It does go by SO fast so try and take a moment to just breathe it all in. We stayed local at the local hotel the night before and arranged to have drinks with all our guests who were staying too, this actually took a massive stress of making sure we talk to everyone on the wedding day as it gave us an extra night to have a chat.
That being said, I wouldn’t stress too much about making sure you get round to everybody on the night, most people came to me! Hang out at the bar when you’re not dancing and people will just flock to you, or they join you on the dance floor. Overall just enjoy the process and the day. Take slippers! They were a blessing for dancing when the heels came off.
List your fave suppliers
We loved everyone we chose! Definitely the venue - @strettonmanorbarn - they went above and beyond for us before and on the day
Our flowers were done by @botanicals.floristry - they were the most gorgeous arrangements ever!
We had @jamesroscoepiano play for our ceremony and drinks reception, he was happy to learn any song we requested and our guests loved him.
Our photographer was @jessica_coates_photography - she had actually done shoots for us in the past and we love her style, not to mention how friendly she is and great at putting you at ease if posing for pictures isn’t something you’re comfortable with.
And of course, last but definitely not least, Elizabeth Kate Bridal, I couldn’t have asked for a better bridal shopping experience!
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