Chic and Romantic Church Wedding

How did you meet??

Callum and I met back in 2016 on the first day of our graduate scheme. We started off as friends and finally got together on a group holiday the following summer. We joke that it was more of a match making scheme than a graduate scheme as lots of us are now married to each other!

So... How did the proposal go?

Well it’s a pretty amazing story involving an elaborate ruse. Our best man Jamie travels to France a lot with his work, so he messaged Callum and I to say he had some spare last minute Eurostar tickets and a spare hotel room in Paris as his business partner could no longer make a work trip, so would we like to join him and his wife on a weekend away. We of course jumped at the opportunity. When we arrived in Paris we dropped our bags at the (very lovely) hotel and set off for a walk before we were due to meet Jamie and his wife Immi for lunch. As we were strolling around the Jardin du Luxembourg, out of the corner of my eye I could see Callum slowing his pace and reaching into his pocket, my heart skipped a beat and I thought OMG this is the moment. He got down on one knee, opened the box to show my dream ring and gave a lovely speech. I of course said yes with tears in my eyes. Callum then revealed it was all a ruse, there were no spare Eurostar tickets or hotel rooms and our friends weren't here. It was all part of a plan to get me to Paris without me suspecting anything - which I didn’t. We then spent the rest of the time enjoying Paris, drinking champagne and calling loved ones.

Why Elmore Court?

Elmore Court has been secretly saved in my Instagram for years. Both of our sisters got married in 2019 and since then I became pretty obsessed with weddings. I came across Elmore Court and instantly knew it was where I wanted to get married.

Once engaged in early December 2022, Callum and I said we’d give ourselves Christmas before properly kicking off the wedding planning, except enquiring at Elmore. A week later we found ourselves looking round Elmore with my parents. Even on a cold, grey, wet December day Callum and I loved it. We both love old-meets-new so the traditional stately home vibe and the beautiful local church mixed with the modern Gillyflower gave us everything we wanted from a venue.

Where did your wedding inspiration come from?

I knew I wanted the day to feel classic, timeless and romantic and from previous weddings I’d attended, plus scrolling on Instagram and Pinterest I knew what I was going for for the overall look and vibe for the day. I also knew that I wanted the evening to feel like a real party and different to the day itself so we added in elements like the sparkler entrance and second outfit, dance floor props plus an epic band to kick off the evening!

How did you find the planning of your wedding?

I loved it!!

Once Elmore was booked we looked at the list of recommended suppliers and chose the majority of our main suppliers from there. I think within eight weeks of booking Elmore we had Flowers and Styling booked with the wonderful Sorori Designs, our music for the ceremony and drinks with Nero Strings, Apollo Soul for the evening and Urban Frame for on-the-day stationery and signage.

I think by locking these key suppliers down so early on and having about 20 months left to plan I was able to relax and spend a lot of time meticulously planning every detail of the day. Callum wasn’t too fussed on most of the planning so I had free reign to create the perfect day.

We love your gorgeous gown, how did you choose this look?

I honestly think I tried on over 50 wedding dresses. I’ve always been obsessed with wedding dresses; I used to ask my dad to slow down as we drove past bridal shops to see the dresses in the window. So I knew picking a wedding dress would be hard as I love so many different styles, but ultimately it came down to what suited me and the vibe of the wedding.

As soon as I tried on a Suzanne Neville gown, I knew I had to get my dress from there, the corsetry just makes you feel amazing and the ability to customize meant that I could create my dream timeless dress. As the dress was simple elegance, I wanted to pair it with a more dramatic veil to give a bit more of that ‘wow factor’.

I love to dance and party, so I wanted to get a shorter dress for the evening to ensure I was able to dance the night away on the dancefloor. This was an easier decision to make, my evening dress gave me the freedom to move with a little bit of drama.

On the lead up to your wedding how did you feel?

I was pretty calm on the lead up although I was a little obsessed with the weather apps. I’d say to future brides don’t stress about the weather but I know that’s easier said than done!

On the morning of the wedding, how did you feel?

I was so excited on the morning of the wedding, time flew past, the sun was coming out and I loved my look. My bridesmaids and mum also looked so amazing, it was lovely to all be together.

Tell us about the ceremony?

We chose to marry at St John the Baptist Church down the road from the Court as it was important to us that we marry in a church. The ceremony was a traditional service which felt so intimate as the church was the perfect size for our guest count. We had some ‘banging hymns’ in the words of our guests, lots of music from Nero Strings and an epic flower arch from Sorori Designs

Talk to us about the drinks reception!

We wanted to ensure that our guests had the best time at the drinks reception, with entertainment and ample food and drink. We were super lucky that we could have our plan A which was an outside drinks reception on the East Lawn with a lounge area and tables set up. We kicked off the drinks reception with a champagne pour (I’d highly recommend) and we had an Aperol bar, Callum and I’s favorite drink, plus lots of lovely canapes as well as the BEST local ice cream from the amazing Wholly Gelato. Nero Strings were the soundtrack to the reception and on the Cedar Lawn we had a range of garden games to keep everyone entertained. We loved the drinks reception and didn’t want it to end.

What was your of choice?

The food was lovely, we had arancini to start, a choice of seabass, chicken or aubergine for main and the sticky toffee pudding for dessert. For evening food we had Calzone Kitchen who were a huge hit and our stunning cake from Cake DayDreams

What was your reaction to your reception at the Gilly Flower?

OMG - this is beyond my wildest dream, I’m literally in my pinterest board right now!

First dance choice?

We chose Elton John's Your Song - we hated that it was so popular but it had sentimental meaning to us. We danced round the kitchen to it years ago on a cold December afternoon whilst baking some cookies and knew then we were for each other.

What were your wedding highlights?

How do we pick just a few…having everyone we love in one room was so special, we had friends and family fly in from Australia, South Africa, Canada, US and Europe so it was just magical to have them all with us. It was all such a whirlwind but we loved every second!

Any tips for couples currently planning their wedding?

Don’t get too caught up in trying to make the day perfect, it’s about the two of you. We are also so glad we had a videographer, I know lots of couples aren’t sure on having one but it's been amazing to relive the day through this.

And finally, who helped bring your wedding to life?

Callum and I are so lucky and have to say a massive thank you to our families for helping us bring our dream wedding to life along with our wonderful bridal party and groomsmen. And then of course our insane suppliers, we honestly could not recommend every single one of them enough, they were all outstanding, as was everyone at Elmore Court. Plus a final shout out to our brilliant Wedding Coordinator Lily, she was incredible in the lead up to and on the day!

Flowers & Styling: Sorori Designs

Signage: Urban Frame

Makeup: Harriet Cook Hair & Makeup Artist

Hair: Lara Stokes

Band: Apollo Soul

Wedding Cake: Cake daydreams

Videographer: Affordable Wedding Videos

Photographer: Romy Lawerence

Evening food: Calzone Kitchen

Icecream: Wholly Gelato

Wedding Cars: Premier cars

Children’s Entertainment & Nanny Service: Pitch Up and Play

Furniture: White Chair Company

Charger plates: Etiquette Events

Photo Booth: Etiquette Events

Outdoor Bar: Valley furniture hire

Coach: John Dix Travel

Garden Games: Every Event Hire

We love that Emily's wedding journey started in Paris, it was effortlessly chic from beginning to end.  Elmore Court is all about love and joy and we're thrilled that there was oodles of it on this gorgeous day! 

As always,

Love Team E xx

In a rush to say "I do"? We still have these key dates available next year! 

Friday 14th February

Friday 28th February

Friday 27th June