Daisey and Lee met on the school run – Lee was collecting his nephews while Daisey was picking up her kids. “Lee didn’t have any children of his own, whereas I have four who were aged four, five, six and seven at the time, but this never phased him. Little did I know that he would eventually join our family,” Daisey tells us. It was the last weekend of November, and by now a couple, Daisey and Lee decided to put their Christmas decorations up. Daisey was determined to get them all up with lights on before they went for a dog walk, but Lee was adamant they should all head to the beach for a stroll before it got too dark. The tide was out so there was plenty of sand for the kids and dog to play on, while Daisey followed behind enjoying the peace. That was until her inner calm was disturbed by someone shouting, “Mum, mum, look!” Her eldest, Ivy, was standing in the rock pool ahead holding something up in the air. As Daisey drew nearer she saw was it was a bottle. “I’d never found a bottle washed up on the beach before, so I was amazed that we’d come across one. Just like in the bedtime story I’d been reading to the kids!” Daisey shares. It wasn’t until she got halfway through the poem inside that she realised what it really was: a proposal. By the time she reached the last line, Lee was on one knee awaiting her answer. “The kids were so excited,” Daisey remembers. “And I was so happy that Lee had managed to pull it off in such a personal way, it couldn’t have been any more special. He’d chosen the spot where we went walking together when we were getting to know each other.” The venue hunt began and the couple were looking for something a little bit quirky, something different from the norm. Due to Covid restrictions at the time though, they could only pencil in a date to view The Bell in Ticehurst, which was a torturous four months away. Daisey explains: “We’d been informed that it had undergone an extensive makeover, but we only had a handful of new photos to go by. The Bell already had a great reputation and had won several awards for its food. So we were feeling really positive about our visit, and certainly weren’t disappointed.” They were so blown away by that first tour with the lovely wedding coordinator Tess, that they paid the deposit on the spot. Read on as Daisey tells us more about the big day – 6th August, 2022... THAT PERSONAL TOUCH Daisey and Lee wanted to go with wedding favours injected with a bit of their personalities, so they turned to local Battle company, Mini Mouthfuls, the bride’s ultimate go-to for fudge treats! They’d invited 60 day guests, so they selected six different fudge flavours, and sealed the bags with a personalised sticker. The couple found that the centrepieces were one of the most difficult parts of their planning journey. “There were so many ways to decorate, but we really didn’t want to lose the true character and décor of the function room with its beautifully painted wallpaper,” Daisey says of the challenge they encountered. Ultimately, they decided to keep things simple and bought chunky whitewashed candlesticks, in which they placed white candles. These were then dressed perfectly by wedding florist Andrea, with greenery and textures to achieve the desired look. On the subject of flowers, florist Andrea wildly impressed the couple with the arrangements she put together for the big day. Daisey sent through a list of colours and a few photos depicting her vision, and left her to create something unique. Andrea didn’t disappoint having gone above and beyond. “I remember when she delivered our bouquets, I was so over the moon, they were everything I’d asked for and more. In fact, Andrea dressed the whole venue beautifully,” the bride tells us. “We were surprised, or somewhat naïve, when it came to the cost of wedding flowers, as we hadn’t done much research in the beginning. Consequently, we ended up spending more on them than we’d ever imagined,” Daisey continues. “But it was 100 per cent necessary, and we wouldn’t have done it any other way!” The venue oozes with such an amazing charm that neither felt the need to worry about dressing it too much more. They loved it the way it was, so they just went ahead and did things their way, in a chic minimalist fashion. LOVE AND CARRIAGE Daisey wanted to get ready at her parents’ house on the morning of the wedding, which meant she had the opportunity to travel to The Bell in style. She and her dad conspired to track down Daisey’s mum’s dream wedding car for the journey as a surprise, since hers had been cancelled last minute on her own big day. They trawled the internet and were delighted to find the vintage black Daimler they’d been looking for at Chariots Chauffeurs. It was a seven-seater so it could carry the whole bridal party, including the all-important passenger-of-honour, Daisey’s mum. “It’s safe to say 46
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