Holly and Frankie first laid eyes on each other at university. “We met on our first night and have been inseparable ever since,” says Holly. “I proposed in April 2020. It was during the first lockdown when we were living at Frankie’s mums. I set up a cinema room in the dining room, complete with fairylights and her favourite snacks. After we had watched a movie together, I gave her a photo album of all our memories together. As Frankie neared the end of the album, I started unwrapping another present underneath the blanket. The final page said: ‘will you marry me?’. Frankie, of course, said ‘yes’. I proposed with her late grandmother’s ring, which Frankie’s mum had given me.” SETTING THE SCENE “We first heard about Lythe Hill Hotel through our long-term friend, Amber Creber, who is the conference and banquet manager at the venue,” shares Holly. “After hearing Amber’s recommendation and doing a virtual tour, we knew it was perfect. The incredible grounds and groovy dancefloor were exactly what we were looking for. We fell in love when we got to visit a few months after booking.” The couple chose rainbow Cancer Research and British Heart Foundation badges as favours. “These charities are very dear to our hearts,” adds Holly. “We also had Polaroid cameras and cute forest animal masks for our guests to use.” “We chose a woodland theme,” explains Holly. “We incorporated this into our table plan with woodland animal drawings created by Half Pint Print. We named each table after a different animal, including bees, badgers and foxes. We chose not to use numbers as we didn’t want anyone to feel like they were on a table that was less important than any other.” Frankie and Holly chose beautiful autumnal blooms from Three Wild Flowers. “We had tall autumn trees as our centrepieces,” recalls Holly. “We also chose a neon light that said ‘happy ever after’, a giant tree above the top table, autumn leaves and pumpkins decorated by Frankie’s mum.” “Our cake from The Crumby Bakery was made of Victoria sponge and had Dipsy and Po from the Teletubbies as toppers,” reveals Holly. “The cupcakes were red velvet and gin and blackberry.” DRESSED TO IMPRESS “We both wore Stella York dresses from Wedding Frox Bridal Boutique,” says Holly. “I went for an elegant minimalist design with a gorgeous veil and belt. Frankie chose a lacy number which she accessorised with a tiara that she borrowed from her godmother.” The bridesmaids chose burnt orange multiway dresses from Lá Closet Dé Chánel. “They accessorised with gold shoes and jewellery,” shares Holly. “One even oped for very cool gold boots!” TIME TO CELEBRATE “To keep everyone entertained, we chose a Polaroid photo booth with forestthemed props,” adds Holly. “We also had Lythe Hill Hotel’s DJ provide music which everyone had fun dancing to.” MEMORABLE MOMENTS “I was calm on the morning of the wedding, and Frankie was nervous, but it’s usually the other way around,” explains Holly. “Once the music kicked in, and we walked down the aisle, her nerves melted away. Frankie walked first with her dad and bridesmaids, and I followed. We walked down the aisle to Stand By Me by Florence + The Machine and exited to You’re My Best Friend by Queen – a song we regularly sing to each other and our cat, Luna.” REAL WEDDINGS 51
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