On the day they got married, they were both 30 years old and had been together for 15 years and had already spent half of their lives together. On that special date, 18th December 2023, the pair tied the knot at Greenwoods Hotel & Spa. SETTING THE SCENE Lauras’s profession is a wedding photographer, so she knew a fair bit about local venues beforehand! She tells us, “It was tricky at first because on one hand I wanted a venue I hadn’t shot at before so it felt new and special to us but on the other hand, I wanted a venue I had tried and tested! Greenwoods ticked all the boxes as I’d shot there a few times so had encountered their lovely staff and sampled their amazing food but I’d only shot in their smaller suites which meant their larger Garden Suite felt brand new to me. Being a winter wedding, we loved the warm and cozy feeling throughout, the mix of old and modern and everything being in one place. We opted for a Christmassy menu and had baked camembert for starters, a turkey roast for main and sticky toffee pudding for dessert.” As the date was so close to Christmas, the venue was already beautifully decorated. Laura and Elliott named their tables after ABBA (they’re our go-to singalong songs in the car) and had a colour scheme of silvers and sage tones throughout. Stunning! DRESSED TO IMPRESS Laura chose a Stella York gown from Serena Bridal in Wickford. She recalls, “Having photographed many weddings myself, I’d built up an idea of my dream dress from all the others I’d photographed and I knew I wanted some bling to fit the Christmas theme! My eyes lit up when I paired it with the sparkliest veil and tiara in the shop!” The bridesmaids fitted the colour scheme and wore shimmery multiway dresses from La Closet De Chanel in the shade ‘Steel Glitz’. TIME TO CELEBRATE Elliott is in a wedding band himself named, Throwback to the Future, so, it was only right that he played at his own wedding! Laura says, “Elliott got the band to learn my favourite song which they surprised me with that evening! We also hired Terry Lewis to be our MC for the day which included him playing a number of games with us and our guests at their tables after dinner - think pass the parcel but with lots of twists and turns along the way!” MEMORABLE MOMENTS Certainly, a memorable moment of the day was their ringbearer and flowergirl, Delilah! Fur-baby Delilah wore a little white dress and had the rings attached to her collar in a little pouch and walked down the aisle with one of the bridesmaids. So cute! LAURA’S TOP TIP! “Don’t let those perfect Instagram weddings pressure you. During the planning process it can feel like every little detail is under a microscope but like a lot of things we see online, they aren’t always a true reflection of a wedding day. They’re great for inspiration but you shouldn’t compare your wedding to them. Your wedding will be perfect because it’s yours!” 37 REAL WEDDINGS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0NTE=