Your Somerset, Glos & Wilts Wedding - October/November 2024 (Issue 103)

“Everything you want for your special day – do it. We don’t regret a single thing about ours.” – Elsie options when it came to the wedding breakfast, but the barbecue was the one that shouted out to them. They had the opportunity to choose four different options for the main meals and had various delicious side dishes to accompany them. “Our package was completely tailored to us. We picked several drinks for our guests along with a large selection of cheese for the evening, complete with bread, crackers, Sheppy’s famous chutney and all the trimmings,” Elsie says. SAGE ADVICE “The dress I chose has always been my dream since I can remember,” says bride Lily. “Every aspect was magical from the lace bodice to the glittery ballgown skirt.” She accessorised it with a sequin belt and veil. As the dress has so much intricate lace detailing there was no need to gild the lily (if you’ll pardon the pun), so she paired it with a small rainbow moonstone necklace and matching earrings. Elsie struggled to find a suit she was happy with, but eventually her mother-in-law came across a beautiful three-piece online. With a pink hue, which was their second choice of wedding colour palette, it worked perfectly with the chosen sage green. Lily had seen the suit before the big day, so Elsie almost lost the element of surprise, but she did manage to step it up a little by changing to a bow tie last minute. The groomsmen wore waistcoats to match Elsie’s with chinos and tie to complement her bow tie. The bridesmaids wore dresses sourced by Lily’s mum, which were her contribution to the day. They were floor-length sage green gowns to complement the wedding palette. The couple didn’t want the sage green to be overwhelming so they used it as an accent colour in small doses. The two bridesmaids and best lady styled theirs in their own ways and chose their own accessories. “They all killed it, and looked amazing,” Elsie remembers. “I DO, I DO, I DO” The couple’s dogs, who are their fur children, simply had to be part of the big day! Celebrant Jackie from Just Ceremonies knew this from her first meeting with Elsie and Lily and came up with the amazing idea to have them as witnesses during the ceremony and on the presentation certificate. So, when the time came, after walking us down the aisle and carrying the rings, Bear and Mash also used their paws to sign the certificate using an ink pad. “This was so special for us and included our babies in the best way,” Elsie says. When Jackie asked the couple if there was anything they were worried about during ceremony planning they commented that they knew they were going to be nervous up there at the front. “I asked what would stop those nerves,” Jackie says. A tequila shot was the laughing answer! “So, that’s just want I had for them both when they arrived at the front, a tequila shot,” Jackie continues. It worked a treat and, of course, as theirs was a celebrant-led wedding, anything was possible! ONE WILD NIGHT Since Elsie and Lily are huge tattoo fans and are both heavily inked they asked their tattoo artist along and set him up in his own room at the venue, The Vat. Everyone who wanted one could get a tattoo from the couple’s personalised flash sheet and the newlyweds got matching 444 – 4 better, 4 worse, 4 ever. As frequent ravers and festival goes, the two knew right from the off that they wanted to bring this vibe to their wedding celebrations. “Having our local DJ and friend Dewey from Powello Bros was was a must!” Elsie says. He had everyone on the dancefloor, playing tracks from ABBA to Becky Hill, and switching to drum and bass later into the evening. “We had an “Embrace every moment.” – Lily REAL WEDDINGS 37

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