Lucy and Matt met at the MMA Academy in Liverpool where Lucy had joined the Muay Thai class and Matt was a coach and fighter. It wasn’t love at first sight and they took a while to pluck up the (Dutch) courage to take things further on a night out in the City. “It was definitely a case of opposites attract,” Lucy says. “Neither of us was each other’s type, but somehow it seems to work and within a few weeks we were living together!” We fast forward a way into the couple’s relationship. By this time Lucy and Matt had a number of holidays under their belts, although a trip to Menorca for a friend’s wedding wasn’t where Lucy was expecting to receive a proposal of marriage. After some stress hiding the ring in his golf bag, Matt overcame his nerves and got down on one knee within 10 minutes of arriving at their villa. “It was perfectly unplanned and spontaneous, just like Matt,” Lucy remembers. The couple had in mind a secluded location for their big day, somewhere they could enjoy with family and friends in complete privacy. Talhenbont Hall was only their second viewing but they soon decided there was no reason to look anywhere else. They barely made it through the gate before Matt exclaimed: “This is it!” North Wales is one of their favourite places being close to March Loop where they love to camp with their dogs. “So, this felt like the perfect place for us to get married,” Lucy explains. “The whole place was stunning and we could see ourselves saying ‘I do’ outside in the pagoda. After that it was hard to envisage our wedding anywhere else.” The date was set for 31st July 2024. Here, the bride tells us all about it... SETTING THE SCENE Having decided on an Italian theme the couple chose to treat their guests to shots of limoncello as wedding favours. “Many limoncellos have been drunk on our holidays to Lake Garda, so this felt like a great way to toast our marriage,” Lucy explains. For the under 18s they put together sweet bags, and all the girls were given Swiftie bracelets bearing their name since they were celebrating during Taylor Swift’s world tour. Lucy and Matt hired long trestle tables for their preferred vibe, an alternative to the traditional round tables. They also utilised the venue’s mezzanine for their friends – “We put the wild ones upstairs” – to make the most of the space for their 130 guests. The couple weren’t keen on the idea of too many cut flowers with a view to cut waste, so they opted for tall mini olive trees and potted herbs with a sprinkling of colour through flower-filled jam jars and brightly-coloured candles. “We were so lucky that our florist completely got our budget and ambition, and provided lots of suggestions and inspiration to help us get what we wanted,” Lucy says. “Being able to take home plants after the wedding was amazing, we gave lots away to friends and family as they left.” They were also after something simple for their wedding cake and found browsing through Red Rose Cakes Instagram page great for picking out ideas they liked. They chose a three-tier bake in various flavours allowing for options for every taste. This became a feature of the day as they cut it with Lucy’s officer graduation sword from RAF Cranwell. Lucy found Etsy to be a great place to shop for stationery, which is where she found The Last Little Details and selected place names to tie to their menus. “We had a lot of dietaries, so many of our menus were bespoke. This felt more personal, allowing everyone to know what their meal would be.” The table numbers were fashioned from acrylic to match their welcome sign and table plan, made by Zoe Jennifer Design. “I work for a company specialising in supporting small businesses and I loved being able to use small independents wherever possible,” says Lucy. “Sometimes the price is higher, but with that you get amazing attention to detail and craftsmanship.” Other touches included a kids’ basket with toys, games, books, bubbles and colouring – plenty of activities to keep the little ones occupied. There REAL WEDDINGS 23
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