Your East Anglian Wedding - Apr/May 2019 (Issue 36)

REAL WEDDINGS 47  E mma and Kelly first got in touch through a dating website and clicked from the moment they first met. “From day one I knew I’d found someone special and it was going to go further as we instantly gelled,” says Kelly. “We both realised fairly early on that we’d found our lifelong partner,” adds Emma. In 2016 while they were on holiday in Mexico, Kelly popped the question as they walked along the beach, just as the sun was setting. “She’d written ‘will you marry me’ in the sand and scattered petals around it. There was no one else there and it was just perfect,” remembers Emma. She said ‘yes’ of course, in fact she’d already been making plans to propose to Kelly but she beat her to it! PLANNED TO PERFECTION They took two years to organise their wedding and when the big day arrived it was everything they’d dreamed of and more. From the outset they knew they wanted a summer wedding with an outdoor ceremony and Oxnead Hall ticked all their boxes. “As we arrived through the gates we both looked at each other and said ‘wow’,” recalls Kelly. LOOKING THE PART Choosing their wedding dresses was a secret affair as they both wanted to surprise each other on the day. Although they shopped separately, they both ended up buying designs by Sottero & Midgley from the same shop, Pure in Norwich. “The boutique was very good and made sure Kelly’s dress was nowhere to be seen when I had my appointment, so there was no way I could end up choosing the same one,” explains Emma. “I chose a classic beige colour and managed to match my shoes and bought a pearl necklace and earring set.” On the wedding morning, her mum surprised her with a locket containing a picture of her late grandmother, which she wrapped around the stems of her bouquet. “It was a gift that I will cherish forever!” When it came to picking her gown, Kelly reveals, “I really didn’t have a clue what style I wanted, but when I tried my dress on and my mum and bridesmaids cried and I felt really comfortable in it, I knew I’d found the one .” She added a beautiful back accessory to give an extra elegant touch to the low-cut style and wore short drop pearl and crystal earrings to complement the sparkly embellishments. THE BRIDAL PARTY They took a gamble on the bridesmaids’ dresses by ordering them without the girls trying any on beforehand. “We had to imagine how they would look LET THE LOVE BE-GIN! Fellow gin lovers Emma and Kelly included a nod to their favourite tipple on their big day Images courtesy of ICEYphoto Emma Goddard married Kelly Symonds at Oxnead Hall, Sedgeford on 1 st September, 2018.