Kate and Dan met at school. “Dan spent the next 10 plus years chasing after me,” says Kate. “We have been friends since secondary school but have been dating for the past eight years.” Dan popped the question during a birthday trip to Iceland. “He booked a trip to see the Northern Lights in November 2022 and proposed to me on a beach at sunset in front of a lighthouse,” shares the bride. “It was a complete surprise and I only had the first idea something was up when he asked a group of girls to take a photograph of us both, as we never take photos together!” SETTING THE SCENE “Oxnead Hall is a stunning house set in manicured gardens,” explains Kate. “It also has the cutest church within its grounds. It provided us with a place to have a two-day event and get everybody together the day before the wedding. It was like a small family getaway, which was really important to us. The service took place in the church surrounded by all of our nearest and dearest.” Veridian Green Styling created the couple’s flowers and centrepieces. “Epic Event Hire dressed the room and we purchased a neon light from Etsy,” recalls Kate. “I named the tables using a Harry Potter theme and created the table names and table plan. To finish the look, I handmade the place names using airdry clay and colour-matching ribbons.” For their favours, the couple gave their guests Cancer Research bumblebee badges and drink tokens. The couple had a beautiful cake, which they accessorised with a topper from Etsy. “My wonderful mother made our amazing cake,” reveals the bride. “The three tiers were lovingly transported for three hours from Essex to Norfolk and we iced the cake all together in the kitchen of our venue at about midnight the night before the wedding. As a family, this isn’t unusual for us. However, the next day, in the rush and excitement, we totally forgot to add the cake topper and faux flowers to the cake! No one remembered until just before I walked down the aisle, when my mum started mouthing ‘cake’ to Dan from across the church. Luckily, with some help from my maid-of-honour, the cake was finished off beautifully and made it to centre stage before the wedding breakfast started.” DRESSED TO IMPRESS “My dress was called Bailey by Sottero & Midgley,” reveals the bride. “I would never have picked this dress for myself, but Tegan and Roberta from Silk & Maple encouraged me to try something out of my comfort zone, and from the second it was on, I knew it was the one. I hated the look of the dress on the hanger, but when it was on me, it fitted like a glove and made me feel amazing. It was figure hugging and flattering and it felt just as wonderful when I returned to pick it up in February 2024, even after giving birth to my son in November 2023. Veronica at Sew Bridal made a few alterations to my dress, which elevated it even more than I thought possible, and by the time she was done with it, it was just perfect. I bought a pearl-beaded veil from Silk & Maple and had it beautifully hand-embroidered by K.Madelynne. I had the quote ‘After all this time’ embroidered onto the veil, which was another small nod to Harry Potter.” Dan chose a green tweed suit from Hardys. “His suit had a rust fleck throughout the fabric, which tied in with the pocket squares and ties, which were all colour-matched to the maid-of-honour’s rust-coloured dress,” shares Kate. “The groomsmen all wore three-piece green tweed suits, which matched Dan’s but without the rust fleck. To finish the look, we ordered ties and pocket squares from Swagger & Swoon. “As all of my bridesmaids were different sizes, skin tones and heights, so I decided to choose them all individual dresses,” adds Kate. “Laura, my bridesmaid, was eight months pregnant and so it was important to me that no one felt uncomfortable in a dress that didn’t suit them.” REAL WEDDINGS 41
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