Sophie and Will were both living in London when they first met on Tinder and happened to only be a five-minute walk from each other. After they both swiped right and had a brief chat on the app, they decided to meet up and go on a date – the rest is history! Will proposed to Sophie while on a trip travelling through Belize and Mexico for two weeks. She says, “It was the last day of our holiday when he popped the question on the balcony at our hotel in Tulum. He’d been trying to do it the whole trip but could never find the right moment or pluck up the courage!” SETTING THE SCENE When planning their dream wedding, the pair wanted one big party for everyone to get together and enjoy. They set the date for September 11th 2021, and created the perfect wedding. The pair tied the knot at St Helen’s Church in Lincolnshire, a place where Sophie attended growing up and happened to be where most of her family got married. She says, “My grandparents are also churchwardens there and my nan did the flowers for the ceremony, which was a special way of getting her involved.” The pair headed to Sophie’s parents’ property, Westwood Farm, after exchanging vows for the reception. “Planning a wedding at home was great as we had free rein to do what we wanted, it took a lot of organising to remember every last detail,” shares the bride. The reception took place under a traditional-style sailcloth marquee; inside was decorated with two old ladders covered in ivy and hanging festoon lights. Each table featured beautiful floral centrepieces with natural and loose-style flowers. Guest could find their seats thanks to the table plan, which was created using an old frame and an easel. Different-shaped slates were used for the table numbers. For favours the pair made two flavours of homemade gin to give to guests: Westwood Farm Damson Gin from the venue’s damson tree and Yeaton Raspberry Gin from Will’s parents’ raspberries in Shropshire. Canapés served at the drinks reception included soy and honey sausages, shredded beef croquettes with horseradish, crab cakes, onion bhajis, sticky pulled pork bao and cheese and red onion tarts. For the wedding breakfast, guests enjoyed Lincolnshire beef or butternut Rossini for the main and a trio of desserts. To keep loved ones from going hungry in the evening, sticky lamb in brioche buns were served by Westwood Farm Lamb. The pair had one cask ale from Shropshire and one from Lincolnshire to help their guests feel at home. Unfortunately, the cake supplier caught Covid-19 the day before the wedding and it was too late to do anything about it, so the pair decided to make do without a cake. However, Will’s cousin surprised them on the day by getting Colin the Caterpillar cakes. LOOKING THE PART When it came to finding her dream gown, the bride visited Carina B Couture, where the team guided her through the process of finding the one. Due to covid, Sophie couldn’t take anyone into the appointment with her, but set up a video call with her mum and sister. She fell in love with a Sassi Holford gown and knew it would be perfect for her day. Sophie says, “When I tried the dress on, I loved the long sleeves and low V-neck. It was really comfortable as the bottom was loose and flowing, so I didn’t feel like I needed to watch what I ate or drank on the day!” The bride wore a veil for the ceremony, which was substituted with a pearl headband in the evening. The groom and groomsmen all wore traditional morning suits, but Will REAL WEDDINGS 25
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