Your Kent Wedding - Jul/Aug 2019 (Issue 85)

REAL WEDDINGS 41  honour my Cornish roots; Greek mezze sharing platters in tribute to Alexander’s mum, who is Greek Cypriot; and a vegetarian Curry as a nod to Alexander’s dad, who is from Sri Lanka.” They’d also arranged for Cornish pasties all the way from Padstow to be delivered for the evening. DRESSED TO IMPRESS The bride looked stunning in an Allure Bridals gown with a bespoke back beaded necklace. She remembers, “I didn’t have a particular style in mind when I started looking, so it was lucky that I had my mum, sister and niece there to help me choose. After trying on a few different styles, I became drawn to the more fitted dresses. My sister picked out the one I eventually chose as a wild card, and I’m so glad she did. As soon as I put it on, I knew it was the one. I also wore a full-length veil with scalloped edge, which finished off the whole look perfectly.” The groom wore a Santinelli mid-blue three-piece suit with a marsala- hued tie and tan shoes. His buttonhole differed slightly from the groomsmen so as to stand out since they were all dressed in the same suits. The bridesmaids opted for the same style of dress, which was made to order. Liza says, “It was a full-length deep red with lace top similar to the back of my gown. The chiffon bottom allowed for ease of movement – much needed for dancing in the evening!” TIME TO CELEBRATE A magician entertained guests after the ceremony and throughout the wedding breakfast. “He was a huge hit, and everyone was still talking about him late into the evening, comparing the tricks they’d all seen,” says Liza. A live band kicked off the evening celebrations and filled the dancefloor. The couple had devised a setlist of important songs, which proved a hit. There was a break for some traditional Greek dancing, during which Alex, his parents and brother performed their very own take on Zorba the Greek. The photo booth was particularly popular with the younger guests, and the couple now treasure a wealth of hilarious snaps of guests who perhaps hadn’t realised their photo booth antics would be immortalised for the bride and groom to keep. MEMORABLE MOMENTS A real standout moment for the bride was turning a corner to begin her walk down the aisle with her beloved dad, seeing all of her family and friends look towards her for the first time. “I was so nervous about tripping, but luckily dad was right by my side to guide me, and as soon as I could see Alexander, I no longer felt nervous, just so excited that we were about to be married,” she says. Fond of a good joke, the pair made mini sweepstake kits for each table so that guests could lay bets on the length of the speeches. However, there was a twist, as Liza shares: “Those who were furthest away from the correct guess had to do a forfeit. Our favourite forfeit was having to go up to the maid-of-honour, wink at her and say: ‘I know.’ She was thoroughly freaked out all night!” The newlyweds set off on a mini-moon to Santorini a few days after the wedding for some much needed R&R.