Daniel went to a summer camp with Camp America in 2016, which is quite popular while studying at university in the UK. He travelled to San Diego after his summer in Pennsylvania with some mutual friends of Laura, who grew up in California, which led to the pair meeting and hitting it off. They had a longdistance relationship for four years before Laura moved to London – they’ve lived together ever since. Daniel proposed with the stunning Jurassic coast as a backdrop. He planned a weekend away, which started with a breakfast picnic. The couple left their house in London around 4 am to drive down in time to see the sunrise, but the entrance leading down to Durdle Door was closed and ironically, it didn’t open until sunrise. Daniel quickly improvised and drove a little way along the coast to an area called Lulworth Cove instead, with impressive views of the entire coast beyond. As the sun rose, they were drinking coffee from a flask and eating when he got down on one knee! Laura comments, “I had a hunch he might ask me that weekend, and his improvisation ultimately turned fortuitous when we Facetimed my parents to tell them the news later that day! My mom said Lulworth Cove was one of my nana and grandad’s favourite places. We spent the rest of the morning hiking along the coast, before enjoying a lovely dinner in Bournemouth later that night. Daniel’s family had planned a surprise engagement party the following day, which was amazing and so special!” SETTING THE SCENE The lovebirds originally wanted an intimate wedding followed by a bigger celebration in the US a few years later, but that evolved quickly into a more full-on celebration here in the UK. Throughout all the planning, they focused on ensuring everything was true to themselves and chose details that were unique to their love story and personalities without focusing on trends or traditions. After exploring a lot of venues all over the country, none of them felt very personal to them both. So, they started searching for a venue close to their home in London, which meant somewhere in Hammersmith. When they came across Linden House on the council website, Laura was excited and planned to meet the coordinators. They fell even more in love as they felt welcomed and supported from day one. It was the easiest decision they made in the whole process! Laura was in disbelief on the day; she couldn’t believe the wedding was finally here after all the planning! She comments, “I was very calm the entire morning! I started getting nervous but excited as we travelled to the venue where I got changed upstairs in a hidden room with about 30 to 40 minutes before the ceremony. The one person I wanted to see was Danny, which I couldn’t do as he wanted to see me for the first time at the ceremony – it was worth it!” Danny’s morning was a bit different; he got ready with his mum and sister at their flat before his friends came round for a drink on the terrace. He was in full host mode, greeting everyone and being the star of the show downstairs. He cried when he saw his beautiful bride walking down the aisle; they both felt excited and relieved once the ceremony nerves wore off. They snuck away afterwards for a few minutes, one of the only times they were alone together all day. It was so nice to be in their own space, hug each other and feel so in love! They had an amazing day surrounded by so many incredible friends and family. The couple opted for long U-shaped to create a one big family vibe. They use a combination of varied coloured bud vases along the tables as centrepieces to suit the seating arrangement and contribute to the natural, earthy and whimsical style of the florals throughout the day. The catering options included a two-course meal and cake as dessert from Luminary Bakery. Laura says, “I learned about this company years ago through a friend and had tried their cakes before, so I knew they could create a perfect, simple, beautiful and delicious bake for our day. The company is more than just a delicious and talented bakery; it’s a social enterprise that helps to create jobs and community while supporting women who have experienced social and economic disadvantage. They offer courses, work experience and paid employment within the bakery, empowering women to build their careers. By choosing Luminary to 29 REAL WEDDINGS
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