Abigail and Lloyd met in school when they were teenagers, Abigail recalls, “He was a year older so I never knew he existed until my best friend introduced me to him outside school; but I realised in later life that we actually went on a school trip to Belgium and had a picture together for the school magazine!” Abigail continues, “I remembered how much fun we had together back then, and that for us was the first attraction to each other; a lot of laughs and no cares in the world and we continue to live our lives like that.” Fast-forward to a Christmas Eve proposal in 2020, Lloyd popped the question in the couple’s first house. “Our house was being renovated so it was an absolute mess with dust, paint etc!” shares Abigail. “He decided that year that we weren’t buying gifts for Christmas, and I just wanted a card. So, we exchanged our cards (which mine was a funny card!) he handed me his which said ‘Fiancée’, so I was confused at that point, but he thought it was funny to write only joking inside the card but then as I turned to the back of the card he got down on one knee and had written ‘Will you marry me?’. The big date was set, 29th July, 2023, with the Cloisters Suite at the Holiday Inn Bolton, setting the scene. SETTING THE SCENE Having attended a wedding at the Cloisters Suite previously, the couple knew they loved the venue. “It’s a renovated church so it has the high ceiling and big arched stained-glass windows and that’s what we fell in love with,” shares Abigail. “I had the best of both worlds: a church feel in a modern hotel!” For the finer details of the day, the couple had favours of Polos with a ‘mint to be’ sticker, while the centrepieces and other décor were created by Flossypots Events. “I wanted large white cherry blossom trees as I walked down the aisle with petals, and on the tables large bunches of flowers with candles in vases,” shares Abigail. “I wanted it to feel like you were walking into the wilderness in spring, I just wanted flowers everywhere!”. The big-day bake was a five-tier plain white cake with a colourful floral wrap around the stand, to give the impression the cake had flowers floating around it. The cake decoration, and place names were both made by Abigail, the latter were cards with the guest’s name featuring pastel flowers. “We also had a light-up ‘Mr & Mrs’ sign and dancefloor which I loved, and it really made the night more special!” adds Abigail. LOOKING THE PART Bride Abigail wore an A-line lace gown which was originally strapless, however she added lace off-the-shoulder cap sleeves and also a delicate diamond belt. “Not forgetting my full-length veil!” adds Abigail. “I chose this style as I love lace and it fit my theme, plus the shape of it made me feel confident and I could move freely without feeling restricted especially for the nighttime!” Lloyd looked dapper in a black tuxedo while his groomsmen had different suits with sage-green accessories to complement the bridesmaids’ dresses, “I had five bridesmaids all different shapes and sizes, so I wanted to make sure they were all comfortable with what they wore,” shares Abigail. “We found 33 REAL WEDDINGS
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