Your Sussex Wedding - Feb/Mar 2020 (Issue 83)

Joanna and Liam’s wedding theme was a natural choice given they’d travelled the globe to visit hot air balloon festivals, including the capital of ballooning – Albuquerque, U.S.A Images courtesy of Amanda Lucas Photography ABOVE THE A s many do, Joanna and Liam met through a mutual friend. It wasn’t until five years after this first meeting at a 17 th birthday barbecue though, that they got back in touch again. Theirs is a beautiful tale of a friendship that developed into much more as they learned about each other, and shared common interests, as well as a similar sense of humour. Liam proposed in May 2016. Jo remembers, “We went for a picnic together in Friston Forest. He told me to close my eyes and when I opened them again he was down on one knee, telling me that he wanted to be with me forever!” Naturally, Jo gleefully accepted his proposal, and there the pair sat, overlooking the Litlington White Horse, watching the paragliders soar past as they soaked in the moment. The couple shortlisted Northease Manor from a selection of venues they’d seen online. Jo explains, “We were looking for somewhere local where we could host the whole day. We loved its setting, the grounds, the thatched Tudor barn, the manor house, and the rugby pitch allowing us to have a hot balloon!” We were super-excited about this wedding day as soon as we laid eyes on the couple’s incredible photos, and caught up with the bride to hear her memories of 1st June, 2019… clouds 59 REAL WEDDINGS