Laura met Mike in the oh-so modern way – online. While he was attracted to her genuine and down-to-earth personality, Laura says, “I fell in love with Mike’s beautiful blue eyes and I’m not going to lie, the picture of him in his TA uniform was definitely a plus. I’ve always liked a man in uniform... who doesn’t?!” When Mike proposed in 2015 it wasn’t a surprise as he’d asked Laura to go ring shopping the week before. “It was so much fun as I got to personally choose my engagement ring,” Laura remembers. When the time came to pop the question, Mike took Laura on a romantic walk to Reculver, the beautiful church ruins on a cliff face, wine and glasses in hand. Despite being nervous he asked Laura to be his wife in the traditional way – on one knee – albeit in a puddle. During the first 2020 lockdown, an amazing group of local wedding suppliers got together to make one couple’s big-day dreams come true. Inspired by the incredible nurses, care assistants, doctors and other health professionals who risked their lives daily to help the fight against Covid-19, the Sussex NHS and Carers Wedding Competition offered the grand prize of a wedding day worth in excess of £30,000. Laura is a radiographer working for Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, specialising in breast cancer care, so the couple decided to enter. In the October/November 2020 issue of Your Sussex Wedding we announced Laura and Mike as the winners of this awesome competition when Laura commented, “It still hasn’t sunk it. The Sussex wedding team have brought some sparkle and magic into our lives and we can’t wait to start planning our perfect day together. Every person who entered the competition is a superstar, and it makes me proud to be part of the NHS family.” As media partners of the competition, we’re delighted to give you the lowdown on the much-anticipated big day... LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION “Although we didn’t get to choose our venue as it was part of the competition prize, we couldn’t have been offered anywhere more perfect. We’d never have been able to afford a such a fairytale location as Cottesmore, so it was a dream,” Laura says. Its mix of modern and rustic styles along with stunning décor, a beautiful entrance and courtyard complete with fountain, really appealed to the couple. “I particularly loved the relaxed homely feel,” Laura remembers. What’s more, as the pair share a love for the great outdoors, having a lush countryside feel to the venue was important to them, so Cottesmore’s vast grounds with visiting deer and lake made it perfect. “We were even treated to a drive in our very own golf buggy for pictures, which was so much fun,” Laura tells us. As there’s ample accommodation on site, many of their guests decided to stay and the couple were able to start the party early with a lovely family meal the night before. SETTING THE SCENE The pair decided to feature a rainbow palette to pay homage to the NHS’ work throughout the pandemic. They chose three different hand-painted floral designs on ceramic hearts as their wedding favours. These were personalised with Laura’s favourite saying as a blessing to everyone given how important these things have become over the last two years: “live, love, laugh.” The pink floral place names were designed to match the invitations and the mirror table plan tied in too bordered with various hues of pink and white flowers. Mirrors featured further in the centrepieces, as giant Martini glasses filled with coloured glass pebbles and flowers sat on top of them. “They were classy and elegant but girly. We went for rose gold and pink in the reception room as we didn’t “Never be afraid of asking a silly question, for most of us wedding planning is a new experience.Your suppliers are a fount of knowledge – ask away!” REAL WEDDINGS 31
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