Having moved with his family down to Sussex from London, Harry joined the local sixth form, which Zoe already attended. He was soon cajoled into a night out by his new friend Duncan, and that’s where he met Zoe. “One thing lead to another and now, 10 years later, we’re married,” she says. “We’ve always just enjoyed each other’s company and we often say to each other that we just love doing life together.” Harry proposed by the lake in the grounds of Villa Melzi, a botanical garden in Bellagio, Lake Como. The couple share a mutual love of the song September by Earth, Wind and Fire, which they routinely played at university parties, and if you’re familiar with the lyrics, you’ll immediately know the date Harry chose to pop the question! Although they’re terrible at managing to pull off surprises for each other, unbeknownst to Zoe, Harry had managed to fly out his step dad and wedding photographer, James, to capture the moment. Zoe is a home girl, so getting married in her beloved East Sussex was important to her. Wadhurst Castle was hosting a wedding fair shortly after the pair became engaged, so they popped in to look around and practically booked it on the spot! “We met Susan, our venue coordinator that day and knew this was the place for us. We didn’t need to see any others. It overlooks the East Sussex countryside where we spend so much time taking long walks together.” So, the date was set for their 10th anniversary, 26th May 2022. Join us as the newlyweds tell us more... LOOKING THE PART The beautiful bride wore India by Madi Lane, a beautiful figurehugging boho-style gown. “I could move and cuddle all my favourite people in it without feeling restricted,” she remembers. It wasn’t a style she’d imagined herself going for, but knew it was the one when she tried it on and felt incredible. “I was so worried Harry wouldn’t like it as it was very lacy, but I thought he was going to fall over when he saw me,” Zoe continues. Harry wore a blue three-piece suit with a tie colour-matched to the bridesmaids’ dresses. “Who knew how difficult that was going to be to find?!” Zoe remembers. The groomsmen were dressed to match, while bridesmaids wore blue dresses. The flowergirl looked super-cute in a cardigan bearing her nickname, Squidge, paired with a blue tutu. SETTING THE SCENE Zoe and Harry settled on a clever something blue theme and set about designing their big day to reflect this. The styling also featured a nod to their favourite pastime, travel, so they chose aeroplaneshaped bottle openers in mini suitcases as wedding favours, which they placed on the entrance table. The table plan, welcome signs, order of the day and a sign illustrating their love story were all designed to match with their names and wedding date on the bottom. They chose a bold black font that would stand out against the colourful flowers and used the same one throughout the remaining décor. Since there were only 28 guests, the duo decided on one long banquet-style table. But, Zoe remembers, “Arranging the seating plan took more thought than we’d imagined.” The place names were carved from wood and painted black. They sat on top of personalised menus that the couple had made to remind guests of their meal choices. Zoe adores flowers and had a vision of beautiful blooms lining REAL WEDDINGS 31
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