Alfie and Shauni first met at his old place of work, in a local pub. “We knew from the very start that we were attracted to each other, we clicked from day one,” recalls Shauni. “Alfie was mine and my friend’s waiter, we had numerous cocktails that afternoon and chatted away to Alfie. After several visits to the pub during the summer my friend said to Alfie for him to write his number on our receipt which he did, although it took me three days to message him! We did start seeing each other in secret for a while, purely not knowing what each other’s intentions were or how we even felt about each other. But since that moment onwards, we spent a lot of time together, with Alfie eventually moving into my home that I shared with my oldest daughter at the time – we now have two beautiful children of our own and Alfie gained a stepdaughter!” Alfie proposed at the same pub where the couple met just before Christmas. “He was an absolute nervous wreck,” recalls Shauni. “So I did have a little bit of knowing that it might happen. We had a little corner table where we had a date a couple of times, so it was quite special in a way, the pub was quiet that evening so not many people were around to witness it.” The big date was set, 24th August 2024, with a ceremony at St Peter’s Church, Old Woking, followed by a reception at Hoebridge Golf Club. SETTING THE SCENE The couple wanted a simple yet elegant wedding, a mutual vision they both had. “Our local church was always so eye-catching when we passed it so it was an obvious choice,” shares Shauni. Keeping the décor for the reception venue simple, Shauni used many items she’d collected over the year of planning the wedding, which provided the theme and colour scheme early on. “I got lots of different ideas from TikTok and Pinterest, from the table layouts to the flowers and wedding favours, it all came together beautifully” she says. Opting not to have a set table layout, the couple wanted everyone to just mingle and enjoy each other’s company no matter where they sat. Shauni adds, “We chose to have a barbecue wedding menu, with pizzas in the evening time.” The couple’s wedding cake was kindly made by a friend’s mum – with a gifted talent of baking cakes – and they chose to have a three-tier cake in the following flavours: chocolate, red velvet and lemon, “It was so perfect and so delicious!” adds Shauni. LOOKING THE PART Shauni’s bridal look was actually one of the first dresses she had tried on after seeing the design on Instagram. “I absolutely fell in love with it straight away,” she says. “It was simple and elegant with the most beautiful back detail.” Alfie looked dapper in a navy suit with a pink tie and pocket square, “We chose this colour because it matched so well with my bridesmaids’ dresses,” shares Shauni. The bride wanted the groomsmen and bridesmaids all matching in coordinating suits and dresses, “My bridesmaids wore a dusky pink strap dress that had a slight slit down the side, perfect dresses for such beautiful bridesmaids!” MEMORABLE MOMENTS To entertain guests, the couple hired a photo booth mirror, “It was absolutely amazing, everyone had so much fun,” shares Shauni. “We got a photo album included, and each guest got to take home one picture and then the other went into the album. 37 REAL WEDDINGS
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