Your Surrey Wedding - Apr/May 2019 (Issue 76)

54 would wear, I was very open to my final look. Gillian and her team were fabulous, they were welcoming and made me feel like one in a million. After listening to my ideas, they pulled out a selection of beauties for me to try on. But once I put this particular gown on, I felt truly special. My mum and sister agreed. I went back for a second time with a close friend, and she too said that was it. It was simple in design, accentuating my shape, but heavily adorned in beading and sequins. I felt like a silver screen starlet. On the day, my sister gave me a beautiful pair of vintage-style drop pendant earrings. I chose to have no veil, instead I opted for a beautiful handmade flower crown from my wonderful florist.” Alex’s sister was her matron-of-honour and she wanted her to wear something refelective of her personality. “She has such a petite, beautiful figure I wanted her in something more fun, her shoes were by Topshop, skirt by Lace & Beads and top by Coast. I wanted her to feel really comfortable, beautiful, and be able to wear it again! I couldn’t have imagined my day without her there. She was so cool, calm and elegant, she kept me going!” The groom and his best men, including his 10-year-old son Archer, all wore very similar outfits comprising waistcoat, trousers and tie. “We had Archer’s suit specially made by a tailor, so he definitely stood out as the best man,” says Harry. “He was so good throughout the day and leading up to the event and I don’t think I could have got through it without him. He had his own suit completely different from mine and the other best men and looked amazing. Our buttonholes were thistles to acknowledge Alex’s Scottish heritage.” IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE At the couple’s official ceremony they opted for a solo pianist playing some of their favourite movie theme tunes. “He played each song perfectly, but if I’m honest I hardly heard any of them over my nerves. It was only the bridal entrance song, Star Wars , and Escape (The Pina Colada Song) which I really appreciated,” remembers Alex. At the second venue, the outdoor, more relaxed one, the newlyweds had a festival-type atmosphere with an inflatable assault course, bucking bronco, garden games and a photo booth in a vintage VW Campervan! “We wanted our guests to have an evening where they could let loose and not feel the pressure of a formal wedding. The full dancefloor, screams and laughter from the bronco, and all the instant prints from the photo booth just showed us how much fun everyone had.” During the blessing, a solo singer performed ’40s, ’50s and ’60s songs putting her own spin on the couples’ favourites making the whole ceremony truly bespoke. “We then had a live rock’n’roll band called the Flip Top Floozies who performed a variety of songs from the same decades. They even learnt our favourite song for our first dance, I Only Have Eyes For You by The Flamingos.” As a special surprise they also played Alex’s mum and dad’s first dance song from their wedding. “We will never forget the love in their eyes as they took to the dancefloor... more than 30 years after their big day! “To close the night, our friend Jon, who’s also a professional superstar DJ, did an hour set of some of our favourite drum and bass classics. It was certainly a very different way to end such an incredible day, and got lots of people on the dancefloor!” MEMORABLE MOMENT “I must admit, it never really dawned on me that I was getting married, until I put my dress on!” laughs Alex. “I woke early on the day, in my beautiful room at Nutfield, made a cuppa and went outside to enjoy the sunrise, and the little bit of rain. I didn’t even mind the rain, especially after the heatwave we’d had. Leading up to the day, everyone told me how collected I was, but all I was really thinking about was everyone and everything else. It all came together, my cheeks ached from smiling, everyone had a wonderful time. And that is all that mattered to us, that everyone we loved could be there and enjoy our special day with us. Eating, dancing and laughing the night away – perfect.” “The things that really made the day memorable for me, were when I first saw Alex when she walked into the room at Nutfield, our ride to our second venue in a Ford Mustang and the ceremony by the lake at Westmead,” shares Harry. “They were moments that were special to me. Nothing grandiose or out of the ordinary but little things that I remember as being a very special moment on the day.”

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