Morning everyone! I hope some of you are enjoying a ray or two through your windows this morning… I always remember my teachers saying March “came in like a lion, out like a lamb” — so maybe it’ll be brighter in a week or two. But if you haven’t got sunshine outside this morning, scroll down: the lovely Olivia and Matt are sharing theirs!
Words are written by Olivia (as wonderful a wordsmith as she was a beautiful bride!) and the wedding photography is by Pippa Mackenzie.
Olivia and Matt’s English country garden wedding (part one)
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We met at a party held by a mutual friend. Neither of us really wanted to go and so we would say that it was fate that brought us together. At the party Olivia kept pushing Matt off of chairs & tying his shoelaces together. Matt was smitten and stayed at the party well past his last train home.
Matt went off to university a few months after meeting Olivia which only made the relationship stronger, as we were constantly on the phone and planning our visits to each other every fortnight.
Matt took Olivia to New York for her birthday and our seven year anniversary with the promise of making it extra special. On the last day of the trip Matt proposed to Olivia on the top of the Empire State building – it was one of the happiest moments of our lives (before the wedding). Matt proposed without a ring and so we chose my beautiful ring together the day after we got back to England.
Fourteen months of planning later, we held the wedding.
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Clik here to view.Wedding dress:
My dress was by True Bride, who are a Sussex designer. The dress was brought from the Bridal Boutique in Burgess Hill which was run by the lovely Sally.
Accessories:
My shoes were from Kurt Geiger and were beautiful. My jewellery was very simple, I had small pearl bracelets and wore a borrowed necklace and earrings.
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I also loved getting ready at home with my family and Amie. My makeup artist Sarah not only made me look beautiful but kept me so calm. Sarah’s mum also had a wedding shop so she was there to help me get into my dress.
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The ceremony was held at the beautiful St Peter’s Church, Twineham, which was in the village where Olivia grew up. The church is only a few minutes’ walk from Olivia’s parents’ home, so they kindly agreed to hold the reception in a marquee in their garden as Olivia had her heart set on having the reception there.
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The wedding was held at 2PM on Saturday 9th July. Matt’s father is an amateur organist and so we were honoured to have him accept our request to play for our wedding. Olivia walked down the aisle to Charpentier’s ‘Te Deum’. The hymns were ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’, ‘Lord of the Dance’ and ‘Be Thou my Vision’. We also hired six choristers — also acquaintances of Matt’s father – to sing during the hymns and the signing of the register where they performed an incredible rendition of Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’ where everybody was stunned and amazed at how great it was. The readings were read out by Olivia’s sister Charlotte and Matt’s sister Becky.
It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and it was lovely to see all of our guests mingling and enjoying the sunshine.
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Matt’s outfit was from Dickies Suit Hire. The groom and best man hired top hats along with their suits.
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Before my father and I got in the car to go to the church we had some lovely and pretty emotional moments which I will never forget. When I walked down the aisle with Daddy it was wonderful seeing all the smiling faces of my family and friends – and also Matt with the biggest smile waiting at the other end.
Matt – I will never forget the moment when Olivia walked into the church – she looked so beautiful. I was shaking with excitement through a lot of the service! The reception was amazing, it was so good to see our family and friends and to be able to enjoy the day that we had been planning for over a year. I was terrified of giving my speech, and even more so of hearing what Ned would come up with to embarrass me for his speech!
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That’s all for today I’m afraid… I’ve got calligraphy to be working on this afternoon and I really should get cracking! But tomorrow there’s more from me — and from Olivia and Matt and the wonderful Pippa Mackenzie. Come back to see all the gorgeousness of the perfect English country garden wedding reception! (On the blog Tuesday at 11am)
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Olivia and Matt’s recommended wedding suppliers:
- Vogue Diamond, Brighton — Engagement & Wedding Rings
- Uttam Boutique, London – Bridesmaid Dresses
- Condici & Michael Kors – Mother of the Bride Outfit
- Pascal from the Point, Brighton– Brides, Bridesmaid & Mother of the Bride Hair
- Sarah Woodhouse, Burgess Hill – Brides Makeup
- Pippa Mackenzie – wedding photographer
- Vintage Flower House, Wivelsfield, West Sussex – flowers
- Rachael’s Kitchen, Worthing, West Sussex – cupcakes
- The Angelic Host, Loxwood, West Sussex – Caterers
- Pimpernel Associates, West Sussex – Organiser on the day / first dance
- Brookfield Marquees – West Sussex – Marquee
- Place Settings, West Sussex – equipment hire
- GG Print, London – wedding invitations
- Digiset, West Sussex – Order of Service & Evening invitations
- Vintage Cars supplied through family friend Luis deGrouchy at Arun Cars, Pulborough, Sussex
- The Sussex Saxophone Quartet – music before and during the wedding breakfast
- John Bull & The Bandits – evening music
The post Here comes the sun! An English country garden wedding appeared first on English Wedding Blog.