Laura’s Story

The Proposal

Damien proposed to me while we were on holiday in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

He arranged for the bar/restaurant on the beach to stay open after hours, and they had prepared a special meal just for us, printed off personalised menus, and surrounded us with candles. That ambience, being on the sand, right by the sea, under the stars, was magical!! And yes, it was a surprise, but I had suspected he might ask me at some point.

The Outfits

The Bride – A stunning, strapless Pronovias dress, with a delicate lace train.

Bridesmaids – Customised Ivory/Grey Alfred Angelo gowns.

Groom and groomsmen – Grey morning suits with ivory waistcoats. All hired from Moss Bros.

The Ceremony and Reception Venue

We saw Country House Wedding Venues advertised on-line & in magazines, so we decided to have a look. As soon as we arrived at Coltsford Mill, we fell in love with it, and knew it was “the one”. Other venues we had seen previously didn’t meet our requirements in terms of visual appeal, the facilities of the rooms/bar and the overall package.

The Decorative Touches

Room decorations – Ivy on the chandeliers and a beautiful fairy light backdrop on the back wall.

Table centrepieces – Hurricane vases with pillar candles, clear glass pebbles and pink/cream/purple/green arrangement. Nothing too fussy.

Favours – Ivory organza bags filled with mint imperials and personalised matchbooks.

The Cake

A very different one! 3 tiers depicting my Husband and me. Top tier, the bride, groom (in his rugby gear – he’s a rugby fanatic) and our black cat, Oliver. Second tier – Damien playing rugby, me cheering on the sidelines (as happens every Saturday!) and the 3rd tier, us Scuba Diving. Something we both always wanted to do, and did do, not long after we started dating. We also did a lot of diving while in Sharm El Sheikh (a small reminder of that happy holiday)

The Transport

We used a cab service and arrived at 11am. I got ready in the bridal cottage as the ceremony and reception all took place at the same venue, so no other transport was needed.

Advice to other couples

Is there anything you learned that you think is an important tip for future wedding couples? Don’t sweat about the small stuff. Small things will go wrong, or won’t be quite 100% the way you want, but overall, it WILL be the best day of your life, so ENJOY it! Oh, and you MUST film it, as it goes by so, so quickly.

The Suppliers

Wedding Reception Venue – Coltsford Mill

Venue found through Country House Wedding Venues

Bride’s dress – The Wedding Dress Shop, Wimbledon

Bride’s accessories (veil, tiara, shoes) – Veil- as above, Shoes – on-line at Pink

Groom’s suit – Moss Bros

Bridesmaid’s dresses – Alfred Angelo

Other outfits (ushers, maid of honour, pageboys etc) – Moss Bros

Wedding rings – ABIBA, Hatton Garden

Wedding cake – Creative Cake Design

Flowers – Liz Bushell at Coltsford Mill

Invitations – Special Day Direct (on-line)

Wedding list – John Lewis Gift Vouchers

Disco/DJ – Brady’s Music Agency (we had an Irish Duo followed by a DJ – Damien is Irish)

Wedding favours – Organza bags – Cox & Cox, Matchbooks – Confetti.co.uk

Photographer – Victoria Fordham at Perceptive Photography