Elaine and Darren married just three days before Christmas last year at The Sacred Heart Church in Wimbledon Village before moving on to their reception at Hampton Court House in Surrey.
The cloudy skies and flash downpours that presented themselves on the day of this sweet pair’s wedding did not stop play. In fact if anything they added their own dose of romantic sensuality to the gorgeous photography captured by Brett Symes.
Folks, just wait and see what we have in store for you…mountains of tulle, blooms, glitz and glamour. I know, I can’t wait either… let’s get started.
Delicate Tulle
My dress was by Pronovias from Teokath, Wimbledon. The staff were amazing as I was really nervous and not really into the whole big dress thing. I went in wanting something simple that was straight to the floor. I ended up with the complete opposite, and was so glad I did. The bodice and skirt had subtle sequins on which really gave the dress that special sparkly touch, particularly against all the candles used in our winter wedding.
Special thanks go to Sam and Jackie in store for adding intricate lace straps to make the dress unique and echo the lace all over the bodice and skirt. The neckline was edged with delicate tulle and the skirt had numerous layers of more tulle which gave it a sheer, lightweight appearance. I loved swishing around in it for the whole day and fair dues to Darren, he didn’t step on it once!
Crystal And Sparkle
I had a double layered veil dotted with small diamantes to add even more sparkle! I initially wanted a full length veil but settled on waist length so the skirt and train of the dress could be seen and that I wasn’t swallowed up by too many layers!
My hair comb was also very sparkly from Glitzy Secrets. It was a large statement hair comb which featured a trailing lily design encrusted with sparkling clear crystals.
I felt the floral hair comb needed little accessorizing, so I simply coordinated with a pair of crystal drop earrings. The earrings were also crystal with a studded silver tone drop leading to a pear cut crystal. I had three simple, single strand diamond bracelets and a simple ivory feather bolero to complement the winter glam look.
My shoes were complete skyscrapers from the Opulence collection. They were an unusual colour, a cross between gold and silver is the only way I can describe them and had a really comfortable platform – they served me well throughout the day and fitted well with the aim to look glam but in an understated way.
Wintry Tones
I was really keen not to look too contrived on the day and wanted my hair to be natural – loose with a soft curl. My hair stylist was Maria Koumis. Maria did such a great job with my hair and even did it again for me at the reception to make sure the photos were great!
I did my own make up. I used wintry tones for my eyes – dark sparkly grey and soft ivory eye shadow tones with fully loaded mascara! I went for a dark rich red/brown colour for my lips to compliment my pale skin.
Fairynuff Flowers
Steph Turpin from Fairy Nuff Flowers was my florist. She gave exceptional and personal service in every way. The flowers used were Avalanche Roses, white Spray Roses, white Bouvardia, Wax Flower, white Anemones, Brunia, Gypsophila, dark blue Viburnum berries and Eucalyptus.
Steph created amazing blooms, including a heart wreath and large ball of flowers which hung from the centre of the dance floor in the conservatory of Hampton Court House, not to mention exceptional table centres, button holes, free standing displays and arrangements. Our table centres were candelabras with flowers and crystals.
Steph totally covered the venue in hurricane lamps and scented candles in beautiful votives. Flowers were everywhere! This was one of the most important parts of the wedding for me and Steph did not disappoint.
Midnight Blue
The bridesmaids dresses were by Dessy in midnight blue. I chose midnight blue based on the colour of my invitations by Emily and Jo. I had been looking for the right invitation for a long time. I wanted to have a reference to Christmas for our December wedding, but not in an obvious way. Emily and Jo’s winter invitations matched my brief and were very different in terms of being foil blocked on midnight blue board.
The groomsmen wore dark grey hire suits from Jo McLaren in Teddington with midnight blue ties.
Darren had his shirt, suit and tie made to measure by King and Allen and Spencer Hart. I was so happy to get to the top of the aisle, to see him in his attire, to relax and enjoy our day. We smiled and laughed our way through the service enjoying the choir and taking our vows facing our family and friends. It was so special and a truly happy moment.
Magical Warmth
Brett Symes was our photographer. We spent a long time choosing the right person – in the end what won it for us was Brett’s informal, reportage style. We didn’t want all of the shots to be contrived, and that’s exactly what I got. I had also seen a wedding he had shot at Hampton Court House previously and it was clear he really knew what he was doing with lighting.
Darren and I met with Brett a few weeks before the wedding for some test shots. We had planned to do these at Syon House but when we arrived it had closed unexpectedly for some form of maintenance. Brett used his initiative and we used a wooded area to take the shots next to the car park of all the things!
There’s no way in the world you would ever have guessed this from the shots – they were beautiful. On the day itself, Brett took amazing natural shots which show the magical warmth and relaxed atmosphere of the day. He captured all of our personalities and feelings from beginning to end.
The Cake Parlour
Our wedding cake was always going to be from The Cake Parlour, Wimbledon Park. I regularly walk by the shop and look forward to seeing what is new in the window. I knew when I got engaged that this is where I would purchase the cake from!
The cake was four tiers, ivory with intricate iced soft pink roses for the top tier and ivory iced hydrangeas dotted randomly over the other tiers. Each layer was a different flavour: fruit, raspberry sponge, lemon sponge and carrot cake. Delish!
I spent a long Friday evening, before the wedding, filling favour bags with the help of my two pups, the chocolate tasters. I had originally ordered favour boxes that you put together yourself, but soon got fed up trying to work them out so ended up buying silver snowflake organza pouches – much easier to fill with heart chocolates! I ordered some personalised stickers with our names and wedding date on to add the personal touch.
An Absolute Craic
With Darren and I both being from Irish families, it was important that we had an Irish flavour to the reception. We decided to go for a live Irish band and DJ in the end. Both didn’t disappoint and met our requests really well, including songs from all those Irish summer holidays we both enjoyed as kids and were forced to listen to by our parents! It was an absolute craic.
We also hired a retro photo booth which was a real talking point for everyone. Guests could take home a copy of their photo with a copy and message being placed in our guest book. It really got the guests involved and kept them entertained.
Our first dance was to ‘Just The Way You Are’ by Bruno Mars. It’s a beautiful song and says it all about how we feel plus it’s one to sing along to! Simple.
Hearty Winter Scenes
Hampton Court House was a great venue. The key for us was that we wanted a relaxed fun filled day where everyone was well fed and watered! We were able to decorate the venue in any way that we wanted and so we covered the place in flowers and candles to create that cosy winter feel.
The venue made sure that both of the fire places were lit for us to add to the warm feel of the day and had decorated what can only be described as a giant Christmas tree. Had it have been a summer wedding we would have missed out on these! The reception room overlooked the beautiful Bushy Park complete with stags and deer that came to the window to have a nose! A lovely winter scene.
We also had Mr and Mrs hand carved wooden letters made to put on the fireplaces. That was lovely to see when we walked in. We had use of the Theatre Room for the wedding breakfast and a large conservatory for the bar and those important dance moves. The roof of the conservatory was lit with fairy lights and decorated with a large flower ball which was a real centre piece. We couldn’t believe how beautiful it all looked. We chose table place names based on places that we had been to and that acknowledged our Celtic roots!
The food by Acclaim was exceptional. We could not have asked for better, venison, lamb hearty apple pie and an evening buffet to die for were all washed down with gorgeous wines – a gift from our more than generous friends brought over from Italy.
Grazie!
Choose Carefully
Our venue didn’t charge a corkage which was a real cost saving, and we had the whole house to ourselves for the day. We could also use any suppliers we wanted rather than having to use those listed by some hotels/venues – this meant things could be exactly as we wanted and we were free to make all the decisions.
We were so lucky with Di and Sarah at Hampton Court House, Steph Turpin our Florist, Brett Symes our photographer, Rachel at Acclaim and Maria Koumis. It is so important to choose people who not only get the job done for your special day but who listen and are all around good eggs. It makes it all so much nicer!
Choose a venue that looks as good inside as it does out! It rained all day but simply didn’t matter as my mum and dad said, ‘once we were in we were in’. I didn’t think about the weather at all as the photos were just as lovely inside as out. What counts is who is in them!
Don’t rule out a winter wedding either. It provides you with so many options, furs, feathers, fires, fab lighting – candles, sparklers and sparkly winter glam. Not only is it a great way to end the year but best of all, a time to look forward to the many happy years to follow – something that we will never forget! Lastly if you can, have a choir – simply magic!
Click here & view all images from this wedding
Venue: Hampton Court House
Boutique: Teokath
Dress: Pronovias
Accessories Glitzy Secrets
Groom: King And Allen and Spencer Hart
Maids: Dessy
Florist: Fairy Nuff Flowers
Cake: The Cake Parlour
Photographer: Brett Symes
Catering: Acclaim
That flower ball above the decadent wedding cake…IMMENSE. It just so works doesn’t it.
I’m also loving the rest of the florals from the sweet buttonholes and the bridesmaids bouquets to the luxurious candelabras. There’s nothing quite like a cascade of beautiful blooms that says hedonistic luxury.
Are any of you lovelies going all out on the floral agenda on your big day?
All my love Lolly xxx