A teenage flirtation turned to a delightful love story for Vicky and Chris – and led them down the aisle in a touching ceremony reflecting the things that mean the most to them – Friendship, Marriage and Family. With a gorgeous ivory green and peach theme and a Krispy Kreme tower, it was a sweetly tearful day for their family and friends!
Bride & Groom: Vicky, administration manager, and Chris, engineer
Length of engagement: 18 months
Wedding date: 29 June 2012
Wedding ceremony & reception: The Orangery, Whittlebury Park, Northamptonshire
Wedding photographer: Andrew Billington
We met… At Whipsnade Zoo! I was 16 and Chris was 19, we both worked there around our studies and although we flirted a lot we didn’t get together. We lost contact and 9 years later bumped into each other in town. The spark was instantaneous and the rest, as they say, is history…
First impressions of your husband… good looking, great sense of humour and good fun – we just clicked, somehow. He still makes me smile every day.
His first impressions of you… When I first met her she looked like trouble. When I saw her walk down the aisle that feeling had not changed, but she was my trouble now.
The proposal… We went away to Denmark and Sweden a few days before Christmas. Everywhere was thick with snow and we travelled on the train to Helsingor, a town on the Danish coast. Chris took me to Kronborg Castle where Shakespeare’s Hamlet was based and in a turret overlooking the sea to Sweden he presented me with the ring by sitting it in the sunlight on the windowsill so I saw it as soon as I walked into the room. It couldn’t have been more of a surprise or more romantic.
Your bridesmaids/groomsmen were… My two sisters were our bridesmaids and they wore dresses from Monsoon. My 3 year old niece was flowergirl and wore a dress from BHS. Chris’s two best men and three ushers were his good friends.
Wedding dress by… Maggie Sottero
How did Confetti.co.uk help in your big day? The forums helped me no end and I’ve made a lovely group of friends on there who I still speak to now we’re all married! I also found the Real Weddings and trending articles really useful – wedding dress inspiration, hair and makeup inspiration… I gained a lot from Confetti when all the ‘real’ people (apart from my lovely mum and dad) around me were bored of wedding talk!
We chose our venue because… of the light. We struggled to think of what our perfect venue was, but then we came across The Orangery at Whittlebury Park. It was light, muted colours, lots of glass and the owner is flexible enough to allow lots of things that aren’t the norm – such as our afternoon tea instead of a full three course meal.
Our ceremony was… Emotional! We are both from close families and for me in particular it was important that they were around me on the day. We had a family moment shortly before the ceremony and I cried when my dad saw me in my dress for the first time. Then we got ready for the ceremony and the string quartet struck up with Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros which gives me goosebumps. My mum went first with my niece for the ‘awww’ moment, then my two sisters (the bridesmaids) followed. One of them cried all the way up the aisle so was somewhat of a warm up act! I cried as soon as Chris caught my eye and this apparently set quite a few people off. It was very intimate even with 100 people there, and one of the wisest decisions we made was having only those people we really WANTED there to attend the ceremony. It is such an intimate moment so it was important that it was in front of our favourite people in the world.
Your wedding theme/colours… Our aim was for elegant informal formal! Most of our inspiration pictures were from French vintage chateau weddings. Colours were ivory, sage green and peach to create a muted, soft look.
What was your favourite part of the wedding? Vicky: All of it! But the ceremony was one of the most special things I’ve ever experienced. Our readings reflected our values as a couple: Friendship, Marriage and Family. We wrote an Order of the Day with a note directed at our friends and family to make it more personal. Chris: the ceremony – that feeling that our journeys to get to this point had come to an end, but a new one was just beginning. And the Krispy Kreme donut tower.
What was the song for the first dance? Chris chose it as a surprise for me so I only knew what it was when it started to be played in front of everyone… it was U2, All I Want is You. It was soppy enough for me and because U2 is his favourite band it was a perfect choice.
What is your advice for other brides? Plan as early as you like and ignore what people say about it being too soon – you can get good deals. Do exactly as you like, but do be considerate of the people around you. It may be your day, but the guests need to enjoy themselves too. And most of all: ENJOY IT!
