How we met...
I (Katy) had just started teaching and living on my own and desperately needed a hobby. I thought I’d try Dungeons and Dragons and met Liam while playing my first game in a pub in Northampton.
The proposal...
We were on a cruise to Norway. Liam organised a lovely “surprise” where he took me to the front of the ship escorted by security where he proposed with the beautiful Norwegian Fjords behind him. He isn’t the best at lying so on his third trip to the front desk to see if he won a third prize in a treasure hunt, I guessed something was up. We planned to buy the ring together so he proposed with a Velcro zip-tie as he couldn't find a Haribo ring in Norway!
What made us choose Dodmoor for our special day...
The venue is beautiful and the staff were so accommodating it was such a delight to meet them. We were planning the wedding from Yorkshire so we really appreciated all the great communication.
Our vision for the day...
Christmas with a sprinkle of dragon! It was a Christmas wedding but we are also huge nerds so wanted to bring a little more magic to the event.
The outfits...
Liam wore a lovely dark grey suit with a tweed waistcoat as a nod to Yorkshire. I wore a lovely princess style wedding dress with flowers and leaves and lots of sparkle to reflect the fairy lights of the venue. Instead of a traditional veil, I also wore a cape veil with leaf accents.
The food...
We had mince pies as canapes. For the main meal, we wanted it to feel a little bit less formal and to get people talking on their tables so we had a Mediterranean sharing platter for a starter. For the main meal, we had vegan wellington, roast lamb or salmon with shared vegetables on the table. For dessert, we had chocolate torte, banoffee pie or fruit salad. We used Cornwells for our wedding breakfast food and they managed to give us fantastic quality food for an amazing price! After the dancing, we had a toastie shack, donut wall, sweets and popcorn which were all very popular!
Our Favourite part of the day...
The ceremony! We had one of our friends sing during the signing of the register and it was so magical!
The second most memorable part was my Dad almost setting fire to his cue cards during his speech! The Dodmoor staff were watching and were very quick to step in to avoid any disasters!
What made Dodmoor stand out, as a venue...
The layout was perfect for our winter wedding and really allowed people to spread out but still stay warm. The staff were also faultless and so attentive!
The ideas we felt really worked well on the day...
The photobooth! We added it on as a last minute idea as we wanted photos for our guest book, but the photobooth itself was a huge hit. The props made their way onto the dance floor, including several blow up microphones, and everyone had a great time with them.
Entertainment we put on...
We didn’t really want entertainment as it didn’t really suit us and our guests. Instead we spent days refining a playlist for our day and without boasting, we smashed it!
Where we feel our budget was well spent...
The photographer. We knew that we wanted to not spent huge amounts getting married but we did want to immortalise our day, so we decided a great photographer was a must. We went with Pauly Wright and he was amazing! He blended into the background but took some amazing photos! Liam and I are not natural in front of a camera but he managed to put us at ease and capture the magic of the day.
Personal touches that reflected us as a couple...
The cake was a big one! We wanted a traditional wedding cake but with a touch of nerdy flair so ended up with an amazing dragon wedding cake, made by the Mad Cake Co. in Higham Ferrers. We also did a lot ourselves; we designed all the signs for the day as well as the ceremony pew ends and table centres (with massive help from parents!)
Suppliers that we used and loved...
Jess from the Mad Cake Co. was amazing and knew exactly the vision we wanted. Also, her cake tasted amazing, especially the chocolate orange layer!
Ian from Cornwells catering was fabulous. His prices were very reasonable and still amazing quality of food.
Gabby Casswell did my hair and makeup on the day and she and her team were so organised and lovely. I was really at ease on the morning and we were all ready to go with plenty of time!
Pauly Wright was our photographer extraordinaire! Amazing guy, very friendly and fantastic photos!
My dress was from Gowns and Garters in Thrapston. Amazing selection of dresses in a wide variety of sizes. They made the wedding dress shopping experience so easy!
We used Artisan dried flowers
Advice to other couple's...
Make the day your own! Include little things that mean a lot to you and your relationship. We included our hobbies as well as elements that were hand made by us, our friends and family, which really made the day super special. Don’t strive for perfection, no wedding is every going to be perfect, but make it memorable and make it reflect you as a couple!
Special thanks to Katy and Liam for sharing their story and Pauly Wright for the photos x
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