How we met...
We met at university whilst studying Archaeology under serendipitous circumstances in 2011, we were friends for a while before we started dating a few months later.
The Proposal...
We’d planned a weekend break in the city we met for our 8-year anniversary which then got postponed due to COVID. Lauren had organised the trip so she wasn’t expecting anything, we went for dinner in the restaurant where we had our first date, then for a walk around the city walls like we had done 8 years earlier. After a quick detour due to several broken street lights we found ourselves in the Roman Gardens at sunset. He didn’t get down on one knee or produce a ring but he had bought a pair of Roman coins to make into pendants to wear on our wedding day. We both got emotional, and I couldn’t say yes quickly enough.
What made us choose Dodmoor for our special day...?
We came for a viewing and Daniel fell in love with it. The efficiency and friendliness of the staff really sold it, we could customise the day how we wanted without having the stress of a DIY-wedding and that was a massive bonus.
Our vision for the day...
It was really important to us that we customise the entire day, we decided early on what traditions to keep and what to lose, and then designed everything about us as a couple. If we had a vision it was to keep our guests happy, which meant food, drink and music!
The outfits...
My dress is from Pronovias a Spanish designer and I loved shopping for it. I knew I wanted long sleeves and that turned out to be fairly difficult to find in many boutiques. It was very different to everything else I had seen as I wasn’t a fan of traditional flowery lace, but I still wanted something feminine. Eventually I found something I loved, I found out I am very picky!
Daniel and his groomsmen wore a tweed/wool suit from an online store which does customisable made-to-order suits. It turned out easier with restrictions still being in place. He wore a similar suit to his parents wedding when he was 3 so clearly it left an impression.
The food...
Tapas! We aren’t fans of big roast dinners so went for something a bit different. We had sharing platters for our starter and a selection of tapas for our main. We wanted to create a more relaxed atmosphere so we had banqueting tables and no top table. It meant our guests had to talk to each other! We also used our wedding cake as desert, which meant everyone got to try some, and we didn’t have loads left over.
In the evening we had a toastie van which was a huge success! Again it got people talking to each other, and there was reduced food waste.
Our favourite part of the day...
Probably the ceremony, that is the bit it is all about! It felt really special to be surrounded by everyone we love and make it official.
What made Dodmoor stand out as a venue to us...
Definitely the efficiency and organisation of the team. We cannot fault them and they are such genuinely lovely people. We also loved how we could make the day our own as we got married in a church so we had travel time to factor in as well.
The idea we felt worked well on the day...
Probably the ceilidh, we were uncertain whether people were going to join in so it was a massive relief that people loved it so much.
Entertainment...
We had a set of party games between the end of the meal and the band starting which allowed time for them to set up. We got the groomsmen to run Pictionary, Mr&Mrs and ‘pin the castle on the map’ which went down really well as our families are both quite competitive.
We then had a ceilidh band perform which was just so much fun. Our guests were complete beginners but everyone loved watching it, or joining in. The banter between the band and the guests was also so much fun, and added to a relaxed atmosphere.
Where we feel our budget was well spent...
The venue, food and the band. The things that made it memorable and enjoyable for us and our guests.
Personal touches that reflected us as a couple...
The food, the games, the band, but also our decoration. We had names of different castles as our table names, so we asked artistic members of our family to draw/paint a castle each, and then framed them to put on the tables. They turned out fantastically and now hang up our stairs at home. We also did a speech together and asked both sets of parents to speak. We really wanted to pick and choose which traditions felt important to us. We also made our own rings, in the workshop we had our Roman coins turned into pendants which was really special. It was well worth the money to have such unique rings which are very unique and match our personal tastes.
Recommended suppliers we used and loved...
Emma Brooks Photography is amazing, she made us feel so at ease and captured every moment beautifully.
Finally, if we could give a tip to other couples...
Decide early on what is really important to you both and focus on those things/areas. On the day all those little details really don’t matter anymore so don’t worry about them! It also goes by so fast so make sure you have a private five minutes at some point where you can breathe and just soak it all in.
Special thanks to Lauren and Daniel for sharing their story, and Emma Brooks Photography for the photos x