How we met...
We met at University after being placed in the same halls in 1st year. We can’t say it was love at first sight…the first glimpse I got of Rob was him carrying a crate of beer up the stairs and I knew he’d be trouble! Within a few months it became clear to the rest of our housemates that we may be becoming more than just friends (even if we didn’t want to admit it!) and after an impromptu trip to Paris we realised it was meant to be!
The proposal...
Rob proposed during a work trip to Berlin. Whilst I was working, Rob scouted out the best places in the city for us to explore in the evening. On our last night, we went out for dinner in Berlins tallest revolving building. Rob had intended to pop the question overlooking the beautiful city…unfortunately he’d had to leave his coat downstairs at the security desk, with my ring in the pocket! After a panicked phone call to his mum in the toilet, he informed me that there was nothing on the menu that either of us would like to eat and we made a sharp exit! After a very rowdy dinner in the German equivalent of Wetherspoon’s, we went sightseeing and whilst I was taking some pictures I heard Rob calling me. I turned around and he was on one knee!
The dress…
As soon as I thought about buying a wedding dress I knew exactly where I wanted to buy it from. A friend of our family owns a bridal shop just at the end of the road from my parents house. For years I’d driven past and looked at the dresses in the window and knew that’s where I’d find ‘the one’. I tried on several dresses, thinking I knew what style I was looking for but none of them were quite right. I’d managed to narrow down what worked for my shape etc and the lady helping me suggested a fitted lace Maggie Sotterro ‘Hudson’ dress, at first I was a little reluctant as it wasn’t like any I’d thought of trying but as soon as I put it on I knew it was perfect! It was so comfortable and had such beautiful details like a beaded pearl chain across the open back.
Our favourite part of the day...
Its so hard to pick our favourite part but I think the part that worked the best was the arrival of our Mariachi band! Our families knew about everything happening during the day and we really liked the idea of keeping something as a surprise for them. Everyone was gathered together around the steps in the courtyard, and as we were having our photo taken the band appeared from around the corner and burst into song. The reaction they got was even better than we could have imagined, everyone was in hysterics and couldn’t believe what was happening. While planning the wedding, we were worried about there being parts of the day without any entertainment and didn’t want any of the guests getting bored, so the mariachi band was the perfect solution!
The idea we felt really worked on the day...
We had been so worried about our food ever since we started planning our wedding. We knew we didn’t want anything too formal and loved the idea of our guests being ‘hands on’ with our wedding breakfast. We tried a number of different caters and had some amazing tastings but we still couldn’t find exactly the right menu. Eventually, Rob found Paella Inc. online and after meeting Jonathan we knew he could provide the perfect combination of amazing food with fun sharing platters and enormous Paellas!
Where we feel our budget was well spent...
We had a really amazing photographer (Rebecca Walters) who as soon as we met, knew she would be fantastic. As the photography takes up a large chunk of the budget we thought it was really important to find the right person. Rebecca was so much fun and really got involved so that she could take pictures which really captured the character of our day.
My hair and makeup stylist (Lucy Beesley) was also so worth the money. I’ve known Lucy for a long time and having her as part of my wedding day made it extra special, plus the styles and looks she can create are pure magic!
Finally, if we could give a tip to other couples...
Have fun planning. Believe us, you’ll miss it when it’s all over! Remember that it's your day and you need to do what’s right for you, rather than trying to please all of your guests.
Thank you to Victoria and Rob for sharing their story, and to Rebecca Walters Photography for the beautiful photos x