Tell us about the proposal, how did it happen, where did it happen etc.
Craig proposed to me the day we moved into our first home together. We had already been together 7 years at this point. It was the first Friday in January in 2017 and the weather was awful. Ed Sheeran had released ‘Castle on a Hill’ that day and I was having my first listen on the way to our new home after finishing work. I was so excited! Craig had finished work early and picked the keys up and was waiting outside the house ready for us to walk in together. Little did I know he had already been in the house and set up rose petals, candles, champagne with flutes and a gorgeous bunch of flowers. We barely spoke before getting through the door because of the wind and rain. I walked in saw the flowers first thinking what a kind lady who sold us the house leaving a huge bunch of flowers and then I looked at Craig and he got down on one knee. It was amazing! I was so overwhelmed. We just had sat on the floor giddy with joy and happiness, drunk our champagne and didn’t even explore our new house for a good hour!
What was your original vision for your wedding day? Vintage, colourful, glitzy etc. Did that vision change?
I had always imagined a big wedding because we are both very close to our families and we are very lucky to have a large group of friends, many of which have been friends since primary school. We had the mindset that this will only happen once so let’s make it exactly what we want! We didn’t really have a theme to the wedding. We had the perfect backdrop of Oxwich Bay and relied on our amazing florist Eve Francesca to work her magic and fill the venue with flowers. She blew us away!
How did you find the planning process? Were you relaxed, or did it cause a lot of stress?
I usually get very stressed about things, so I really surprised myself with how relaxed I was during the planning process. I think having two and a half years between engagement and wedding helped! It meant we got the choice of suppliers, venue, date, etc. I also had lots of help from our families and Craig loved being involved in the planning process! The two weeks to the buildup to the wedding was busy but I really enjoyed it.
How did you decide to choose Oxwich Bay Hotel as your wedding venue? What were the reasons? Did you have anywhere else in mind before deciding that Oxwich was the place for you?
We both grew up in Swansea and went to the same secondary school. However, we are 3 school years apart so didn’t know each other in school. We met when I was 17 and Craig was 21 and we were both working in Verdis in Mumbles. We absolutely love where we live, and we knew we wanted to get married in Swansea. We are so lucky to live by the sea so a wedding by the sea seemed perfect. We did look at the King Arthur, Oldwalls and Fairy Hill which we all gorgeous venues. Oxwich was the last place that we visited and after walking back to the carpark after our first viewing we both knew it would be the place for us! We fell in love with the ceremony room and when we saw the marquee, we could just imagine it filled with all of our favourite people.
Tell us about your dress and accessories and why you chose them
My dress was from White Bride in Narbeth. I fell in love with it as soon as I tried it on. It was the first shop I went to when going dress shopping. I didn’t say yes straight away as I wanted to make sure it was the right decision (plus I was really enjoying trying on the gorgeous dresses). However, it was in the back of my mind when going dress shopping the second time. It was fitted and lacy and had a tawny base colour which made me think it was ‘different’. I went back to try it on with my two best friends and they loved it just as much. I was sold and when I said yes, I didn’t look back and couldn’t wait to wear it!
What did the Grooms and Groomsmen wear?
Craig and his groomsmen wore a navy suit with tails from Formal Hire in Swansea. They looked so handsome! He had a coffee coloured tie and pocket which complemented the undertone of my dress perfectly (I sneaked to the shop a few days before our appointment to match it up with my dress). I could never tell Craig what to wear on his wedding day as he likes to be involved in all the planning. He couldn’t decide between that and a different colour but with the help from some of the wedding party and the lady in the shop, we managed to persuade him to go for the coffee. He is so glad that he did now!
What music / readings did you choose for the ceremony and reception and first dance?
We had the Taliesin String Quartet at the ceremony and drinks reception. They were amazing. They played Cannon in D for me to walk down the aisle to and I couldn’t hold back the tears as it is such a beautiful piece of music. They played some of our favourite songs as we signed and made our marriage official. We had a blessing from Father John, Craig’s family’s priest to finish off the ceremony which was lovely and very personal to our family. Our first dance was to Michael Buble – Everything. The lyrics are what makes that song perfect to us. We often play it to my bump now just to make sure it is one of the baby’s favourite songs too!
Who were your bridesmaids and why? Tell us about their dresses.
I had three bridesmaids. My best friends from school Nia and Lizzie who had been practicing their shocked faces since Craig had popped the question. They were always going to be by my side on my big day. I also had Craig’s sister Nicole who is more like a sister. It was perfect because Craig had both our brothers as groomsmen too.
Who decorated the venue and what was your theme? Did you do a lot yourself?
We had an incredible wedding planner at Oxwich called Laura Banfield. We had met her a few times during visits to the venue and we kept saying ‘I really like her, I hope she co-ordinates our wedding’ so we were thrilled when she emailed us to introduce herself as our wedding planner! She was so relaxed, but I could just tell that she knew exactly what we wanted and how we wanted our day to unfold. Our florist Eve Francesca decorated the venue with the most gorgeous flowers I’ve ever seen. The bridesmaids had heather coloured dresses so there were lots of pinks, purples, greens and ivories in the flowers. They were honestly the most stunning flowers. One of my favourite parts were the hoops on the dance floor. Craig is a big football fan so our tables were set in a 4/3/3 formation with legendary Swansea City players as the table names. The top table was called ‘Sander’ my new married name, as Craig’s Dad used to be the goalkeeper for them in the eighties!
What was your cake like and why did you choose this design?
My very talented friend Lucy made our three-tier cake. We had a mix of lemon and victoria sponge with frosting on the outside. Eve decorated it with flowers. I remember walking in to see the setup of the marquee after having our wedding pictures and I was just blown away. The cake looked insane and it tasted so delicious.
Who was your photographer and how did you decide they were the right photographer for you?
Our photographers were Roz and Kirsty. We met with them over 2 years before the wedding and then didn’t meet up again until a few days before. We met them in the winter down Mumbles and loved what they showed us. They were also so relaxed and friendly, and I could see how relaxed they would make everyone feel on the day. They were the first booking we made! I can’t put into words how perfect the album and the photos are. The pictures are exactly what we wanted – Us and our favourite people with smiles on our faces all day!
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We went to Kefalonia in Greece for two weeks. It is our favourite place in the world. We fell in love with Kefalonia when attending a wedding of our good friends Scott and Aimee in 2016. We went back the following year and booked a gorgeous apartment. I’ve never really understood why people go back to the same place on holiday year on year but since visiting Kefalonia I totally get it. As soon as the wedding was booked, we knew it would be the perfect place for two weeks of total bliss. We did have a second honeymoon booked to Sri Lanka for Christmas and New Year, but it fell through. We are kind of glad it did now, as 6 weeks after the wedding we found out we were expecting our first baby!!
What were the most memorable moments of your special day?
Getting ready at my parent’s house with my parents and my girls was amazing. We were up from half past 4 but we had such a relaxing morning and by the time the cars arrived I felt like I had already had the best day ever!! Walking down the aisle with my Dad was so special. We had practiced linking arms and walking down but as soon as the doors opened, I grabbed hold of his hand and didn’t let go. I loved the ceremony and going off in the car with Craig was pretty special as we just got to say, “we are actually married!” about 20 times. The wedding breakfast was exquisite although I couldn’t eat much as I was just so excited. The speeches were heartfelt but hilarious and our first dance was perfect. I surprised Craig with a saxophonist although I don’t think he noticed him at first as we had both had a few drinks by this point! The most memorable part for me was the moment our first dance finished, and the first song started. Our friends and family love a party and every person got up and danced with us. I don’t think there was a moment that night where the dancefloor wasn’t full. I realise I’ve pretty much said the whole day was memorable, but we really did love every moment.
Do you have any advice for other couples who have either booked or who are looking at Oxwich as a potential wedding venue?
Yes – enjoy the food tastings!! Go to every wedding experience day and take your families with you. The planning part is such a special time and we would love to do it all over again. Don’t stress about the small things because on the day all that matters is you two and the people you love around you.
