Tell us about the proposal, how did it happen, where did it happen etc.
The way Jonathan proposed was so thoughtful and the best proposal I could have wished for. He proposed to me at home on the Friday evening I finished work for Christmas in 2016. I arrived home, after having six calls from him in mu 30 minute drive home, and the house was lit with candles and there was music playing but he was nowhere to be seen. When I walked in our hallway I could see he had set out treasure trail almost using canvases with different clues on, tea lights and prosecco. I followed the trail out to the garden which he had decorated in fairy lights and he was stood there and that is when he proposed to me. If he hadn’t been so insistent on me getting my nails done I would have been completely surprised!
The fact he chose to propose at home was really special to me as we had just brought our first home together two months before and I loved that the way he did it was unique to us as I don’t imagine many other people will be proposed to in our back garden. I wouldn’t have changed it for the world, apart from maybe the fact I still had my Christmas jumper on from work.
What was your original vision for your wedding day? Vintage, colourful, glitzy etc. Did that vision change?
We decided early on that our vision for the day and how we wanted it to look and feel was relaxed and romantic, especially with the beach setting of Oxwich Bay. We had family and friends travel from all over the country and abroad and we were so appreciative of all the effort they made to be part of our special day we just wanted to create a really relaxed fun atmosphere that was just also filled with love. We didn’t want anything OTT to distract from the real reason of why we were there.
How did you find the planning process? Were you relaxed, or did it cause a lot of stress?
We were both relaxed for the wedding planning process we had 751 days from the date we booked Oxwich Bay until the date of the wedding. I think one of mine and Jonathans greatest strengths is our communication and not taking things too seriously which made wedding planning a lot easier and fun. I also have an event planning background which I think definitely helped keep us on track. Those were the quickest 751 days of our life’s, it went from having lots of time to suddenly being a year to go, 6 months to go, 2 weeks to go! The one thing I found most stressful was finding wedding shoes. As a tall girl who didn’t want to wear a really high shoe but also didn’t want to compromise on the style, finding a shoe with a low heel that wasn’t frumpy, boring or really expensive was borderline impossible.
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 actually attended a friend’s wedding at Oxwich Bay about 7 months after getting engaged, we had been to view a couple of venues but they just weren’t quite right so we had put planning on the backburner for a while but then when we were at this wedding we just both turned to each other in the evening and said this is where we could picture our wedding taking place. We both love going to the beach and the Gower. Between booking the venue and our wedding date we took several trips to Oxwich Bay which was really nice to create some memories in the lead up to the day and every time we visited it felt so special and made me more and more excited. We have 2 dogs who we chose not to involve in the wedding day so it was great taking them to the beach for a walk and sitting in the beer garden in the months prior to the wedding. The staff were also a massive factor, we found that at a few other places we felt just like a number but everyone at Oxwich bay was so helpful, really listened and were able to offer some great advice, and it really did put our minds at ease.
Tell us about your dress and accessories and why you chose them
I chose a Rosa Clara dress called Adele. I was open to try on different styles but I knew going into it I did want something quite slim fitting with something different about it. I remember when Helen at OneBridal pulled it off the rail for me to try I was just in awe of it. The bodice is covered in twinkling beads which just catch the light in such a beautiful way and show the intricate lace patterns which run through the gown. The dress has a train of 3 tiers which has a romantic wispy finish to it. The detail on it was so intricate and everytime I put it on I noticed something different. I just felt amazing when I put it on and it wasn’t like anything else I had seen. As someone who is massively indecisive I did go and try on several other dresses but nothing compared and as we were driving home we called OneBridal to say that was the one. Sometimes you have just got to go with gut instinct. For every fitting and every opportunity I had to try the dress on I just loved it more and more. For the accessories I kept it simple, I wore a ring my great grandma left to me and rose gold tear drop earrings from Ivory & Co. and my maid of honour lent me her diamond earring to wear in my second piercing as my something borrowed which was a really lovely touch. In my hair I wore a rose gold hair piece and a cathedral length veil just really simple one tier, I loved the way this looked with my train! The hair piece and veil I got from my mums bridal shop.
What did the Grooms and Groomsmen wear?
The groom wore a 3 piece Ted Baker suit in a dark navy Blue and a pink tie that coordinated with the bridesmaids. I thought he looked so handsome! He choose the suit with his dad and he was going to keep it a surprise but I was on my lunch break at work and he was in Slaters trying it on after it had been altered and he called me as he wanted my opinion, and I loved it. I wasn’t surprised he went for a 3 piece as I knew at the first opportunity the blazer would be off and his shirt sleeves would be rolled up!
Jonathan had his best friend and one of his sisters as his best men and he let them know what he was wearing but he didn’t want them to be matching so left it up to them to choose what they wore.
What music / readings did you choose for the ceremony and reception and first dance?
I walked down the aisle to the orchestral version of Becky Hill ‘I could get used to this’ the lyrics to this song just really rung true to us both and it was great to then have the more upbeat version in the evening. We are both massive fans of the US office, and was one of the things we first bonded over so in homage to this and the episode with Jim and Pam’s wedding we walked out to Chris Brown ‘Forever’. Our first dance was to ‘It’s your love’ by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
Who were your bridesmaids and why? Tell us about their dresses.
I had my 2 sisters as my bridesmaids and my best friend since I was 13 as my maid of honour, really couldn’t have imagined doing this without them by my side.
I was open when it came their dresses if they wanted to wear a different colour from one another and go tonal or a different style but we found a dress that looked amazing on all 3 of them and they all loved the colour. It was quite a challenge with the distance with my one sister in Cardiff the other in Suffolk and my maid of honour in London. It wasn’t until the dresses had been ordered and arrived had I seen them all in them and in the right colour. My maid of honour found a bridal shop near her who had the style we wanted but in bright red so she put on her best acting skills and went and tried that on pretending to be interested whilst sending me some photos! Thank you god for IPhone’s and FaceTime. We got the bridesmaids dresses from my mum’s bridal shop and she was so helpful offering advice when it came to their dress about things I wouldn’t have thought of! For example a neckline and style that complimented my dress. To fit in with the vision of relaxed and romantic we went for a simple but beautiful strapless design in a colour which was best described by our florist as a mocha pink. I just loved the way my bridesmaids looked. We used some of the excess material from the dresses to wrap around the bridesmaid bouquets so it trailed down and I loved the way this looked.
Who decorated the venue and what was your theme? Did you do a lot yourself?
We used the Wedding Business for fairy lights which did make the marquee look beautiful especially in the evening. My favourite decoration has to be the flower arrangements, we used Ruth Milton Jones as our florist and I couldn’t recommend her enough. We had flower hoops on every table as well as a pillar candle, we also had a much larger flower hoop in the ceremony room which was then taken up to the marquee. Table decorations and other decorative items we did a lot ourselves or used Oxwich Bay’s. Everything we did had a meaning to it, the table names were all places we have lived during our relationship and for my hen party the girls did photo bunting which we used to decorate the entrance to the marquee and my sister did coloring in sheets of us and the dogs for the tables.
What was your cake like and why did you choose this design?
I think not asking for some of the cake to be kept aside is probably one of the only regrets I have from the wedding as it was so delicious in the tasting and I only managed time for a small bit on the night of the wedding! Our cake was a 4 tier seminude cake with rose gold dripping and flowers, it was all of my pinterest dreams come true. We used Bella Cakes and she was amazing, the flavours we tried at the tasting were all so good we went with a tier of each! We had white chocolate Victoria sponge, chocolate Ferrero rocher, lemon drizzle and carrot cake.
Who was your photographer and how did you decide they were the right photographer for you?
For photography we used the incredibly talented Sacha Miller. Sacha was recommended to us by my mums boyfriend who is also a wedding photographer as he thought we would get on really well with him and love his work and he wasn’t wrong! We loved the fact it was more documentary style photography with only a handful of posed shots which is much more our vibe. We were both so happy with our photos and how he captured so many beautiful and precious moments. A personal highlight was towards the evening when Sacha asked if we would mind if we went over to the dunes to do some photo’s just me and Jonathan. We were essentially just going for a walk in the dunes and every so often you would just see Sacha running around the dunes to capture the photos.
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We haven’t been on our honeymoon yet we were just about to start planning it before the COVID-19 pandemic so we have that to still look forward to when this is all over.
What were the most memorable moments of your special day?
When I was getting ready in the morning with my bridesmainds and my mum I just really cherished that time. The drive down to the venue just me and my dad, we have been on so many car journeys together and even though that was probably the shortest I will remember it forever. Getting to the top of the aisle and seeing Jonathan and his speech was the most amazing thing I have ever heard, I felt incredibly lucky! Basically the entire time! To have everyone you love and care about in one place is the most amazing feeling.
Do you have any advice for other couples who have either booked or who are looking at Oxwich as a potential wedding venue?
Why are you thinking about it? Just book it! Couldn’t fault Oxwich Bay at all. The service, the venue, the food, the staff, the location everything about it was just perfect.
If you have any questions just ask the wedding team they are so helpful. I remember Laura and I having a very long conversation about the logistics of fitting everyone in the room whilst ensuring the aisle was wide enough for the train of my dress to be laid out.
However cliché it sounds, enjoy every minute!
