Zoe & Jonny got married at Wadhurst Castle, Sussex. Cool venue and doggo friendly - bonus! They are a gorgeous couple and completely into photography so got to have some creative fun with them! Anyway I sent them some homework and absolutely love what they said in their questionnaire! Hope you love the images as much as I do and if you fancy having a photographer who is more than just a photographer on your day to capture it then please get in touch. I wanna know all about your plans and can help, advise and recommend a number of suppliers.
Here’s what they said.
How did you both meet?
We met at Focus DIY in 2003. Jonny already worked there and I got a job on the checkouts on Saturday’s whilst completing my A-Levels.
How did you know they were the one?
Zoe: I know its cliché to say, but we are soul mates. We have always ‘got each other’ and are always on the ‘same page’. We have grown up together and grown closer during that time but our outlook and goals have always included one another. I just couldn’t imagine my life without Jonny and his commitment to coming to see me every weekend in London did and will forever mean everything to me because neither one of us wanted to give up on what we had.
Jonny: Zoe has always made me really happy and when she went off to University I knew then she was the one because of how much I missed her and I just wanted to be with her. I spent three years driving to London every weekend so I could spend time with her. I love her so much and always will.
Can you tell me how you proposed?
Well…we kind of just decided together in June 2018 that the time was right! We have been together for so many years and have always talked about the future and ‘when we get married’ that after attending a friend’s beautiful wedding in Majorca we were once again talking about ‘our wedding’ and how we would do things and Jonny said ‘shall we just do it?’ and that was it. We started planning and got married just over a year later.
What made you guys choose your wedding venue?
I was searching for dog friendly wedding venues!! It was very important to us that our beloved cocker spaniel Coco was a part of our day. I had never imagined looking at a castle before but up popped Wadhurst Castle. As soon as we pulled up and walked around to the back and saw the beautiful views and landscaped gardens, we just knew that’s where we wanted to get married. The icing on the cake was the stunning walled garden which was licenced to marry us outside (another thing on our wish list) and meant that Coco would be able to run around in a safe, enclosed space! Then we saw the castle itself, which was absolutely beautiful and the rooms all interconnect which allowed for a free flowing and open space between the bar, dance floor and dining room. The bridal suite, wow…the room itself is absolutely stunning but you are drawn to the balcony and windows which are floor to ceiling revealing the most amazing view of East Sussex. It was just perfect in every way. On top of that Sue the venue manager was so helpful, relaxed and made us feel extremely welcome, important and could visualise our ideas and offered some of her own. We left feeling extremely excited after we booked our wedding for Thursday 8th August 2019 ☺
What was your inspiration behind your wedding theme/day?
I have always loved the rustic/vintage look and always imaged having old ladders, crates, log slices as centre pieces and started to buy/source these items. We decided to collect glass jars and decorated them with lace/beads. My Mum is amazing at arts and crafts and she made all of the bunting and dream catchers (something I had seen on Pinterest and loved!). I found a lovely little shop in Hastings Old Town which sells the most beautiful dried flowers and I decided to use them, that way we were able to prepare all of the decorations prior to a couple of days before. I then found a company called The Artisan Dried Flower Company that make wedding bouquets, button holes and corsages using wild meadow flowers which fitted perfectly with the other flowers I had already bought helped to reflect/capture the vintage theme, plus, we got to keep them all!!
What was your first dance and why?
Eric Clapton, You Look Wonderful Tonight.
Jonny: It just reflects everything about Zoe and how wonderful she looked not only that night, but the whole day!
If you could give any couples getting married one tip what would it be?
During the (wedding) day itself take some time away from everybody to spend 5/10 minutes alone. The day goes incredibly fast and you will probably feel like you barely see your new husband/wife as you are circulating around your friends and family.
What tips would you give to keep that spark alive?
Tell each other that you love them – every day!
Talk…talk about anything and listen
Laugh with each other
Make time for each other
Support each other’s own interests
Wedding Suppliers
Hair Stylist: Kitty Radford-Earle (Friend)
Website:
Make-up: Own make-up
Brides Dress: Jesus Peiro
Website: http://www.pantilesbride.com/
Bridesmaids Dresses: ASOS Design maxi dress with flutter sleeve and lace insert
Website: https://www.asos.com/women/dresses/bridesmaid-dresses/
Brides Shoes: Warehouse sandals with toe post
Website: https://www.asos.com/warehouse/warehouse-sandals-with-toe-post
Suits: Empire Mills Signature British Wool – Taupe
Website: https://www3.next.co.uk/g232237s10#542317
Grooms Shoes: Derby Lace Up – Tan
Website: https://www3.next.co.uk/g23398s10#193365
Florist and Venue Decoration
Bouquets, button holes and corsages – Wild Meadow dried flowers
Website: The Artisan Dried Flower Company - https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/558352450/wild-meadow-dried-flower-lapel-corsage?ref=yr_purchases
Centre Pieces / Decoration – dried flowers from Reste, Hastings
Website: www.reste.co.uk
Cake: Sandra Brasier (Friend)
Website:
DJ: Alfie Eldridge from Matt Maurice Event Production
Website: www.mattmaurice.co.uk
