All those months ago, when we started planning our wedding, we never could have dared to dream that it would all turn out so well.
July 6
We decamped to the opulent Huntsham Court for the weekend, friends and family readily embracing the more DIY aspects of the proceedings, and sharing in our excitement. Did I sleep the night before? Did I hell. But, just like everyone said, the adrenaline carried me through.
The defining moments – too many to mention. But all magical.
There was the dress: I wore a sweeping Lusan Mandongus gown of delicate silk and tulle, which fell into a gentle train at the back. The dream wheels that took me to church: a cream 1969 Jaguar S Type; cars hooting and children waving as we passed. Then, the ceremony: over a hundred guests made up the congregation of that beautifully ornate church, but when we were at the altar, we might as well have been the only people there.
Not until the champagne reception did we really started to relax, though; the breeze carrying the harmonies of Kat Arney's harp, while our photographer, Laerke Feld Andersen, took the portraits that we will always treasure.
The sit-down meal was indulgent, peaking with the speeches. My dad, quite simply, nailed it. No notes required, and all delivered with a comic timing I’ve never been able to master. My husband’s speech was also incredibly moving - honest and from the heart. And the Best Man? Well, he made the aunties tut tut and the groom cringe: a job well done.
The rest of the evening passed by in a haze – music, dancing, an abundance of elderflower champagne and a lot of blurry polaroids.
It was just brilliant.
Take a look at the ELLE Weddings gallery to discover the little details that made my big day, and to see more wedding stories and pictures from Team ELLE and friends of ELLE.
Pictures: Laerke Feld Andersen
