Inspiration

Well aren't Phoebe and Matt just an absolute pair of hotties?! I feel like their wedding photographs are on fire!!! Both of them look gorgeous - Phoebe's Sarah Seven dress fits like a glove and Matt rocking all black is just genius, it suits him and the vibe of their wedding down to the ground. But it's not just the clothing that's swoon worthy. Oh no. Wait until you see the decor and flowers. Think copper, concrete, all white blooms and lots and lots of foliage. I know, it sounds like a dream and trust me when I say it looks like one too...

Our Wedding

Phoebe the Bride: When my fiancé and I began to think about our wedding, we already knew that we would be going for a minimal theme. As a couple, we don’t usually wear much colour or many accessories, and we wanted the day to reflect our style. We decided on a purely white aesthetic, complemented by lots of fresh greenery, concrete grey and copper. This provided a fresh feel without an overload of colour.

Advice

When planning the wedding, we both wanted to ensure that it didn’t become a source of stress or tension, and so we made sure to remind ourselves that the wedding day was just that, a day. If I could give any advice to anyone planning a wedding it would be to not take it too seriously. Make it lovely, make it fun, but don’t get up tight about it, it may not be logistically perfect in the end, but it will be the most wonderful day of your life. The additional bonus of taking a relaxed approach is that your guests really feel the friendly and positive vibe too!

The Bride

My gown was by LA designer Sarah Seven, I found it at a special trunk show at Frou Frou Bridal Boutique in Tunbridge Wells (a stunning place I would highly recommend to brides-to-be) and fell in love with the minimal and simple design. The dress is cut beautifully with great attention to detail making it flattering and comfortable throughout the whole day. I decided to do my hair and makeup myself for the wedding, as it helped me remain calm on the morning and retain a not-too-done-up look. I therefore decided that a small floral headpiece would help elevate a simple bun into a bridal hairdo, and came across Sophie and Luna via the Frou Frou Bridal Boutique. Sophie and Luna create a variety of stunning headpieces by hand, all made from real dried flowers! The difference between dried flowers and faux flowers really is incredible, especially when the hairpiece was so key to the look. In keeping with our minimal theme, I didn’t overload myself with jewellery on the day, but wore my simple rose gold chain that I wear everyday, and a pair of earrings from Home & Glory at Not on the High Street. I also bought a pair of these earrings for each of my bridesmaids.

The Wedding Party

The bridesmaids wore short white shift dresses, all from French Connection, for a sleek and simple look. Their hair was styled similarly to mine (minus the flower crown) and the overall effect was perfectly chic! Matt and the groomsmen all decided to wear all black shirts, ties and suits, for a minimal and slick look.

The Groom

Matt was very particular about his suit and was determined to find a black double breasted style, which was surprisingly difficult! We finally found the perfect one in Reiss, and they were very helpful in tailoring the jacket and legs for free. For Matt’s shoes he bought a stunning pair of brogue boots from Alexander McQueen. The beautiful leather and quality design really stood out and looked sharp.

The Venue

We chose to have our wedding at The Royal Wells Hotel in Tunbridge Wells as the hotel decor was perfect for our theme. Not a paisley carpet in sight and stunning interior design as you can see from the photos. This meant that we weren’t fussing over trying to heavily decorate the venue as it already matched our theme perfectly, providing the perfect neutral background to design. The hotel also provided all of our catering including canapes, welcome drinks, our three course meal, wine, champagne and evening buffet. We bought a stunning three tier Pistachio and Passion Fruit cake from Cutter & Squidge, that complimented our Pineapple and Passion Fruit Pavlova dessert perfectly!

The Decor

Our decor was pretty simple, focusing mostly on flowers. Our florist Jane was so wonderful, I asked for white flowers with greenery and she really went over and above. From bouquets, to buttonholes, centrepieces and decorating our copper arch for the ceremony, everything was perfect and turned our venue into a floral wonderland. For our tables we used marble circular plates each with a copper vase of flowers and a concrete table letter. Guests could find their seat with cards pinned to a wire rack seating plan and each place setting had a personalised note from us as well as a handmade wooden spoon favour. The grey, white and copper went perfectly with all the greenery and foliage, creating a pleasing table design throughout the room.

The Entertainment

My husband, being an audio engineer by profession, was determined to ensure that we had a great sound system for our speeches and our reception music too. We were able to get a top quality D&B Audiotechnik PA supplied to us by Southby Productions.

The Ceremony

We got married legally a few days before the weekend in our local registry office so that we could have our ceremony exactly how we wanted. We were able to have our friend who is a pastor at Elevation Church in Australia fly over with his wife in order to conduct our ceremony which was so special. We had so many people say that it was one of the best ceremonies they’d ever been to! A couple of our friends also read some Bible verses and our friend Tom Hartley Booth performed a beautiful song by Hillsong. The ceremony felt so friendly and personal as a result and we couldn’t have been happier.

The Photography

To top off our perfect day we had an absolutely wonderful photographer whom I would recommend to anyone. Nataly (Nataly J Photography) arrived early, capturing those vital pre wedding shots of both myself and the bridesmaids, as well as the groom and the groomsmen. She took stunning photos during the ceremony, speeches and party, really showcasing the best of the day to help us remember it forever. On top of that, our couples photographs were more beautiful than I could of imagined. Nataly really brought out the best in us without making it awkward or forced, and found us the most beautiful locations. We managed to get photos on looking over the town, in a beautiful green garden, in the hotel and on top of some stunning rocks that I wasn’t even aware existed in Tunbridge Wells! She was daring, and would do anything to get the perfect shot. When the photos were edited, she sent them to us with an online gallery of our pictures, so that we could easily share them with friends and family. The whole experience was so effortless and positive.
Fern Godfrey

Written by Fern Godfrey

Bride: Sarah Seven | Boutique: Froufrou Bridal | Headpiece: Sophie & Luna | Jewellery: Home & Glory | Bridesmaids: French Connection | Groom: Reiss | Boots: Alexander McQueen | Venue: The Royal Wells Hotel | Cake: Cutter & Squidge | Sound System : Southby Productions

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