A beautiful summer wedding with plenty of personalised details. Real bride Rupi tells us her story…
How did Luke propose?
“Luke proposed on 1st July 2018 whilst we took a walk along the River Severn from Bewdley to Arley. We took a picnic and had champagne and it was beautifully sunny. I was pouring a drink for our dog, and when I turned around Luke was down on one knee. He barely had time to ask the question before I answered, ‘Yes!’.”
What dress did you wear?
“My dress was bought from Gatehouse Brides in Worcester. The designer was Catherine Parry and the dress was called Corinne. I was searching for a 1920s style dress and this design seemed the perfect mix of modern and vintage because I had Art Deco style sleeves sewn on and there was a beaded chandelier back.“
And the accessories?
“I wore a v-tiara from Gatehouse Brides and rose gold drop earrings by Ivory & Co at John Lewis. My necklace was a present from one of my bridesmaids and it had our initials and wedding date on it. My bracelet was a present from my mum – a Sikh bracelet made from Indian gold. My shoes were from Debenhams.”
What did Luke wear?
“Luke’s suit was from Moss Bros. It was a woollen sage green two piece and was paired with a cream waistcoat. He wore tan brogues from Next with a pocket watch to finish off the look. His best man wore the same colour suit with a sage waistcoat, while the two ushers also wore woollen three-piece suits from Next. Luke, his groomsmen, our dads and brothers and dog all wore forest green bow ties from King and Priory.”
How did you feel when you saw him up the aisle?
“I actually managed to sneak a glimpse of Luke before he noticed me as my bridesmaids and flowergirl entered the orangery from the ground floor and I entered from the first floor. He looked quite calm. We did both have a split second where our eyes met and it felt amazing. Us girls had had quite a calm morning in our cottage as we got ready and it hadn’t
felt real that I was the one getting married but when our eyes met it suddenly became very real and very exciting.”
Who were your bridesmaids and where were their dresses from?
“I had two bridesmaids, Suzannah and Lucy, a flowergirl and a page boy. The bridesmaids’ dresses were by Jenny Packham and they were beaded to follow the 1920s vibe. Suzannah and I have been friends since we trained as teachers together at university and Lucy was initially one of Luke’s best friends from university but very quickly became one of mine, too.”
What was your theme?
“Our wedding theme was based on us. Luke loves Lord of the Rings and I love Harry Potter so we kept a simple off white and greenery colour theme with plenty of fresh foliage. Our tables had either a Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings book as a centrepiece surrounded by a foliage ring. Around the venue we had several subtle references to the books such as signs for Fangorn Forest and the “no admittance except on party business” Bilbo Baggins reference. For our favours each guest had a golden snitch and a bottle of potion to take away with them.”
What was the highlight of your day?
“For me the highlight was being pronounced husband and wife for the first time! For our first dance we choreographed it ourselves and drafted our wedding party into it too, which was a lot of fun. Although my ultimate goal for the day was getting to the end of the night and drinking tea and eating cake in the hot tub! Our day was made even more special because Luke’s brother made our wedding cake, which was divine and he also played live music during the reception on the lawn. He did a cover of our first dance song “May I Have This Dance” by Chance the Rapper and Francis and the Lights.”
What was your best buy?
“For me, it was my dress because it was exactly how I envisaged it would be and I loved it.”
What’s your saving tip?
“Weddings are always more expensive than you realise so start saving early. Our budget went out of the window but our day was exactly as we wanted it to be so for us it was worth it.”
DETAILS
Date: 6th July 2019
Venue: Oldcastle,Colwall Village
Photographer: Nick Clark, Shoot the Day Photography
Rupi’s dress: Catherine Parry
Luke’s attire: Moss Bros
Bridesmaids: Jenny Packham
Accessories: Gatehouse Brides & Ivory & Co
Shoes: Debenhams
