I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had a thing about a wedding where you have to walk from the ceremony to the reception venue. I just love the idea of parading through the streets looking amazing while others are doing their weekly shop! That’s one of my highlights of today’s lovely wedding, where the couple are led through Rye by a town crier no less! The other highlights have to be the beautiful reading and the fact that they hired table football as part of the evening entertainment! I love table football! Although in my case it may have caused ructions on the wedding day as I always beat my husband 🙂 hehe!
Annelies and Lloyd tied the knot earlier this year on 31 May in the picturesque East Sussex town of Rye. The story of their day is told through some lovely Richard Ware photography. The couple married at Rye Town Hall and continued their celebration at the Ship Inn.
“The inn has an eclectic vintage feel so it felt right to continue this theme throughout the day.”
Photography Copyright (c) 2014, Richard Ware
“I always knew what style of dress I wanted; trawling through magazines I always picked out the same silhouette so when I went shopping for the dress it was a relatively easy decision. Both Mum and I picked out the same dress off the rail, however the assistant, as brilliant as she was, made me try all sorts of styles big and small. However, the moment I put my dress on I knew it was the one.
It was by Galina from David’s Bridal, Westfield Stratford and I took it home the same day I tried it on, which I thought was fantastic! I then customised it with flowers from a Vera Wang Sash bought from the same shop, buttons and an A-line petticoat.”
The bridesmaids wore Lori Lee maxi dresses from Coast, which the bride customised with a grey lace sash from Etsy and a flower from Accessorize.
“Richard Ware, our photographer was amazing and captured our day perfectly. Richard has a very strong style in his pictures that we instantly loved and he also captures every moment of the day so that his photos tell a story when put together creating a beautiful lasting memory. He blended into the day and was brilliant with all our guests, we cannot recommend him highly enough.”
“I actually bought the shoes on a shopping trip to Bicester Village before I had even bought the dress – I cannot resist a bargain so when I saw the one pair of white wedding shoes, in my size, in the sale, that I absolutely loved, I had to have them.”
Annelies spritzed on the romantic Chanel Chance perfume on her day as she wanted a classic yet fresh scent in a perfume that she had not previously worn.
“I didn’t think that I wanted a veil however, having quite a simple dress, the moment I put on the full length veil I felt like a bride. Although originally it was part of a co-ordinated range from another dress I felt it set my dress perfectly.”
“We met through mutual friends and were set up on a date when we were 21, but didn’t actually get together until 9 years later at a mutual friend’s 30th birthday party. Everyone always said we were right for each other, it just took us a while to realise the same!
We were engaged within 11 months and it was then a four year engagement until we tied the knot, although not intentionally. We did send a save the date card to get married 2 years after the engagement but we bought the house of our dreams and this then delayed the wedding plans.”
The bride was walked down the aisle by her dad to The Piano Guys’ version of Bruno Mars ‘Just the way you are.’ And this lovely reading was read during the ceremony.
I Like You by Sandol Stoddard Warburg
‘I like you and I know why.
I like you because you are a good person to like.
I like you because when I tell you something special, you know it’s special
And you remember it a long, long time.
You say, ‘Remember when you told me something special?’
And both of us remember
When I think something is important
you think it’s important too
We have good ideas
When I say something funny, you laugh
I think I’m funny and you think I’m funny too
Hah-hah!
…And I like you because when I am feeling sad
You don’t always cheer me up right away
Sometimes it is better to be sad…
I like you because if I am mad at you
Then you are mad at me too
It’s awful when the other person isn’t…
I like you because I don’t know why but
Everything that happens is nicer with you
I can’t remember when I didn’t like you
It must have been lonesome then
I like you because because because
I forget why I like you but I do.’
“Our Town Crier – Rex made the moment we were announced as Mr and Mrs Davis very special and amusing- we will remember that forever. Also the moment just before this when we had five minutes just the two of us…a chance to let it sink in that we had just said our vows. The day was truly perfect and we could not have wished for anything more.”
Talented Annelies added many a personal and homemade touch, not only to the outfits but also by making all the wedding stationery along with much of the décor.
“I made homemade bunting – very simple heart doilies bought from eBay stapled to raffia and then made a cloth bunting with Mr and Mrs Davis. I also bought heart doilies for the place settings. Bunches of lavender were ordered from eBay and the box holding the seating plan came from ‘Not on the High Street’ finished with wire hearts again from eBay.”
“We used Café des Fleurs, a local, modern florist that was familiar with our venue. Tulips were the main flower in my bouquet as my mother is Dutch, but I also wanted an eclectic feel.”
The personal touch continued with the homemade cake made by Annelies’s mother and father, with a classic Dutch souvenir used as a cake topper.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“I think the best advice I was given was to make a decision and move on! Sounds silly but there are so many decisions to make along the way that it is best to go with your gut instinct and then it will all come together in the end. Also enjoy every moment of the planning – if you are like me and enjoying all the craft making and designing how it will all go together – make the most of it because the day goes so quickly!!”
Wishing Annelies and Lloyd a very long and happy life together and many thanks to Richard Ware for sharing the images with us. Just how stunning are Annelies’s eyes?!
Are any of you lovely readers now tempted by table football entertainment??
Much love, Katie xx
Photographer – Richard Ware
Venues –Rye Town Hall + The Ship Inn
Dress – David’s Bridal, Westfield Stratford
Veil – David’s Bridal
Shoes – Coast at Bicester Village
Earrings – John Lewis
Bridesmaids: dresses – Coast hair slide – House of Fraser
Flower girl – Monsoon
Groom & groomsmen: suit & tie – Marks & Spencer Waistcoat & shoes – Reiss Lapel pin – eBay
Hair – The Rye Retreat
Make-up – DIY after a MAC trial
Florist – Café des Fleurs
Cake – homemade
Football tables – Viva Vegas
White taxi cab – Eastbourne Taxi Company
Rings – Fraser Hart
