How we met...
We actually met online! On a dating app called Hinge. I think we were linked by the algorithm because we both had pictures wearing cycling helmets. We met in person a week later in a French wine bar in Marylebone, London.
The Proposal...
We describe it as the world’s worst marriage proposal: We had talked about getting married for some time, but it actually happened when I (Amy) was working in Nashville and Stuart was at home in London. I was there for a couple of weeks and the plan was that Stuart would come and join me for a few days to explore Tennessee once I had finished work. A few days before he was due to fly out, we were having a WhatsApp chat, Stuart had had a couple of beers and blurted out over a message that we should get married. I said I refused to accept such a rubbish proposal (even though I knew I would). So when Stuart got to Nashville, I found a trendy cocktail bar called The Fox in East Nashville (his surname is fox so we like all things called Fox), and that is where we officially got engaged. There was no down on one knee business as Stuart knows that I am too much of a feminist for that. But we celebrated with a cocktail or two.
Why we chose Dodmoor House for our special day...
We live in London and having lived there for most of my life that was where we assumed we would get married. But I couldn’t find a venue that felt like us and that was the right size and vibe. We then had the idea of having an informal cricket match on our wedding day and finding somewhere with outside space never mind a lawn seemed impossible. We also knew that London would logistically be difficult for Stuart’s parents who live in Kilsby (5 miles from Dodmoor) due to Stuart’s mum having dementia. We obviously wanted them to be at our wedding and so I started to look at venues in proximity to Kilsby that had a nice outside space and a casual informal feel. I settled on Dodmoor because of the different space options inside and outside. I liked that it wasn’t too formal but had a quality feel which was very important to me. And of course it had space for cricket.
The vision and theme for the day...
Bringing people together to celebrate.
The emphasis was on friends and to use the wedding as an excuse for people to see each other and have fun.
Stuart and I are in our early 50s, life hasn’t always been easy, but it is our friends and family who have supported us, and we wanted to celebrate and say thank you.
So just a big party, more than being a traditional wedding. Did we have a theme? Not really, but Stuart and I have a saying to each other which is “you have hit the jackpot”, in reference to both our lives being so much better since we met each other.
So we got a neon sign that said “Jackpot” which we hung in the Courtyard Barn for our wedding ceremony and then, as favours, we gave our guests a scratchcard each wrapped in a card that said “we have hit the jackpot, we hope you do too”.
Stuart is called Foxy by his friends and family, and I am called Badger by some of my friends, so we also had some Fox and Badger things dotted about for the wedding. Other than that, the theme was relaxed fun.
The Outfits!
Stuart wore a Paul Smith suit that we had bought a couple of years ago, paired with a tie from Liberty which was pink and he matched it with pink socks and a white pocket square. And shoes from Loake.
I wore a silk dress from Prea James, which I bought from a bridal shop near where we live in Hackney called The Fall Bride.
While it was the first dress I tried on it needed loads of altering (as it didn’t at all fit when I got it) which I had done at an amazing place in Leyton in East London (TN Tailors). I love shoes and I bought mine for the wedding from a shop in New York called Loeffler Randall. I was there for work and on one rainy Sunday afternoon on my way to the tenement museum I was a bit lost but happened to walk past the shoes. I saw something sparkly in the shop window which caught my attention, and it was my gold wedding shoes. I did my own make up on the day and got a friend to do my hair, which was great until I didn’t use an umbrella when it briefly rained, but I was happy so didn’t care.
We didn’t have any bridesmaids or page boys to keep with our casual theme, and as I’m only 5 foot 1 I didn’t want any bridesmaids that were taller than me (sort of as a joke). Our guests were allowed to wear what they wanted (except for Crocs and Birkenstocks) we asked people not to wear them on the day as frankly they are just ugly!
Food...
For the drinks reception, small sausages and dipping sauces and Vietnamese summer rolls. We also used the crisp wall (which all our guests loved) but filled it with different varieties of crisps and tried to get some retro ones in there for a nostalgic feel.
For the sit-down meal, keeping with the casual feeling, everything came to the tables on large platters so people had to pass them round and help themselves, and carve the chicken themselves, which I think they enjoyed!
· Starter was a charcuterie board with rocket & sundried tomatoes.
· Bruschetta board: Tomato, garlic & basil, caramelised red onion with crispy pancetta & shavings of parmesan, crushed cannellini beans in olive oil & rosemary.
Dip board: Baba ganoush with pomegranate seeds, hummus with toasted chickpeas, muhammara.
· Breast of chicken stuffed with thyme, lemon zest & garlic with salsa verde & baby roast tomatoes.
· Roast cauliflower & butternut squash with caramelised red grapes & herb puy lentils – vegan version.
· With baby roast potatoes in rosemary and:
· Baby summer vegetables (green beans, sugar snap peas, garden peas, asparagus tips, chantenay carrots) in herb oil.
And for dessert, we had mini puddings which were all plant-based:
· Tiramisu with orange crisp.
· Lemon cheesecake with lemon & lime compote.
· Sticky toffee sponge with salted caramel.
· Tropical fruit salad with white rum, ginger & mint syrup.
As I am a plant-based eater, I was tempted to make the menu fully plant-based but thought I would have a riot on my hands, but having plant-based desserts and a plant-based wedding cake were my small wins.
We also did burgers in the evening as I didn’t want anyone to go hungry.
Our favourite part of the day...
Honestly, so many highlights, but I think we both really enjoyed the ceremony. We got a great reaction to the tune I walked down the aisle to (Match of the Day theme tune), and it just felt amazing having so many friends who had travelled far and wide supporting us.
We had people travel to the wedding from Los Angeles, New York, Finland, Israel, and all over the UK. I did also love that we did our speeches before the meal and outside on the steps.
How Dodmoor House as a venue stood out to us...
Honestly, the feedback from our guests about Dodmoor has been amazing, everyone loved it. I’ll be honest, I was also blown away that it was so great on the day. What I wanted and what it delivered on was that it felt right, it never felt cheap or poor quality or chintzy. It stood out for me because of the space and, of course, the staff who were amazing, and again, our guests have all commented about how great they were.
One plan or idea that really worked...
While the ceremony, games, including the photobooth, and the DJ all really worked, the best thing we did was doing the speeches before the wedding breakfast and outside. The steps in the courtyard at Dodmoor gave us the space and opportunity to do that, which was not only a wonderful setting but also got them done early so we could relax and enjoy the meal afterwards.
The entertainment...
We tried to have cricket. I got bespoke cricket stumps made that had our wedding logo and date on, but it rained a bit so that was difficult to get going.
We also had table football and tug of war and we had the photobooth, which I supplemented with some Dolly Parton wigs and hats (to represent me) and some Scouser wigs (to represent Stuart). And of course, the DJ.
Where we felt our budget was well spent...
On the food and drink. It was so important to get that bit right, and I think we did OK.
Personal touches that reflected us as a couple...
I tried hard to have as many personal touches as possible. We created playlists for all parts of the day so that all the music were tunes that mean something to us. The tune I walked down the aisle to was very us: Match of the Day theme tune. Stuart loves football and it was a little nod to my dad who was also obsessed with football but died over 20 years ago. We used some of our things from home, like the badger and fox vases and jugs, as well as some vintage bottles I had from home.
The jackpot neon sign, which hung on the wall for our ceremony, now hangs in our lounge. We brought in a local ale for our guests to drink, called What the Fox’s Hat (anything Fox-related, made it personal!). And we brought in wine that we chose ourselves. We cut the cake with my grandad’s Royal Navy sword which has his initials on it. I made the playlists for the background music so that I knew we had music we liked playing. I got boxes from Columbia Road flower market, which is local to us, for the bathrooms with some little bits in to help freshen our guests up: deodorant, blister plasters, mouthwash, and I got some nice gloved hand wash and hand lotion. The tables for the meal were all named after drinking establishments that had a personal connection to us as a couple. I mentioned this before, but I got some Dolly Parton wigs and hats and Liverpool Scouser wigs to reflect Stuart and me (I love Dolly Parton). And then the wedding cake had little figures of a badger and a fox, as well as a cat to represent our cat Betty (who didn’t come to the wedding).
Suppliers we used and would recommend:
I used the photographer Tim Hill as our preferred supplier.
Matt Potter was our DJ, and he was absolutely brilliant—so patient and wonderfully accommodating with our guests and their music requests. We chose the talented Hannah from With Love and Roses as our florist, and award-winning Kemp and Kemp as our caterers.
Our tips to other couples:
Don’t worry about it being perfect and rely on your friends when last-minute things need doing.
Thank you, Amy and Stuart, for sharing the beautiful and fun story of your wedding day with us. It was an absolute pleasure to be part of your celebration, and we’re so grateful for the love and laughter you brought to Dodmoor House. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness and many more 'jackpot' moments together!
Also thanks to Tim Hill for so brilliantly capturing these unforgettable moments and sharing them with us!
With love from the Dodmoor House family
Comentários