How we met...
We were first introduced by our best friends, and after years of nagging, we decided to meet! I was living in Dubai at the time and came back to England for a weekend. I spent one evening cosying up in a local pub, meeting David for the first time. The next day, I had to return to Dubai and made plans to meet again as Maid of Honour and Best Man at our friends’ wedding in a few weeks. However, the dreaded COVID lockdown happened, and all flights in and out of Dubai were cancelled, which meant we had to spend six months long-distance dating and Zooming. When I finally came back, after deciding to move back to England, David picked me up from the airport, where we met for the third time and shared our first kiss—a long time coming after six months! We then took the brave step to complete my quarantine together at David’s house, which thankfully turned out to be the best step we have ever taken.
The Proposal...
I had been on a trip with one of my friends, and David was due to pick me up from the same airport and terminal as three years before. To my surprise, he recognized the significance of this special place and decided to ask one very special question while down on one knee.
Why we chose Dodmoor House for our special day...
We knew we wanted an exclusive venue and some outdoor space but with a plan B in case it rained. We originally thought we would get married at a different venue, which was pretty and would work for us. We were unsure of Dodmoor, as they only had midweek weddings left, and we were certain that wasn’t what we wanted. However, we were so wrong! From the moment we arrived at Dodmoor, we were blown away. We could tell that we both fell absolutely in love with not just the venue but with our wedding coordinator too. There was a relaxed, rustic feel while offering a modern touch, and Carolyn was fun, friendly, and enthusiastic. The indoor and outdoor spaces were both as beautiful as each other, and it was great that we could have our whole day—from bridal preparations to our wedding night—in the same place.
The vision and theme for the day...
We wanted a fun and relaxed day that reflected us as a couple. We knew we wanted live music where our guests could relax, drink, and mingle in the sunshine, almost garden party-esque. We had no specific theme but wanted colourful décor that also looked modern and was tied in with my favourite flowers, sunflowers.
The Outfits!
I fell in love with a dress that was the complete opposite of what I had originally planned. I wore a ruffled, glitter-filled ball gown, which definitely left a glitter trail everywhere I went. Having a yellow and green theme with the flowers, choosing a suit colour was difficult until David found the perfect dark green suit, which complemented our vision perfectly.
Food...
We knew we wanted a relaxed day with not too much formality. We love BBQ food but also didn’t want it to be as informal as a BBQ. We worked closely with our caterers, Anchor Farm, to create a sharing platter menu of steak, pork belly and spatchcock chicken. We also did the same with the desserts, which were the best we have ever tasted! In the evening, we knew we wanted to keep the relaxed feel, so we served a variety of toasties, sweets, and crisps.
Our favourite part of the day...
Being surrounded by everyone we love and watching our favourite people laugh, come together and celebrate with us.
How Dodmoor House as a venue stood out to us...
We loved that Dodmoor didn’t just work for us but made us feel like we were the only wedding they had that year. They allowed us to have our day as we pleased but were also there every step of the way to support it. You have complete autonomy over the day while being supported by the professionals who know how to throw a great party!
One plan or idea that really worked...
Thanks to our amazing wedding coordinator, we decided to have our first dance outside in the courtyard, which meant it didn’t disturb the relaxing, outdoor feel of our day. Having George Simpson sing our personal song while dancing in the sunshine with the love of my life is such a special memory that I will always treasure.
The entertainment...
To fit the feel of a garden party, we had George play music on his guitar during the day and used Dodmoor’s excellent variety of outdoor games. In the evening, we complemented this with Dodmoor’s football and air hockey table, which went down a treat!
Where we felt our budget was well spent...
The venue and staff! We cannot believe how reasonable and competitive the prices are for such a personalised day.
Personal touches that reflected us as a couple...
I knew I wanted to get David’s soppy side out, so we decided to write our own vows. These were quick but personal and added such a lovely touch to the day. I also made our own confetti from flowers that David bought me and flowers from our friends' and families’ gardens. It was such a personal touch, which looked amazing in photographs and was also cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
Suppliers we used and would recommend:
Our suits were from Empire Menswear in Grantham, and the owner could not have done more for the guys. Our cake was made by Clare’s Cakes and was honestly more than we could have dreamed. It was designed so perfectly and tasted like a dream too!
George Simpson was amazing, and we had so many compliments. It was perfect how he learnt our special songs for the day and added such a great ambience.
Our tips to other couples:
Take in the moments. The day will go by so quickly (which I never believed), so take in every moment and remember to breathe!
From all of us at Dodmoor House, thank you for choosing to celebrate your beautiful love story with us. Being part of your special day was an absolute honour, and we are so grateful to have shared in the joy, laughter and precious memories you created here. Seeing your vision come to life and watching you surrounded by those you love reminded us once again why we’re passionate about what we do.
As you step into this new chapter together, please know you’ll always have a place in the Dodmoor family. Here’s to a lifetime of love, happiness, and cherished moments.
Thanks to Hannah from Hannah Mia Photography for stunning pictures of Tia and David!
With all our warmest wishes,
The Dodmoor House Family x
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