How we met...
Tinder – what a lucky swipe!
The proposal...
Tom had accidentally booked an expensive hotel room in London on a (drunken) work night out, and rather than cancel it, it inspired him to formulate his proposal around it. He took me to Greenwich Park for a picnic and proposed. Greenwich holds a lot of memories for us in the early stages of dating, and he said it felt right to do it there. It was so special.
What made us choose Dodmoor for our special day...
We had booked quite a few venues in to look around, and dodmoor was the first one we had picked. It looked stunning on photos, and we were not disappointed in real life! Dodmoor is a perfect wedding venue that is exclusive and covered in fairy lights – what’s not to love!? After being shown around, we couldn’t shake it from our minds. Needless to say, no other venue came close after that.
Our vision for the day...
We wanted everything to feel relaxed, so our style was to make it as unfussy as possible. After 2 years of delays due to covid, it turned from a summer wedding into a winter wedding, so some of the details changed, like colour theme. We initially had pink but felt it wasn’t the right colour for winter. We added in gold and burgundy to give it a winter vibe.
The outfits...
Tom wanted a bow tie with a tweed waistcoat, so we found someone at a wedding show who had the kind of waistcoat he wanted. With Dodmoor being in the countryside, and wanting a relaxed wedding, hat and tails didn’t feel right. Nikki wanted a longer dress for the winter, so she ended up having a day dress and an evening dress. The evening dress was a 50s-style tea dress that had been initially purchased for the original summer wedding. It didn’t go to waste though and was a lot of fun to dance in! Both dresses had pockets that was very important for the ceremony and all the tissues she got through.
The food...
We love bangers and mash, so that absolutely had to be the food for our wedding breakfast. It was the perfect thing to eat on a cold day. Tom’s grandad was a farmer, so we like to think that he would have loved our choice had he been alive to see it – he loved bangers and mash too. The starter was a “picky tea” that reminds us of when we were small and having picky food for dinner. The pudding was a lemon posset that reminded Nikki of her nana who used to make lemon mousse for her when she was little. Our wedding cake was a “naked” cake that had three different flavour tiers. Nikki’s dad sadly passed away 2 years ago, and he helped to pick the flavour choices and the cake style, so it felt like he was there in spirit on the day.
Our favourite part of the day...
The ceremony was the best part of the day. There was so much love and emotion in the room, and it is a moment in time we will never forget.
What made Dodmoor stand out as a venue to us...
We already mentioned the fairy lights, but we’ll mention it again! Dodmoor is stunning on its own and doesn’t need a lot to bring your own personal flavour to it. The staff are also really friendly and helpful, and they did everything to support us during covid and all of the uncertainty.
The idea we felt worked well on the day...
We had a celebrant who was just amazing. She brought a real personal element to the ceremony, and it gave us a chance to tell “our story”. It was a beautiful moment. The “dad dance” after our cake-cut and first dance also went so well. Everyone jumped up to dance with us and celebrate for Nikki’s dad.
Entertainment...
We had a DJ recommended by Dodmoor – he was brilliant! We also had a photo mirror that went down well with the guests. We have tonnes of fab photos from that to remind us of the day.
Where we fell our budget was well spent...
The food and drink for sure – everyone loved the food and no one left hungry. The wine we picked was delicious and everyone enjoyed the fact it was free of course!
Personal touches that reflected us as a couple...
The story behind the food choices, Nikki’s outfit changes with pockets in the dresses, lighting a candle at the ceremony for Nikki’s dad, and having photos scattered around of our family and friends.
Suppliers we used and loved...
We used portfolio, Gardner’s bakery and 1Entertainments who are Dodmoor House recommended. They all did an amazing job and would highly recommend them all.
Photography: Ben Cotterill - https://www.bencotterillphotography.com/
Flowers: Bloomfield's - https://www.bloomfieldsflowers.co.uk/
Photo mirror: https://eventrhino.co.uk/
Celebrant: Jo Clarke - http://myperfectceremony.co.uk/
50s style dress: https://www.fairygothmother.co.uk/
Long dress and bridesmaids: https://www.wed2b.com/bridal-shops/south-east/buckinghamshire/wed2b-milton-keynes
And finally, if we could give a tip to other couples...
Do it your way and don’t be persuaded otherwise. The day is about you both as a couple, so make sure you’re at the forefront of any decision you make.
Special thanks to Nikki and Tom for sharing their story, and Ben Cotterill for the photos x
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