Danny proposed on the Saturday 10th November 2007, in my studio, he set up all the lights and my camera on self timer so that he could capture a photo of him pulling out the stunning diamond ring. Of course knowing how much photography meant to me. The final photo is so incredibly funny he looks so pleased with himself.
We then went for a beautiful dinner at our favourite restaurant Tinkers. We plan to go back there soon as husband and wife. It was also one of the first posh restaurants Danny took me to when we first started dating.
A full year later my nan after meeting Danny gave us money in order to be able to get married, which was the best gift anyone could ever give to us as we most probably would have stayed engaged forever as we are always so poor.
Our Venue
Choosing the venue was the first thing we did. I looked on the Internet for a good few hours trying to find wedding venue in the London/ Surrey area that could host our ceremony, meal and reception all in on place as we didn't really want a religious ceremony as we think it is very fake having to attend church months before the wedding when you aren't particularly religious so you can get married there.
Of course we were looking for somewhere stunning with friendly staff and affordable. When I found Oaks Farm it looked like the perfect place, it had glowing reports and looked so pretty from the photos on the website.
We went to see it in January with my dad and just knew it was perfect for our day and with thumbs up from all there we decided it was the one. What was the point in looking at any others when it was perfect in every way and everything we wanted.
Oaks Farm has an Orangery which is bright and light and faces the pond outside, which is where we decided we would have our ceremony.
Next to the Orangery is a barn, which is where we decided to have our wedding meal and evening party.
There are also beautiful grounds, a pond and an outdoor covered area with heating. To the side of the lawn it also has it's very own cottage which me and Danny stayed in after the wedding for our first night together as husband and wife.
Setting The Date
After visiting Oaks Farm (which was fully booked for all weekends in 2009) we decided to choose a date in the summer and with very few dates left we decided on Thursday 10th September. As it would give us a full 9 months to plan the wedding.
After setting the date me and Danny became very excited, realising we were actually getting married made us so so happy indeed, there was lots of loved up moments in the 9 months leading up to our special day.
I bought a wedding planner which was absolutely invaluable! I would recommend it to anyone, it had section to keep things as well, which has made it something I will keep forever with the rest of my wedding things. Mine is completely bursting with stuff now, but I love looking though it as a true memento of all the planning.
Colour Theme
I think the colour theme came after choosing the flowers, red roses being my favourite flower in the world, it was clear dark red would be one colour. I spent a lot of time on a wedding website getting great advise from other bride to be's and after chatting with the girls decided black and white would create a stunning impactful look to the wedding with a touch of red. Black and red are also my two favourite colours.
It was great, I wrote that this was the colour theme for the wedding on the invite and nearly all of our guests wore these colours, which looked fantastic! Some of my friends even had red highlights in their hair.
Invites
With the colour scheme chosen, the next thing to do was invite all our guests. We decided to invite a nice number of 70 which was not to many and not too few. It actually ended up including 4 children guests as well in the end.
It wasn't hard choosing who we wanted to invite, as we have both got close family and a small group of friends whom we particularly love. Everybody else, including work friends we invited to the evening reception.
I decided to make all the stationary for the wedding to save money. My grandad Tom gave us some money for this as he was unable to come to the wedding as he lives in Spain as is quite ill at the moment and couldn't get over.
I bought card from One Eyed Cat
And went arms full of red and black card, spray mount, stamps and diamantes to my dads house where me, my mum, step dad and dad spent the day assembling the invites! It took absolutely ages but was worth it as I think they are beautiful and over half the price we would have paid to buy them ready made.
The hardest part was getting hold of everyone addresses, and this took a good few weeks of pestering my parents, Danny's parents and various other emails back an forth. It felt like such an accomplishment when I had them all written down in my wedding planner.
The invites had various sections which pulled out giving details of the wedding, on accommodation, getting there, gifts and the dress code, all adorned with diamantes.
The RSVP cards were great and I'm so glad I put them in as everyone returned them, which saved a lot of chasing up, it is also another nice reminder of who came and even what they ate!
Our Evening Reception I bought from Next, I printed out details and stuck them in the inside so everyone had the same information as the day time guests.
Flowers
It soon became clear to me that wedding planning was a huge enjoyment for me, it passed lots of boring days, going on websites and searching for things for the wedding. Of course it is always enjoyable for most woman to have a sum of money to spend and spending it was a lot of fun. For a lot of things I had to do a lot of saving, but it was worth it as these small details that I had so much fun planning really made the day what it was.
It also became clear to me that I am not an indecisive person, which made the whole process really easy. I'm not one of these people that have to go and meet people and discuss for hours the small details. Once I have found someone that I like and like what I see on their website, Most of the details I planned over email.
I contacted Kim from Passions flowers back in January and her website was gorgeous with a whole array of roses to choose from, and all priced very reasonably. She also said that I could make changes to the order right up till a few days before the wedding. Which was just as well because I kept adding things all the time.
In the end I choose a beautiful red rose bouquet with a black satin tie and diamante pins inside the roses.
I also bought on Etsy an American site for buying and selling handmade items, two small charms which I attached to my bouquet with photos of my great grandma who has Alzheimer's and couldn't come to the wedding and also my grandma who died a few years back. I later got my dad to put my bouquet on my grandma's grave.
For my bridesmaids I got them red rose wrist corsages on diamante wrists bands.
I got red rose button holes with diamante pins for the bridal party, parents and grand parents.
I got Red rose hair combs for me and my mum and 8 red rose vases for the tables.
My Dress
I first saw a dress I loved on the Fairy Goth Mother site after Danny proposed and before we had set a date.
In January when we set our date I immediately went to the shop in Spitalfield market to go try it on.
It turns out I didn't like it as much as I thought, but saw another corset that looked so beautiful on a rail and soon after found the perfect skirt to match.
After trying it on I just knew it was the one. A week after me and my mum had a wonderful girly day in London and I tried it on again and she said it was beautiful and said that she would buy it for me. (Thank you loads mum) I will cherish it forever and when me and Danny in 10 years time re new our vowls, I hope I can fit into it again to wear.
The week after I went with my dad to pick it up and then it was mine, I cant believe how easy it was to find my perfect dress, but I didn't want to do the whole wedding dress shop blitz as I wasn't after a typical wedding dress. So when I saw this one in my favourite shop I knew nothing would match it.
This is me round my dads trying it on, my mum was telling me to pose as I needed practise for the wedding.
Accessories
I got my shoes from Oasis, I decieded that all accessories would be black satin including my shoes, they had pretty ribbon details on the back and side.. and I sewed ribbons onto the inside so that I could do them up around my ankles.
My mum bought me this black satin bag which was great for keeping my speech out of sight out of mind and also my glasses case.
My mum also bought me this pretty garter from Fairy Goth Mother while I was trying on my dress
When I ordered some knickers from the Fairy Goth Mother site unfortunatly they were delayed in delivery, so as an appology they sent me this beautiful satin Kimono which I wore while getting ready in the morning of the wedding.
Perfume
I loved the smell of Chloe but unfortunatly cant wear perfume as it gives me head aches, I did however want a scent that would remind me of the wedding, so I sprayed my skirt and bridesmaid dresses in it and it was nice sometimes getting a waft of it as it is so fresh and flowery.
Jewellery
I wore a bracelet that was designed for me on etsy, made of pearls and a diamote brooch.
My necklace I won on the wedding path website and was designed by Yarwood White
It was the Modern Heirloom Bagette Necklace with clear diamante and ivory pearl and was worth £110 so I was over the moon when I won it.
My head bridesmaid was my best friend from universtity Axelle, we have known each other over 6 years now and she really is the sweetest girl in the world.
Also Dannys younger sister Jenny. who I just love to pieces, she just so fantastic in every way
My cousin Natasha, who I loved having as my bridesmaid, I grew up with Natasha and have so many fond memories, many of which were brought up in my brothers rather entertaing speech about how we flooded my nans beday when we were little and blamed it on him. Also how we knocked his tooth out on a sledge and spent the whole rest of the day looking for it in the snow.
And Danny's two adorable little nieces Jodie Leigh and Cristina, I loved having the girls as bridesmaids, they loved it and were just so so cute through out the whole day. I got them a picnic set to play with.
Cristina came up to me wanting me to put water in the tea pot and food on the plates. The thing I regret about the whole day was not having time for everyone or the ability to speak properly with all my wonderful guests and the day just went so incredibly fast.
Bridesmaids Dresses
I decieded to dress the older brides maids in scarlet fairy goth mother corstetted dresses to match my corset. All my bridesmaids were beautiful and skinny and all just looked so stunning on the day.
The two younger bridemaids had ivory butteryfly dresses from Debenhams.
Bridesmaids Accessories
The older bridesmaids had diamante head bands from accessorize.
They had deep red nail varnish from Chanel to match their dresses.
I got diamamte head bands from Debenhams for the two little bridesmaids.
These are the shoes and cute little socks I got for the little bridesmaids, I bought on bay
And I got black necklaces for the older bridesmaids, to add a slightly gothic look to their corseted dresses.
Grooms Men Outfits
Danny, my dad Philip, Dannys brother (and best man) John Ed, Danny's dad John and my brother (and usher) Howard all got their suits from Moss Bros.
It was a bit of a task getting them all measured up, esp as Danny's dad lives in Portugal, but we got there in the end and the suits were great.
We got Mourning Suit packages and Danny even got his for free with the others. They wore frock coats, scarlet cravats, grey pinstripe trousers and black topmast. The Victorian era is my favourite and I want the whole wedding to have a gothic feel.
Grooms Men Accessories
Bless them all for wearing their strippy and spotty socks
Catering
Our three course meal was created by Tierneys. In March Danny, my mum, my dad and I went for a tasting evening at Oaks Farm and decieded on our food choices for our sit down meal.
The food was just absolutly gorgeous and Aidan was so friendly and helpful. It was funny on our last meeting with Aidan when we were choosing our final detaisl I had my one and only bridezilla moment when chatting about napkins! Can you believe I was in tears over napkins! Lukily there werent any other dramas during the preparation on the lead up to the wedding.
The table settings looked amazing, I think Aidan even went out of his way to fold the exquisite napkins so that our menus could stand up inside them. We choose simple black and white plates with contemporary cutlery, which looked really striking on the tables.
My wonderful dad paid for the catering, to which I cant even find the words to thank him, he is just the most amazing father anyone could ever wish for.
The staff were amazing and very friendly on the day, pouring drinks and serving vegetables.
Canapes
Served with Champagne and Soft Drinks
Mini Sausage and Mash
Mini Spring Rolls with Chilli Sauce
Smoked Salmon Balinis
Prawns Wrapped in Filo Pastry
Mini Vegetable Quiches
Chicken Sate with Peanut Sauce
Wedding Dinner
Starter
Smoked Salmon & North Atlantic Prawn Panache
A duet of Smoked Salmon & Prawns placed on a mixed bed of Frisse, Lollo Rosso & Machè Leaves With a Cucumber & Lemon Garnish, drizzled with a Dill Vinaigrette
Selection of Assorted Breads with Butter to Include:
Walnut, Olive, French, Ciabatta and Soda
Cold Pressé Olive Oil and Modena Balsamic Vinegar
To Follow
Supreme of Chicken with Sage & Apricots
A filled Supreme with Breadcrumbs, Sage & Dried Apricots,
Wrapped in Pancetta, roasted & served with a Piquant Tomato Sauce
Mash, New Potatoes and a Medley of Vegetables
Or
Fillet of Steak with Jus Roti Sauce
Mash, New Potatoes and a Medley of Vegetables
To Conclude
Wedding Cupcake, Chocolate
Fresh Cream, Coulis and Berries
Evening Buffet
A Selection of Mixed Sandwiches:
Prawns, Lettuce and Mayonnaise
Cheese and Chutney
Egg, Mayonnaise and Cress
Ham and Tomato
Turkey, Lettuce and Mayonnaise
Cheese and Pineapple Kebabs
Honey Coated Sausages with Mustard Dip
Indian Range of Pakora, Onion Bargees and Samosas
Table Settings
For each table setting I got frames with pictures of the guests inside
I also bought these frames from Paperchase one for each table and put some of mine and Dannys favourite love song lyrics, ones which were played during our ceremony, meal music and for our first dance. We have now given these frames as gifts to loved ones with prints of our wedding inside.
I made these table numbers with menus on the back for each table, the silver stands I got from Tip Top Wedding Shop.
As an alternative to favours I gave everyone an envelope with a scratch card inside
The words inside read: Rebecca & Danny are the luckiest people in the world to have each other, we would like you to be lucky yourselves, good luck and hope you win something. Thank you again for coming to our wedding, we love you all very much. x
Candles
On each table there was a damask pattern pilar candle and on the top table a big black candelabra.
Seating Plan
Apart from the top table, I had a table for my main family, Danny had one for his, we had a table for my friends, one for Dannys friends, one for my dads friends, one for aunts and uncles and one last one for Dannys dads family and a few extras. So 8 tables in total. I made this seating plan so everyone could see where they were sitting.
Top Table
Danny brother and best man John Ed, my mum, Axelle chief bridesmaid, my brother and usher Howard, My dad, Danny and me.
Danny's Family
Dannys sister and bridesmaid Jenny, Dannys niece and bridesmaid Jodie Leigh, Dannys na na, Dannys mum, Dannys niece and bridesmaid Christina, Dannys sisters boyfriend Gavin, Dannys mum's husband Lee, Dannys older sister Zoe.
Dannys dad John, Dannys step mum Snoobs, Dannys Grandad Godfrey, Kirsty, Phil, Nadine, our registra Richard, Kevin, Danny Grandma Delcia, Juliette, Sophie
My Family
Uncle Derek, Auntie Maddie, Cousin Natasha, Uncle David, my Nan, Uncle Matthew, John, Joan, Malcom
Aunt's, Uncles, Cousins
Uncle Paul, Alan, Jay, Auntie Dee, Auntie Diana,Uncle Rex, Cousin Dean, Cousin Nathan, Sue, Lloyd
My Friends
Stace, Tim, Kim, Becca, Chris, Tristi, Christina, Chris, Lucy, Natasha
Danny's Friends
Matt, Daryl, Emelike, Dena, Martin, Ollie, Curtis, Tracey
My Dads Friends
Trina, Roy, Glen Toastmaster, Paul, Jean, Pat, Sue, Gem, Clive, Dick, Marian
Balloons
We had black and white balloons by Balloonease, which looked great.
I was planning on doing some kind of realeasing the balloon thing after the ceremony while doing the group shot and my wonderful friend from primary school came out with all of them lol ( I was expecting one or two) slightly overwhelmed by the amount of balloons and fear of taking off if i held them all, I think they got left looking pretty on the lawn.
My Cow!!!
It was a joke for a long time with me and Danny about me having a cow for the wedding, whats the point in getting married on a farm if you cant have you favourite grass eating friend there. Of course I realised this could have never have been a reality, but even i could never have expected to have just finished being married to Danny only to walk out onto the lawn to see a huge life size cut out of a cow on the lawn.
My brilliant and wonderful friend Christina from primary school (which also made her my longest friend at the wedding) had arranged and set her up before the wedding. It was the sweetest and most brilliant surprise of the whole day, thank you Christina x
Singer
My friend Stace is an amazing singer and when she agreed to sing as I walked down the aisle I was happy beyond words, her voice is like an angel.
Me and the bridesmaids were going to wait until the end of the song to walk down the aisle, but because I couldnt hear her, we walked in quicker and Im so glad we did, as she sung the song so perfectly for when me and Danny first saw each other it was like a dream and very emotional, everyone clapped at the end which was well deserved.
She sung Close to You by the Carpenters, a song which me and Danny love because there was a very strange version of it in a film called Mirror Mask that we love. Of course if we had got Stace to sing that version everyone would have thought it very weired so she sung the original, which still has very beautiful words.
Why do birds suddenly appear
Every time you are near?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
Why do stars fall down from the sky
Every time you walk by?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue.
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around.
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue.
Cup Cake Tower
Our stunning black, white and red cup cake tower was designed by the lovely Rachel Hill from Planet Cake.
I visted her the first time with Danny to try out different yummy cakes and choose what we wanted and she was just so nice, I would recommend her to anyone, simply because she goes out of her way to do for you what you want and being a perfectionist like myself she wants her cakes to look truely stunning. She went on a search for black cupcake holders just because I requested them, what a star!
I visited here a second time to pick up some extra cakes for photos on the day and she introduced me to her cute new hens! one which was called Mable! Bless, no wonder her cakes taste so yummy with fresh eggs from out of her very own garden!
Photography
Natasha is an amazing photographer, words cant even explain how thankful I am for the beautiful images she created of our day, ones which tell THE perfect story of the day.
Ive know her for a few years from working at Venture, she was awarded photographer of the year there in 2006 and ever since I have been a huge fan of her work.
Of course being a wedding photographer it is something I had to get truely right and really the only person I could think of that could make my dream photos a reality was the best wedding photographer I have ever come across.
Being a friend I know she put in 100% effort and more and it really shows in the final photos, Im normally quite unphotogenic so I was worried how they would all turned out, bu she even made me look good.
We meet up a couple of times before the day, once we went to the venue and waked around looking for cool places to shoot, we found a nice barn and a beautiful pond, which we did a lot of the arty shots by.
We also discussed props, both having worked for Venture Portraits for over three years we both have a contempory fun approach to photography and I was defeintly up for sotmething very different. So we decieded on parasols, a cupcake tea party for the bridesmaids and to have the grooms men as gangstars, with cigars, guns and sunglasses.
I'm so happy with the way they all turned out, and particually love the grooms men shots, especially my dad, who made a brilliant gangster. My dad also paid for my wedding photos and I could hug him to pieces for that, because everytime I look at them all it brings tears of joy that I can re live our magical day over and over again.
We created a CD of all the best shots to send to our guests and thank you's for their cards and gifts.
Wedding Car
I got driven to the venue by my cousin Anthony in my nans Jaguar and what a lovely car it was, I sat in it for 5 minutes when we reached the venue while our wonderful registra Richard got everyone sat down and ready for my arrival. It was nice sitting in such a nice car.
To put our wedding cards I got a wedding birdcage, I also gave paper and crayons to the little ones and asked them to draw pictures for us and post them in the bircage, the ones they drew were so sweet.
The bircage now has all our wedding cards and momentos along with the wedding planner inside.
Rings
We got our rings from Beaver Brooks, we wanted just simple white gold wedding bands that match. I think Danny loved going to get the rings as he has never worn a ring before and it also made it hit home that he was getting married in a months time and he didnt stop grinning, I was so happy to see a ring on his finger.
The day we tried them on, exactly one month before the wedding, it was really hot and Danny ended up getting his 4 sizes too big (still cant work out how he managed that, so throughout our honeymoon he had to wear it on his middle finger which was rather amusing)
He now has it sorted lol. The day we went to pick up the rings was so close to the day we were all smiles when we walked in, they said let me guess your both here to pick up wedding rings, were we really that predictable.
Hair
Mine and the bridemaids hair was done by the amazing Kim Roy. As a fashion photographer I have worked with many hair stylists in the past, so I had my pick and it wasnt hard choosing Kim, she is one of the most lovely smily people you will ever meet.
I'd had hair extentions a week before at Josh's hair salon and she transformed them in to long lushus ringlets half up with a rose comb. I'd never seen my hair look so nice.
Having Kim at the wedding also meant my hair would never look bad as I had a hair dresser close to hand.
I also knew Jo from a shoot I did last year (was infact the same one I did with Kim) and she did an absolutly wonderful job on our makeup, she even painted all the bridesmaids and my mums nails
It was definatly very strange having my makeup done by someone else, but also quite relaxing, although half way through everyone kept arriving and I ket having to get up to answer the door every 5 minutes (poor Jo) I also opened my eyes while having my false eyelashes done, its very hard to keep your eyes shut when so much is going on around you.
Pamering
A couple of days before the wedding I had my first professionla massage a Rush Beauty, it was bliss I also got all sorts of things waxed off, which was painful to say the least, had my eyebrows and eyelashes darkened and had gel nail extentions.
Apart from the waxing bit, it was very nice to be pamered, everyone was surprised at how calm I was with only a week to go, but really planning the wedding just wasnt stressful at all, it was just fun. In the last week I was actually quite bored with everything done, and just wetting myslef with excitement
Polaroid Guestbook
My wonderful brother Howard took on the job of doing the polaroid guestbook.. armed with a list and picture of all the guests he managed to get a polaroid picture of everyone!
It was so nice after the wedding going through it, each page has a polaroid photo and everyone signed by their pictures.
It wasnt an easy job, he really is the best brother/ usher, thanks Howard, you created something that me and Danny will look back on in years to come and smile.
It's also quite a special thing to have now that polaroid film is now discontinued, so these really are one of the last to be taken with the last available polaroid film.
Gifts to People
For the grooms men we gave Jack Daniels sets (poker sets and hip flasks)
And as gifts for the special women in our lives we got them sunflower bouquets.
These were all given out during Danny's great speech and Danny got me a reallly cute cow with love hearts on him.
Toast Master
Glen Grant was our friendly and very organised toaster master. he played our music, organised guests as they arrived and had the horrible job of grabbing all our family and friends for the photographs, he went far beyond the call of duty and our wedding just wouldnt have been so organised with out him, so thank you Glen (Shrek tee hee)
I did get told off for being outside smoking a pink cigarette when I was meant to be in the recieving line. opps, Im so glad he was telling us where to be at what times though as I just would have never known otherwise.
He introduced the speeches very well and let me bang his hammer, which was fun.. what everyone didnt count on was I liked the hammer so much I wanted to bang it lots, at the begging of my speech I stood up before I was introduced, so I sat back down with a sulk face and then he introduced me and I banged the hammer really loud before standing up again, made everyone laugh.
Registra/ Vowls
Richard was our registra, I just couldnt have wished for a better person to marry me and Danny, from first contact with Croydon registry office he sounded so wonderful. It wasnt before long I had my heart set on him to do our ceremony and seriously I was holding my breathe as to whether he would or not adn when he said he was going to I was just so happy!
This was even beofre we meet him, you know when you just get a good feeling from talking to a person, well i had this 10 fold with richard. The way he complimented me on my website photography and emailed me often to say hi was far and beyond the call of duty.
After meeting up a couple of time it wasnt long before me and danny realised he was a wonderful man and invited him not only to marry us but to be apart of our day as well. After meeting u again one last time to finalise all the details of the ceremony it was clear we would be seeing Riocahdr not only at our wedding but in the future as well.
When me and Danny re new our vowls (hopefully in Fiji in ten years time) as long as we arent completly broke I am totally up for flying Ricahrd out with us so he can renew them for us.
He performed such a beautiful ceremony adn so many people have comented on how great he was and how loving it all was. Im normally a very shy person especially standing up in front of so many people but he put my mind at ease right up until the day and any nerves I had disappeared.
We feel so blessed to have had such an array of friends and amazing people to be apart of our special day.
The Wedding Day - Getting Ready
On the morning of the wedding I woke up at 7.30 after sleeping a maximum of 4 hours. Me and Axelle went to bed at about 1am but I was so excited I couldn't sleep. I didnt want to wake Axelle as she had flown frome Paris so instead at 3am I text my mum to say I couldn't sleep, she suggested I drink some milk so I did.
But then it was 4am and feeling like I was going to burst with excitment I rang my poor dad who promised me I would sleep even for a couple of hours and not to worry as the adreniline of the day would get me through. That calmed me down and eventually I fell asleep.
At 7.30 my alarm went off and I opened the curtain and as the interent promised for the last 10 days, the weather was sunny and perfect.
I smiled while hanging up the bridesmaids dresses, I had a bath and then went running into Axelle's room screaming and running around insane 'I'm getting married!' I giggled for a while and then didnt know what to do with myself. I found myself following Axelle around the house like a headless chicken. We ate cornflakes and drank a cup of tea.
Jo arrived at about 9 and started on Axelles makeup and then mine. This was when the excitement started as we started to chat about the details of the wedding. It was so nice to get my makeup done by a professional and really quite calming to be in the hands of someone to do it all for me.
This is when everyone else started to arrive, first Kim the flower lady she brought all the gorgeous roses and then left to take the button holes and vases to the venue, she later called to say it looked really stunning at Oaks Farm. Next my other bridesmaids arrived, Jenny, Natasha, Jodie Leigh and Cristina. It was great all getting ready together, it was very chaotic, but fun while we all had our makeup, hair and nails done.
Kim arrived and started to put ringlets in everyone's hair, it looked so nice and by the time my mum, dad and photographer arrived at 11.30 we had almost finsihed beautifying ourselves.
I had a couple of moments of nerves but I was surpised how calm I felt, I had butterflies in my stomach but was getting so excited about getting to the venue and seeing Danny.
Natasha took some saucy photo of Axelle helping me get into my dress and a few shots of me and my dad and my bridesmaids.
Waiting outside was my nans jaguar with white ribbons, driving to Oaks Farm was so surreal. I felt a mixture of nerves, excitement and the unablity to breathe while sitting down in my corset. I couldnt get my head around the fact in minutes I would see Danny and we would be getting married, it felt so unreal. As we turned the corner to the long drive, some girls sitting on a bench cheered as we drove past and waved, which made me feel really special.
As tiny specks turned into people as we drove closer. I could see them all move into the Orangery. Once the car parked Richard our registra and Glen the toastmaster came over to explain what was going to happen, I waited a couple of miutes in the car and thenwe all walked over to the room.
Before I knew it, me and my beautiful bridesmaids were at the door and Stace was sisnging Close to You, we were going to walk down the aisle at the end of the song, but firstly I couldnt hear Stace singing when I wanted to and second I just couldnt wait any longer to see Danny so I sent the girls in.
Walking down the aisle was such an amazing feeling, the room was bright and sunny and suddenly all the poeple I love the most's head were turning to look at me, it was like ridding a wave of happiness, I couldnt stop smiling and there Danny was at the front grinning his head of, Stace later said his eyes popped out when he saw me.
The Brides Escort
Philip you have escorted Rebecca here today for her marriage to Daniel. Do you now give her hand in marriage to this man?
Reply “I do”
While we waited at the front holding hands we waited at the front for Stace to finish the song, after a round of applause I gave Danny a kiss, I know your not meant to but I couldnt help myself, he just looked so handsome with non scruffy hair and in his smart suit.
Looking round I saw my mum, my nan and everyone else, it was a whole room of smailey faces and they were all there for us, which made me feel so content.
Soon Richard was speaking and before I knew it we were both staring into each others eyes making our vowls and it seemd like the asiest thing in the world, I seemed to have a confidnec I have never had before. I couldnt stop smiling and I was fighting back happy tears , I said my vows with so much truth and love for Danny, staring into his gorgeous eyes swearing to his soul that I would love him till the day I died.
The Introduction
Marriage joins two people in the circle of love. It’s a commitment to life, the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other relationships can equal. Its is both a physical and emotional joining that is promised for a lifetime.
Happiness is fuller, memories are fresher and commitment is deeper. When two people pledge their love and care for each other within a marriage they create a spirit which binds them far closer than any spoken written word. Marriage is a promise, written in the hearts of two people who love one another and it takes a lifetime to fulfil.
The Declarations
This place in which we are now met has been duly sanctioned according to law for the celebration of marriage. You are here today to witness the joining of matrimony of Daniel John Godfrey Litchfield and Rebecca Jane Parkes.
If any person present knows of any lawful impediment to this marriage, they must declare it now.
Before you are joined in matrimony, it is my duty to remind you of the solemn and binding character of the vows that you are about to make. Marriage, according to the law of this country, is the union of one man with one woman, voluntarily entered into for life, to the exclusion of all others.
Now I am going to ask each of you in turn to declare that you do not know of any lawful reason why you may not be married to each other
Groom
I do solemnly declare that I know not of any lawful impediment why I, Daniel John Godfrey Litchfield may not be joined in matrimony to Rebecca Jane Parkes.
Bride
I do solemnly declare that I know not of any lawful impediment why I, Rebecca Jane Parkes may not be joined in matrimony to Daniel John Godfrey Litchfield.
The Traditional I do
Daniel do you take Rebecca to be your wife, to rejoice with her in the good times, to comfort her to be your wife, to rejoice with her in good times, to comfort her in times of sorrow, and to be true to her, all days of your life?
Reply: “I do”
Rebecca do you take Daniel to be your husband, to rejoice with him in good times, to comfort him in times of sorrow, and to be true to him, all the day of your life?
Reply: “I do”
My mum gave a lovely reading, she was fighting back tears as well, it was really special to hear her loving words.
Reading for Becci and Danny’s wedding – Read by Fiona Peaty Rebecca’s Mum
I AM LOVE
Some say I can fly on the wind, yet I haven’t any wings.
Some have found me floating on the open sea, yet I cannot swim.
Some have felt my warmth on a cold night, yet I have no flame.
And though you cannot see me, I lay between two lovers at the hearth of fireplaces.
I am the twinkle in your child’s eye.
I am hidden in the lines of your mothers face.
I am your fathers shield as he guards your home.
And yet, some say I am stronger than steel, yet I am fragile as a tear.
Some have never searched for me, yet I am around them always.
Some say I die with loss, yet I am endless.
And though you cannot hear me, I dance on the laughter of children.
I am woven into the whispers of passion.
I am the blessings of grandmothers.
I embrace the cries of newborn babies.
Some say I am a flower, yet I am also the seed.
Some have little faith in me, yet I will always believe in them.
Some say I cannot cure the ill, yet I nourish the soul.
And though you cannot touch me, I am the gentle hand of the kind.
I am the fingertips that caress your cheek at night.
I am the hug of a child.
The Marriage Vows
And so we now move on to the formal vows of marriage, and to the promises that Daniel and Rebecca have chosen to make to each other.
Ladies and Gentlemen, will you all please stand. Brides flowers to handed to Axelle
Daniel and Rebecca you have both declared yourselves to be free and willing to marry, will you now turn to face each other, as you call upon your guest to witness your formal vows of marriage.
Groom
I call upon these persons here present to witness that I Daniel John Godfrey Litchfield do take thee Rebecca Jane Parkes to be my lawful, wedded wife to love and to care for you to the end of my days.
Bride
I call upon these persons here present to witness that I Rebecca Jane Parkes do take thee Daniel John Godfrey Litchfield to be my lawful, wedded husband to love and to care for you to the end of my days.
The Commitment of Marriage
Danny and Rebecca the purpose of marriage is that you may always love care for and support each other through both the joys and sorrows of life. Today you will exchange vows of marriage which will unite you as husband and wife. These vows are a promise of lifelong commitment, giving your families and friends the opportunity to meet together in celebration of your happiness, imparting their own message of love and support.
The Exchange of rings
And so we come to the giving and receiving of the wedding rings
The exchange of rings is the traditional way of sealing the vows that you have just made. The wedding ring is the unbroken circle, symbolising unending and everlasting love and is the outward sign of lifelong promise that you have just made to each other
Best man John Edward Litchfield Gives Rings
I give you this ring as a symbol of our love, all that I am, I give to you, all that I have, I share with you. I promise to love you, to cherish and respect you, to be faithful and loyal in good times and bad. I give you my hand, my love and my heart and on this day our souls will be joined as one, I will love you till the day I die.
Before long Richard pronouced us husband and wife and I felt an overwhelming sense of love and completness like it was just meant to be.
Pronouncement of Marriage
Today is a new beginning for you both. May you have many happy years together and in those years may all your hopes and dreams be fulfilled. Above all may you always believe in each other and may the warmth of your love enrich not only your lives but the lives of all those around you.
Daniel and Rebecca
You have made the declarations prescribed by law, and you have made solemn and binding marriage vows with each other in the presence of your witness. You have sealed those vows with the giving an receiving of rings and in the addition you have given to each other a promise of lifelong love and commitment.
It now gives me great pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife
You may now kiss the bride
After signing the register we walked back down the aisle to cheers and claps.
Group Photographs
Walking out of the ceremony room we was greated with glasses of chapayne and my friend Tristi, who was in control of the bubble machine blew bubbles at us, walking out onto the lawn the first thing I saw was the cow, I couldnt believe it, aparently my face was a picture. I cant beleieve Cristina got me my very own cow to have on the farm.
Before long Glen was arranging everyone on the lawn to have some group shots done.
My Family
Danny's Family
Our Friends ( A sea of red )
Bride & Groom Photographs
For the next two hours me and Danny had our group photos, it was definatly strange being on the other side of the camera, but nice at the same time, it was fun being the centre of attention. Throughout the photos it was hard as I wanted to go join all my guests on the lawn to mingle, but at the same time I wanted to get really good photos.
We had so many, ones of us on our own, with family and the bridal party.
Family Photographs
Danny and his Na Na
My beautiful Grandma
My very special Mum
Dannys Mum and Me :)
Dannys mum and step dad Lee
My brother/ usher Howard
Dannys brother and best man John
Dannys dad and step mum Snoobs
The Godfreys (Yes all of them have Godfrey/ John in their names) It seems my son will be destined to have the same.
Dannys Litchfield Grandparents
My Auntie Diana and Uncle Rex
Dannys family
My loving and wonderful dad
My lovely stepdad Malcom
These are all my uncles, cousins, dad and brother
Bridal Party Photographs - The Bridesmaids
Bridal Party Photographs - The Grooms Men
Recieving Line
At 3.30 Glen arranged a recieving line so we could say hi to everyone, there were a couple of people I hadn't seen for a long time and then a whole load of people that I was just so happy to see. Me and Danny were defiantly kissed and hugged out after kissing and hugging 74 people.
Dinner
We both walked into the barn for dinner, it was great everyone cheered and clapped as we walked in, the room looked absolutly amazing. I spent ages planning how the tables would looked and it was just better then I could have ever expected everything was black white and red and looked really striking. The black candelabra on our table looked really cool.
Soon everyone was tucking into prawns and salmon which was delicious and then the main course came out, which was steak and was so yummy. Danny ate his steak and then asked if he could have the chicken as well! The whole room was buzzing with converstaion and everyone kept telling us they were having a nice time, it was so nice seeing everyone mingling together.
I could see Dannys mum, my mum and my grandma in tears from the letters I had left them thanking them for being so wonderful.
Cutting The Cake
After the main course it was time to cut our cupcake tower, it was so tall it was so hard to reach it without it toppling over. Earlier me and my bridesmaids had had a cupcake tea party with the cupcakes which was dead cute, the two litle bridesamids couldnt wait to eat theirs.
While we waited for the cupcakes to be served as dessert we had the speeches.
Speeches
Glen introduced the speeches, first was my dad, I still cant believe what a good job he did, loads of people in tears including him (and Ive bever seen him cry), which made me feel very emotional. He just said so many things like he was so proud of me and it made me feel like the luckiest person to have him as my dad. He also made everyone laugh with some very funny jokes.
So many people told me after the wedding how nice he is and he really is amazing. He would do anything for me, which makes me feel so so lucky to have him in my life.
My brothers speech was full of jokes, he brought out a huge piece of paper with all my faults and then a tiny square of paper with my virtues, thanks Howard.
He also shared stories of how me and my cousin flooded my nans beeday and made us confess in front of everyone that it wasn't his fault.
My Speech
Up until this moment I had kept my speech folded away in my bag and hadn't thought about it. But strangely even though my whole life I have never been able to speak in front of people the words came easy, speaking words of love for Danny just came so naturally and it made me feel like with Danny by my side I could do anything.
Firstly I want to tell my fabulous new husband how much I really love you, I couldn’t have wished for a better person to share my life.
Everyday I am thankful that I have you and that I have found someone so perfect for me. I still can’t believe that I get to spend everyday of my life with someone as truly amazing as you.
Danny I have always knew in my heart that we would make it here, right from the moment our eyes first locked together, squished between Axelles bed and her desk on the floor in a space small enough for one person.
I promise to love and respect you from this point forward as your wife, you are my lover, my friend and my soul mate, all I am is yours.
I was afraid that you were too good to be true, and maybe I didn't deserve someone so pure and beautiful and loving as you are.
But here we are surrounded by the people that I love the most and I feel so proud and so blessed to be your wife. Danny, I was born to love you and I always will.
I would now like to take this moment to present to you a true symbol of our love.
For those of you confused as to what this is it is a rusty spoon, many years ago when we first meet we shared a joke about rusty spoons, and then set to create one for each other. Of course actually creating a rusty spoon is a lot harder then what you would first think It has instead taken three years to acquire this spoon and here it is a symbol of how things that can not normally be attainable can be found.
Lastly I want to thank my amazing family and my new family. I have true rocks in my life. I am truly blessed to have you. I truly believe that I have guardian angels looking down on me that have given you to me and I thank you all for making this day happen and for everyone coming to share with us the most happy day of our lives.
Danny's speech was fantastic as well, I'm so glad my uncle filmed them as I was so proud of him, saying such nice things and such wonderful words that I never want to forget. In his speech he gave out all the gifts and he gave me a cow with kisses all over it
By the end of the speeches our cupcakes came out and after 5 months of dieting I enjoyed every mouthful. After the meal we went outside to enjoy the sun. I loved this bit as I got to chat with everyone, drink champayne and smoke pink cigarettes with my nan. It was great mingling with everyone. At this point our eveing guests started to arrive and the bar and music started
First Dance
We danced to Snow Patrol Chasing Cars, followed by Marylin Manson Heart Shapped glasses.
Before I knew it it was 11pm and the music stopped, I couldnt believe it was over, I had had the most perfect day, it was like living in a wonderful dream, we spent the next hour saying goodbye to everyone, before heading off to the cottage to share a bottle of champagne.
I will forever look back on the day as the happiest of our lives, I feel so much love for my family, my new family and Danny and just wish there was a big enough way to thank everyone for making it the day it was. Especially my dad, mum and nan who helped me so much to make it such an amazing day
We would like to thank our family and friends
For celebrating our joy
Supporting us and sharing our love
We sincerely thank you
For being a part of our special day
And making our dreams come true
xxxxxxxxxx
All Photos taken by either Natasha Wiening or Myself
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