Happy Monday, lovelies! Are you looking for a little escape from all the pre-Christmas busy-ness out there? Because I have the perfect thing: a wonderfully relaxed and romantic, flower- and plant-filled wedding at The Great House, Sonning – and our gorgeous newlyweds Will & Karis who told me all about their best day ever! The images are glorious – they are by our friend and English Wedding member Damion Mower Photography, and the capture the beauty and spirit of the day so very, very well. As you might know, we ask all of our English Wedding couples to give an honest review of their favourite wedding suppliers, and Karis and Will’s review for Damion is just brilliant! I’ve included it at the top of the post for you today. All other suppliers are listed at the end of the feature, with some great tips from the happy couple on who to book for YOUR Berkshire wedding!

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://damionmowerphotography.co.uk

How did you choose your photographer?

Searched for different photographers from different websites and blogs and then checked the all important reviews!

Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!

Damion was fantastic. We were so lucky that he was able to capture every special moment – even our friends dancing in the rain shower! – and were able to completely trust him to make everyone feel comfortable.

Tell us about the moment you saw your wedding photos for the first time?

We were so excited when we received our little sneak preview of the photos, which was a beautiful selection of moments from the day. Our first dance picture is stunning, so we just knew when we were able to see the rest, that we would love them.

 

Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)

We used blogs mainly, but took on some recommendations from local Facebook groups

What’s your top tip for saving money?

We were quite thrifty – we used a fantastic florist for the bouquets, buttonholes and aisle flowers, but we also went to the garden centre and bought lots of plants which we mostly reused in the garden afterwards. We also bought a bundle of decorations off a second hand wedding website, which meant we didn’t fork out for loads of lanterns/lights/tree slice for the cake etc – these even went on to be used by some friends for THEIR wedding a few months after ours.

… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?

We picked a venue that had amazing food, since it is part of a restaurant next door. We had so many compliments on something which, for most weddings, isn’t always good.

Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?

We found the stationery on Not on the High Street. This turned out to be a great choice – we were supporting an independent artist, who had beautiful designs. Julia sent us a proof and then posted all our invites to us to address and send to our friends and family.

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

No…Since we had a fairly relaxed wedding, I bought a dress that was quite understated but fit the botanical/floral theme. A couple of months before I decided to change to something completely different and go all out!

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

Wed2Be

Tell us about your accessories: jewellery, shoes and anything else!

My favourite accessory was the little shoe clips which were my “something old” and if you remember the rest of the saying they were “sixpences for my shoes”. Each sixpence had been detailed with tiny pearls and the coins were also from the year my mother was born.

And what did the groom wear?

An amazing blue tweed vintage suit with a waistcoat and the pocket watch I gave him as a gift on our wedding day.

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

The girls wore a pale pink floor length dress which had a slight grey and cream pattern – not very “bridesmaidy” but perfect for them.

Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?

We had a friend help with our hair and also hired a make up artist. Having both saved us so much time in the morning.

Describe your wedding flowers. Who arranged them for you? (florist details would be lovely please)

Stephanie from Rabbit & the Rose arranged our stunning flowers. We wanted the smell to be just as amazing as how they looked, so they featured sage, rosemary and other fragrant blooms. They bouquets looked almost like wildflowers – beautiful!

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

We had planned to get married outside, but a last minute blip with the weather meant we were able to bring all of our potted plants and flowers into the venue which was actually better than being outside! There was lots of candles and lots of green, which made the venue more soft and romantic and complimented the modern vintage look.

Crafts and makes – tell us about any homemade elements of your wedding… did you enjoy them?

We made our table names and table plan ourselves which was fun and my brother, sister in law, mother and step-dad put together all of our decorations in the morning which we were so so grateful for.

The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?

We had a 7 tiers of cheese! Who want’s actual cake after a three course meal?!

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

We had a 5 piece soul band called Blue Juice that blew everyone away and during the ceremony and drinks reception Steph Willis played guitar and sang covers, both set the vibe brilliantly for the evening.

Words of wisdom: share your best piece of advice for other couples:

Lots of people say this, but just do your best to let the little things go…don’t stress over weather or guests. You have to roll with the punches!

What’s the best thing about being married?

Not much has changed since getting married, but having a ceremony where we committed to each other and had an event where our friends and family were together meant a lot to us.

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

https://damionmowerphotography.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/rabbitandtherose/
https://julia-eastwood.com/
https://www.bluejuiceband.com/
https://www.stephwillisuk.com/
https://www.sellmywedding.co.uk/