Hidden under a rose arch, James asked Steph to become his wife at Hyde Park, London.
With a secret photographer organised to follow their day, they then had an engagement photoshoot around the park.
After researching wedding venues in Gloucestershire James and Steph narrowed it down to 3 venues. Their ‘must-haves’ were a pretty location, amazing food selection and a venue close to a church.
“It was a friend who suggested Clearwell Castle, so we viewed and never looked back.”
After James spotted the perfect bridesmaids dresses in Coast the colour scheme was set – pale grey and blush pink.
James & Steph’s wedding day shared an anniversary with Steph’s cousins kidney transplant. The transplant took place at Bristol children’s hospital. For this reason, each table was named after Gromits from the sculpture tail in Bristol. They also made a donation to the children’s hospital and in return received badges – a lovely personal wedding favour.
The Bridal Attire…
The first dress Steph picked to try on was by Rebecca Ingram, she instantly fell in love with the lace dress.
Steph wore a delicate pearl tiara, diamond necklace gifted from her father and a pair of simple diamond earrings. To match her mother Steph wore a blush bracelet – purchased in Edinburgh during her hen party.
On her feet – heels with a lace effect detail. Steph had the bottoms of her shoes personalised with the Disney castle and “Mr & Mrs Gibbs 20.04.19”
The Grooms Attire…
James wore a grey checked suit, he and his best man matched. Steph’s Mum went with them to help with the search for the perfect suit.
James’s shoes were an oxblood colour, perfectly complimenting his suit.
The Wedding Party…
Steph had 4 bridesmaids – 3 adults and 1 child. The 3 older bridesmaids all wore pale grey dresses from Coast, and the younger bridesmaid wore a blush pink dress from Quiz.
James had 2 ushers that chose their own suits, but they were given a brief to ensure their shirts were suitable for cufflinks. They were then given personalised cufflinks – one with tennis rackets and the other with golf clubs.
The Ceremony…
James and Steph got married at Viney Hill Church, as they live in the parish. Steph linked arms with her father as he proudly walked her down the aisle.
“I walked into harp music, which was beautiful.”
They had two readings, one read by Steph’s Grandfather and the other by James’ sister.
The Wyedean Gospel Choir sang towards the end of the ceremony – a lovely touch as Steph attended Wyedean.
The Drinks Reception…
Pimms, Bucks Fizz and Peroni.
“I am not a drinker so I had a mocktail which was delicious! Perfect on a nice sunny day”.
The Wedding Breakfast…
Steph and James chose to offer their guests a choice of menu options and were excited to give their guests their special invites! They chose soup, pork and herb terrine or a Brie as starters with the Brie being the top choice. For mains, they decided on a choice of lemon and honey glazed chicken, pork in a cider jus or vegetable wellington. All of the dishes were served with hot seasonal vegetables along with a potato option. For dessert, they couldn’t decide from the selection so they opted for a trio.
“We had 3 mini puddings – lemon tart, chocolate brownie and baked New York cheesecake – very yummy!”
The Speeches…
As Steph’s dad was particularly nervous about the speeches, they chose to do them before the food was served. This worked really well for them as Steph and James entered the room following their greeting line and then went straight into speeches.
Evening Reception…
Steph and James chose to have a band called ‘The Child’ who played alongside the DJ. They found the band on a website called ‘Alive Network’ and chose the songs they liked after listening to their sample music. The couple chose Ed Sheeran-Perfect as their first dance as they both liked the artist.
Top Tips…
“Visit the venue with your photographer so you can choose where to have your shots! This was a big help.
Be picky! You only get one shot at it so have no regrets!
Book your ceremony as early as possible to be able to enjoy the whole day!”
If they could do it all again…
“We’d do it the same. We had the perfect day but it went far too quickly.”
Suppliers…
Wedding Attire: Rebecca Ingram
Accessories: Shoes – The Perfect Bridal Company, Necklace – Diamond Heaven
Bridesmaids Dresses: Coast and Quiz
Other Outfits: Alternations – Sew Much More, Lydney
Wedding Rings: Diamond Heaven
Wedding Cake: Isabels Bake House
Cars: Satin and Lace, Something Blue Gloucester
Invitations: Pure Invitations
Photography: Kathryn Goddard – Capture This Moment, Paul – Lemon House
Videographer: Jay Wedley
Band: The Child
DJ: Clearwell DJ
Wedding Favours: Bristol Children’s Hospital – The Grand Appeal
Photobooth: Reflect Events
Love Letters: Love Letters by Phoenix
Hair: Bridal Hair By Laura
