Nathan and Vikki were blessed with the most outrageous sunshine to compliment their beautifully designed and crafted wedding. So much so that they were able to move the ceremony outside! It was beautiful, from a photographic point of view the whole ‘have to get married under a canopy law’ throws some new problems my way. The couple being stood in shade makes the light difference between them and the guests huge! So you cant really avoid blown out backgrounds. A real sweet touch was Nathan shedding a tear as Vikki glided down the aisle, the bridesmaids had stitched him up in the morning and put a bet on that he would!

Now then, the car – what a beast! I cant remember for the life of me what it was called, but its a Shelby cobra replica, and boy did it make a noise, you know, a beastly car desirable growl. Turns out you have to be dead careful getting in and out as the exhaust pipes down the sides will burn your ankles! I love the shots we managed to get in the grounds, the colours are just epic – fortunately our timing was perfect, an epic downpour followed as soon as we’d finished. The meal kicked off with singing waiters, I’d never seen this before but the bride and groom weren’t in on it and it was amazing, everyone was in pieces it was so funny – napkins waving, Sinatra blaring, couples dancing – epic. Such a fun day, I love Braxted Park, genuinely one of my favourite places, if you’re getting married there too and in need of a wedding photographer – give me a shout!

“My dress was by Ellis Bridals, it’s called Buttercup and I bought it from was bought from Serenity Brides in Colchester. I kept looking through the rails in the shop and nothing really stood out to me, then as I came to the end of the rail I saw the dress. It was very different as it was tea length and had beautiful lace beaded full-length sleeves. It was very vintage, very me! I instantly fell I love.”

Nathan looked very dapper in a bespoke suit by Suits My Size in Colchester, a black silk self-tie bow tie, Hugo Boss shoes and belt and a rather swish Rolex Submariner watch.

Vikki’s beautiful frames are by Tiffany & Co.  She accessorised with a simple diamante comb clip, See by Chloé perfume,  a vintage-inspired pearl clutch by Lydia Bright and a vintage umbrella. Hair was by Holly Arnold and make-up by Sarah Drummond…

“She did an awesome job we all looked flawless all day! Her airbrushing skills are second to none.” “My shoes are from Harriet Wilde, they are the most beautiful shoes I’ve ever seen, the detail on the heel is stunning and they suited my dress perfectly!”

“We got engaged on Vikki’s birthday in 2013, and had no intentions of getting married so soon but after visiting a few venues and wedding fairs we found the perfect place.  Braxted Park  just blew us away the first time we saw it, and it just so happened that a date we both liked was available. The planning went by so quickly and, before we knew it, we were two weeks away from the big day!”

“All the bridesmaids’ dresses are by Kelsey Rose. I decided to go for five different colours, and allowed the bridesmaids to pick whatever style they felt most comfortable with as long as they stuck to the chiffon range.”

Nathan, an accountant and Vikki, an administration officer, met when she was working in a shop. Nathan tells us, “I noticed Vikki while she was working at Halfords, and being a car guy I visited the shop a lot. Even more so when I noticed Vikki!  After a few money-wasting trips to Halfords I managed to pluck up the courage to speak to her and because I hadn’t a clue what I was about to say I just started asking about the gear knobs, which she was standing next to! Haha! We also used to bump into each other in town and I somehow got her number.”

Vikki was accompanied down the aisle by her father, Steve, with O Mio Babbino Caro played by Regent String Quartet.

“We chose not to have any readings and to keep the ceremony simple – short and sweet. It gave us more time to mingle and, more importantly, party with our guests!”

“We handmade paddle fan programmes, menus, place cards and suitcase table plan. We bought the suitcase for £1 and frames for the table numbers and photos ranging from 20p to £1.50 from the local boot sale. We collected and decorated jam jars for our florist, Jades Flower Design to use for the flowers, made green, pink and white pom poms and bought wicker hears. We also had a sweet buffet with sweets and homemade cakes and cookies. And we hired a photo booth and an ice cream cart for the evening, which was great fun.”

“We chose the bird cage cake because it suited the theme. Vikki loves baking and only wanted the best, so when she came across Rachelle’s cakes she knew it’d perfect.”

Guests were treated to an acoustic band, The Live Lounge Project, as well as music from Piano DJ. Vikki’s parents also arranged singing waiters and a chef via Soprano Bella which was a huge surprise and resulted in some brilliant reactions captured on camera!

“Our first dance was to The Only Reason by JP Cooper. We first heard it on a video our videographers made. We decided to have it as our first dance track as not everybody would recognise it. As it was a song you don’t hear on the radio much it felt more personal and special to us.”

“My favourite part of the day was when we were partying and just enjoying the evening after all the traditional things were out of the way such as the speeches, cutting of the cake and first dance.”

Words of wedded wisdom…

“Relax and enjoy it because you may not get the opportunity to do it again. Make sure you plan and book the perfect photographer and videographer to capture the precious moments as they are one of the only things you can look back at and reminisce. And most importantly, have the most fantastic day, enjoy every second and take everything in – after all it will be one of the best days of your lives.”

Photographer – Liam Smith Photography
Venue – Braxted Park
Dress –Ellis Bridals, purchased from Serenity Brides
Accessories – Shoes Harriet Wilde, glasses Tiffany & Co, clutch Lydia Bright, vintage umbrella
Hair – Holly Arnold
Make up – Sarah Drummond
Bridesmaids – Kelsey Rose
Flowegirl – Monsoon
Groom – suit Suits My Size, shoes and belt Hugo Boss, watch Rolex
Pageboy – Anthony Formal Wear
Flowers – Jades Flower Design
Rings – Tiffany, Cartier
Cake – Rachelle’s Beautiful Bespoke Cakes
Favours – Lindt heart chocolates in birdcage boxes
Stationery – invitations Debenhams, save the date cards handmade
Caterers – Le Talbooth
Transport – AC Cobra
Entertainment – Regent String Quartet + singing waiters + chef Soprano Bella, The Live Lounge Project, Piano DJ