| Click on any of the images below to view a larger version |
|
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
| |
Early days…
"We didn't really have a first date," explains Will who met Gemma through mutual friends. He popped the question while the couple was holidaying in America in June, 2008, presenting Gemma with a ring from Claire's Accessories. "I asked her to be my wife as we took a sunset helicopter tour of New York while circling the Empire State Building. Gemma was speechless, which very rarely happens," says Will.
The venues…
One of the reasons the couple decided to get married in Horsham was because they both grew up there. "We also felt that it had the nicest church in the area," continues Will. The couple held their wedding reception in a tipi at Knepp Castle Estate, surrounded by free range deer, ginger pigs, Exmoor ponies and Longhorn cattle.
"We went to a wedding fair one day and met a friend from school who hired out tipis as reception venues, and although Gemma was against the idea of having a marquee wedding she agreed to go along to an open day to see what it was all about. We saw the tipis on a rainy, cold day in November. There were fires burning inside and it was so cosy but still light and very beautifully decorated. When Gemma walked into the tipi she nearly burst into tears because it was so lovely. It was exactly what we had been looking for - perfect for either a sunny or a rainy day.
"It was suggested that we could have the tipi erected at Knepp Castle Estate. The icing on the cake for animal lover Gemma." Will told us.
The attendants…
"My best friends, who I've known since childhood, Geoff Sutton and David Wooton were my best men. We had two ushers, Gemma's brother Phil and our friend Caroline Donati. The men in the wedding party wore the same outfits as I did, with the exception of the colour of the cravat." Will said.
"My bridesmaids were my friends Kate Hodges, Zoe Greenwood, Nicki Harthoorn and Kate Lovegrove who is also Will's sister" Gemma said. "They were very flexible with regards to dress styles, but different shapes suited different girls. They were all happy with the final choice. The gowns were teamed with a bouquet of Cool Water roses, which matched the colour of the maleattendants' cravats."
The transport…
"I travelled to the ceremony in Will's dad's car, which was driven by a chauffeur. We then travelled between the ceremony and the reception in Will's Porsche with the roof open and the sun beaming down on us. We drove through Horsham town centre with people waving at us; we felt so happy." Gemma told us.
The decorative touches…
The couple tried to make everything personal and so they had homemade decorated cookies for everyone. The cookies' shapes were relevant to them, such as a car, horse, cat and Statue of Liberty.
The honeymoon…
"We went to Portugal on a last-minute break for three days after the wedding, but our honeymoon will be in February, when we will be going to Australia and Malaysia" Will sai. "We asked for money towards our honeymoon rather than wedding presents"
Useful Contacts:
Bride's dress and groom's suit
Opulence and Grace
www.opulenceandgrace.com |
Photographer
Mark Curtis
www.mbmphotography.co.uk |
| |
|
Reception venue
Beautiful World Tents
www.beautifulworldtents.co.uk |
Reception venue
Knepp Castle Estate
www.knepp.co.uk |
| |
|
|
