All things bright and beautiful

A striking colour scheme of hot pink and teal made Sam Pugh and Dave Tuner's day at Down Hall a vibrant affair

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Early days…

The couple met during a work night out in Windsor in 2006, and it was Dave's slick dance moves that caught Sam's eye. In true modern romance style, they began emailing each other at work soon afterwards. "The emails progressed to texts, then phone calls and then our first date," says Sam. "We knew after a few months of being together that it was the real deal."

The proposal…

Dave and Sam had their first date in Windsor, so when it came to planning the proposal, Dave only had one place in mind. "One Sunday afternoon, he took me to Windsor Castle with the intention of looking around the grounds," says Sam. "By the time we got there, it was too late to enter. So, standing at the castle gates, Dave dropped down to one knee. I proceeded to giggle and told him to get up - I thought he was messing around. It was only when he pulled the ring out of his pocket that I realised he was serious."

The venues…

Sam wanted to have the ceremony at St Mary's Church in Standon, Hertfordshire, where she grew up. "All my friends from school got married there, and it has always been my intention to do the same," she says. The couple managed to get a late availability deal at Down Hall, which gave them just six months to plan the big day. "It worked out the same cost as one of the other venues we'd looked at, but Down Hall was far more glamorous. It was our dream wedding venue that we didn't think we could afford."

The attendants…

Sam had three adult bridesmaids, her sister Shelley, sister-in-law Louise and best friend Becky. Her two adorable flowergirls were nieces five-year-old Leah and Sophie, aged three.
"My best man was my close friend from college, Mark," says Dave. "I have known him for 14 years, and I was best man at his wedding. I couldn't think of anyone better suited to the job."

The dress…

The bride wore a strapless satin Alfred Angelo gown with pearl and diamanté detailing.
The bridesmaids wore bright blue satin knee-length dresses from Coast.
The groom and groomsmen wore black tails, grey pinstripe trousers and a silver waistcoat and ruched tie.

The transport…

Sam was supposed to arrive at the church in a convertible Beauford Tourer, but three days before the wedding, she found out the car had blown a gasket. "Luckily, we were able to get an alternative arranged immediately, and we ended up with a beautiful white Bentley S2," she says. "It was a classic-looking vehicle that fitted in well with our venue."

The decorative touches…

Sam and Dave wanted a bright colour scheme to reflect their fun-loving personalities. They chose electric teal and hot pink, a striking summery combination. "Initially, we weren't going to have any flowers at the venue, we were just going to order bouquets," says Sam. "However, I began to realise that they'd make such a difference on the day, so the added expense ceased to be an issue." She decided upon hot pink flower arrangements to contrast the blue bridesmaids' dresses. The centrepieces were oversized martini glasses filled with teal-coloured fabric and pink fairy lights, topped with a dome of gerberas.
Sam and Dave made the stationery themselves, and they tied in with their theme perfectly. Their invitations featured gerberas and pink and blue ribbon. "They took a really long time to make, but we received lots of good comments about them, so it was worth the time and effort," says Sam.
They named their tables after sweets, such as Kola Kubes, Love Hearts, Drumsticks and Haribo jelly hearts, and scattered the corresponding sweets around the centrepieces.

The best bits…

"During the morning of the wedding, I was actually very calm," remembers Sam. "But after we'd got ready and were waiting for the cars to come, I became incredibly nervous. I couldn't stop my whole body from shaking. I've been sky-diving and bungee jumping before, and the nervousness I felt then was nothing in comparison to the way I felt that morning!"

"The ceremony went extremely well, apart from when I had to say my vows," remembers Sam. "I broke down and was unable to speak for a few moments. I was so overcome by it all, and I was just so happy to be marrying Dave. Once we had said our vows, the vicar forgot to say 'You may now kiss the bride'. We couldn't miss that bit out - I had been looking forward to it so much - so I asked if I was allowed to kiss my new husband."

Dave and Sam's first dance was to Alphabeat's 10,000 Nights. "We only chose it a few days before the wedding, so we didn't have time to practise," says Sam. "We were outside the room, waiting to go in and both feeling a little tipsy. We turned to each other, smiled and said 'Shall we freestyle it?' And that's exactly what we did!
"Everyone was up on the dance floor from the start of the evening, including us, which is exactly what we wanted. It was such a shame when it had to come to an end."

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