Bright and beautiful

Kate and Stephen’s big day was all about having fun, with bold splashes of colour and plenty of personal touches

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Early days…

The couple met in a nightclub in Gants Hill. “Kate kept looking over at me, playing with her hair and giving me all the signs,” remembers Stephen. “I’d seen her out before and I thought: ‘She must remember me.’

“Steve just came up to me and said: ‘Hello!’” adds Kate. “I didn’t recognise him at all, but I supposed it worked because it got us talking!”

The proposal…

Stephen proposed to Kate at a picnic for her 27th birthday. “His strange, nervous behaviour on the day meant that I knew something fishy was going on. I was lying down, and he placed the open ring box on my belly – I laughed, which meant ‘yes!’” says Kate.

The venues…

The couple chose to get married at Maidens Barn in High Easter. “This venue ticked all the right boxes. We really liked that you could book your own caterers to suit your budget and taste, and that you could supply your own alcoholic drinks without any extra charge for corkage,” says Kate.

Kate and Stephen wanted a relaxed, friendly and fun day, so they
chose a colour scheme of hot pink and bright turquoise to set the tone. There were also plenty of butterflies for a summery touch.

The dress…

Kate’s dress was a three quarter-length style with a fitted bodice and tulle skirt. “It was actually a mixture of two dresses from White Rose – the top of one and the skirt from another,” she says. Kate added a splash of colour to her outfit with hot pink shoes and jewellery.

“Because my shoes were on show, they became as important as the dress – I wanted them to be remembered. People commented on them all day, and I even heard somebody whisper: ‘Wow, look at her shoes!’ as I walked down the aisle. I made my tiara myself because I couldn’t
find a bright pink one.”

The bridesmaids wore turquoise knee-length dresses by Forever Yours, which she bought from Bellissima Weddings in South Woodham Ferrers.

The groom wore a charcoal-grey threepiece suit with a bright pink tie to match the bride’s accessories, while the groomsmen wore turquoise ties to match the bridesmaids.

The decorative touches…

The cake was a pretty arrangement of pink and blue cupcakes, which Kate and her bridesmaid Vicky decorated themselves. The top tier was an iced fruit cake from Marks & Spencer, which Kate finished off with a Dolly Mixture decoration. Kate also made their place names – butterfly-shaped shortbread cookies with the guests’ names iced on, which also doubled up as favours.

Each table was named after a band that the couple had been to see, which included Blur, Basement Jaxx and Elbow. The couple also provided their guests with a tabletop quiz all about themselves, the winners of which won a bottle of champagne! “It worked a treat. It got everyone chatting, plus they all got to know us a little better,” says Stephen.

The best bits…

Kate and Stephen were supposed to have a barbecue for their wedding breakfast, but the weather was so bad that the food had to be cooked inside. Nethertheless, the reception was a big hit. “One thing that everybody mentioned was how much fun everybody seemed to be having,” says Kate. “The first dance was brilliant too, and there was lots of clapping and cheering at the end. I felt famous!”

“We had dance lessons for this,” adds Stephen, “which I truly recommend. It was so much fun learning it, and we still do the dance today!”

As a surprise, two of the couple’s friends booked a limousine to whisk them home at the end of the night. “It was a very nice touch and a super end to a super day,” says Stephen.

Top tips…

“The music was really important to us,” says Kate. “During the ceremony, two of our friends played a couple of songs: Happy Together by The Turtles and You and Me by The Wannadies. We had the lyrics printed out and placed on the guests’ seats so everyone could join in. They did a brilliant job and it felt very special. During the photos, we hired two ladies who played the kettle drums, and in the evening we had a live band called Arizona who were fantastic – the dance floor was packed all night!”

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