Amy and Søren's summer wedding took place two years after their engagement, welcoming 48 guests to the beautiful setting of Helmingham Hall.
How did you meet?
On an Erasmus exchange semester in Denmark, where Søren is from. It was totally unexpected.
Tell us about the proposal.
For me, the proposal was a massive shock, I was not expecting it at all. I had very recently contacted a private ring maker, whose designs I loved. Strangely, Søren had already contacted this exact ring maker completely independently and little did I know that my ring had already been made.
The proposal itself happened at the beginning of our staycation in Wales, just over the Welsh border. It happened on a hilltop, just before we were about to start our planned hike. I was appreciating the beautiful, quiet Welsh countryside and turned around and he was there on one knee. I was speechless. He was so excited to propose that he accidentally opened the ring box upside down so I couldn’t see the ring at first.
What was the theme for the day, and did you have a colour scheme?
The theme was 'rustic minimalist'. We thought the venue was so beautiful that less was more. Our colour scheme was predominantly creams, with a touch of blush pink and sage green (in my bouquet and the bridesmaids’ dresses).
What venue did you choose and why did you choose it?
Admittedly, I have dreamed of my wedding day since I was a little girl and was so excited to start looking at venues as soon as the proposal had happened. We found Helmingham Hall on the Hitched app and requested the brochure immediately. Shortly after, we went to visit and booked it immediately as we knew we had found our dream venue.
Tell us about your dress.
My beautiful dress was a custom-made dress by Martina Liana. I fell in love with her stunning designs due to the immaculate detail.
What did the mother of the bride wear?
A tiered knee-length dress by ‘Chesca’.
Who were the bridesmaids?
My bridesmaids were my three best friends from school and my sister-in-law.
Where did you find your suit?
It was hired from Moss Bross, as Søren wanted a morning suit (minus the hat).
Tell us about your floral arrangements.
For our floral displays we chose to have pedestal arrangements, which stood either side at the top of the aisle as we exchanged vows; a registrar arrangement (for the signing of the register), which doubled as a top table arrangement later on in the day; and table centrepieces (real flowers arranged in a lantern on wooden slices).
Often the aspect that makes a wedding original to the couple is the detail – tell us about the details of the day.
There was quite a bit of DIY involved in the day, such as our Order of the Day palette, our seating plan, place cards, table names, individual guest menus, the wedding cake menu and the gifts/cards, bunting and more.
Our table names were named after our favourite holiday destinations, which on the back had a photograph of us in that destination. We thought this was a nice personal touch and a good conversation starter for guests.
How did you feel as you walked down the aisle?
Very nervous, but overwhelmingly excited for my fiancée to turn around.
How did you make the ceremony personal to you?
We chose our favourite classical music pieces while the guests were being seated, as well as a beautiful piece for the aisle walk (Canon in D - Pachelbel). We also had a couple of readings by close family and friends, which we chose because of the meaningful words.
What was your most memorable moment?
Exchanging our vows.
What was the most challenging aspect of planning this wedding?
Creating the wedding stationery myself. That was definitely something I underestimated, but was so proud of on the day.
What was the most important investment for you?
The venue and the photographer/videographer.
What song did you choose for your first dance, and why?
We chose Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley. It’s a classic song which everyone knows and could sing along to.
Tell us about your wedding cake.
Our wedding cake was a simple three-tiered cake by the lovely and very talented Krissy Quinton of Primrose Cakes, Ipswich. We decided we wanted a simple, elegant, multiple tier design of different flavours with real flowers as a special final touch. The flavours were white chocolate and raspberry, zesty lemon and cherry bakewell. We still have some cake which has been frozen and we plan to eat it on our first wedding anniversary.
Was there anything you wish you’d known before?
Get in quickly with the registrar, so you have freedom of choice over time of day.
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We went to the beautiful island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean. Due to the nature of our jobs, we couldn’t take too much time off work and therefore decided to take our honeymoon at a later date where we could have a whole fortnight away. We felt this was the right decision, as it gave us something to look forward to.
Do you have any advice for couples in the planning stages?
- Knowing you have found someone you want to marry is really special, so enjoy the process.
- Decide what you want to prioritise in terms of budget to make your day special and meaningful to you.
- If you have friends/ family or contacts who can help with parts of the day, use them if they’re happy to contribute.
Steal their style:
Wedding venue & catering: Helmingham Hall
Photography: Emily Tyler Photography
Hair: Hair by Lisa
Make-up: Love Moi Makeup
Flowers: Tiger Lily Flowers
Cake: Primrose Cakes
Venue dressing: Elf Occasions
