What’s not to love about a cosy and festive winter wedding celebration? Especially in a quaint and special town such as Rye in East Sussex. Have you been? You’ll totally fall for its cobbled streets, charming shops and sea side setting, I certainly did.
Joanna and James chose to marry on the 3rd December 2016 at Rye Town Hall followed by celebrations at The George in Rye. Fun and memorable touches included a town crier announcing their marriage, walking to the reception and perhaps the most confetti laden shot ever! The vision for this stylish pair, was to create an elegant yet informal day, which represented their personalities perfectly.
One of my fave elements has to be the florals. The bouquet was exquisite and consisted of roses and thistles with delicate foliage. Together with an utterly beautiful lace sleeved Suzanne Neville gown, Joanna looked incredible. James opted for a navy tweed 3 piece suit which really suited the season and looked very sharp.
Thanks so much to Travers and Brown for sharing these wonderful photographs.
THE PROPOSAL | James proposed while we were on holiday in Ubud, Bali. We dined at La View restaurant, and were seated at one of their incredible ‘Birdnest’ tables overlooking the jungle treetops perched high above the Ayung River Valley.
THE VISION | An elegant, indulgent Winter wedding with an intimate, informal atmosphere and plenty of personal touches reflecting mine and James’ fun loving personalities.
THE PLANNING PROCESS | A year in the planning… We originally intended to have a Summer wedding in Cornwall but we fell in love with The George when we visited in December 2015. We signed up for the same weekend the following year there and then!
THE VENUE | CEREMONY: Rye Town Hall.
We loved the intimacy The Town Hall offered. And Rex, The Town Crier was a real hit with our guests, welcoming them on arrival and ‘crying’ our union from the steps of the Town Hall.
RECEPTION: The George in Rye. The eclectic décor and informal atmosphere of this boutique hotel really appealed to us, plus of course the quality of their food which many of our guests commented on. Natalie and The Team at The George were fantastic – really flexible and relaxed in the run up to our wedding day.
We had drinks in the Tap Bar after the ceremony before moving upstairs to dine in the elegant Georgian ballroom.
THE DRESS & ACCESSORIES | Wedding Dress – Regency by Suzanne Neville. Ordered from the fantastic team at Pantiles Bride, Tunbridge Wells.
Jo also wore flowers in her hair, which our florist arranged and a faux fur stole, which was her ‘something borrowed’.
FINDING THE DRESS | After visiting a few bridal shops it soon became apparently that Suzanne Neville’s range of crepe silk dresses suited my figure and style. I chose Suzanne’s Regency dress after a visit to her flagship store and ordered it with the lovely team at Pantiles Bride in Tunbridge Wells.
I loved the fact that the dress was quite unusual in style and therefore probably not what James would be expecting…
GROOM’S ATTIRE | James wore Walker Slater’s navy tweed ‘Martin’ 3 piece suit, which we felt really suited the style of our winter wedding, with brown brogues from Churches.
THE READINGS & MUSIC | Sussex Strings quartet played a varied repertoire of both classic and modern hits during our ceremony and the reception drinks. Jo entered to Pachelbel, Canon in D major which was a fairly traditional choice, however just beforehand the quartet played The Final Countdown by Europe which seemed to bring a smile to our guest’s faces.
James sister read Love is a Temporary Madness, from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.
Our friend Claire read a poem, ‘The Day’…
May this be the start of a happy new life
That’s full of special moments to share
May this be the first of your dreams come true
And of hope that will always be there…
May this be the start of a lifetime of trust
And of caring that’s just now begun…
May today be a day that you’ll always remember
The day when your hearts become one…
BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS | Jo chose two of her oldest school friends, Zoe and Hollie, as her bridesmaids. Zoe and Hollie both wore burgundy Dessy dresses with pale nude coloured fur jackets.
THE FLOWERS | We loved Darling & Wild’s natural, informal style of floral arrangement. Lara was great in suggesting seasonal options within our colour palette.
THE CAKE | Jeyda and the team at Funfetti London created our stunning wedding cake which included mixed flavours across the 3 tiers – lemon, chocolate and Victoria sponge. It tasted even better than it looked!
YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER | As you have seen Andrew from Travers and Brown did a fantastic job capturing the day’s events!
THE DETAILS & DÉCOR | After deciding on a venue Jo bought decorations as and when she saw them. You can find some real steals on eBay and Amazon.
THE HONEYMOON | Our tailor made honeymoon was arranged with Audley Travel.
We flew out to Sri Lanka the Monday after our wedding, where we explored the ‘Cultural Triangle’ for a week before then moving on to Velassaru in The Maldives. It was incredible!
MEMORABLE MOMENTS | Wow – so many. Where to start!…
We both headed off for some photos together soon after the ceremony; it was lovely to de-brief and have that time just the two of us.
Exiting the Town Hall after being declared husband and wife.
The speeches.
Looking around to see all our various friends and family chatting away and getting on like a house on fire.
ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES | Set your priorities early on, which elements of the day most matter to you and which might you be more open to compromising on?
Deciding this will allow you to prioritise how best to apportion your time and money.
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE |
Photography | Travers and Brown
Ceremony | Rye Town Hall
Venue | The George in Rye
Dress | Suzanne Neville from Pantiles Bride
Suit | Walker Slater
Shoes | Churches
Music | Sussex Strings
Bridesmaid Dresses | Dessy
Flowers | Darling & Wild
Cake | Funfetti London
Honeymoon | Velassaru & Audley Travel
A delight from beginning to end.
Joanna and James, thanks so much to you both for sharing your special day with us xo Lou