Gemma + David

By :

ANDREA BEAULIEU

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A VINTAGE RING, BEACH BOYS AND PHOTOGRAPHS AT GOLDEN HOUR.. WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT BETTER OURSELVES. GEMMA WORE OUR TESSA GOWN AND YES, SHE LOOKED KILLER.

X THE PROPOSAL

DAVID AND I WERE TOGETHER FOR 10 YEARS BEFORE WE GOT ENGAGED, WE WENT TO SCHOOL TOGETHER BUT DIDN’T ACTUALLY KNOW EACH OTHER AT SCHOOL AND GOT TOGETHER JUST AFTER WE GRADUATED. DAVID SURPRISED ME ON OUR 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH A TRIP TO PARIS, IT WAS OF COURSE AMAZING! ONE EVENING, AFTER DINNER WE DECIDED TO GO AND SEE THE NOTRE DAME ALL LIT UP, IT WAS INCREDIBLE. IT WAS LATE SO THERE WEREN’T MANY PEOPLE AROUND. DAVID TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THIS GORGEOUS MOMENT GOT DOWN ON ONE KNEE AND PROPOSED. IT WAS A PERFECT PROPOSAL, YOU COULD SEE HE WAS NERVOUS AND I WAS DEFINITELY IN SHOCK…..I OF COURSE SAID YES!

X THE RING

MY GORGEOUS ENGAGEMENT RING DATES BACK TO THE 1900’S. I LOVE ALL THINGS VINTAGE SO THE BOY DID GOOD! IT IS A SQUARE SETTING WITH A STUNNING BLUE SAPPHIRE IN THE MIDDLE SURROUNDED BY TINY DIAMONDS. I COULDN’T HAVE CHOOSEN A BETTER ONE MYSELF AND TO MY SURPRISE HE HAD NO HELP! AND TO ACCOMPANY MY VINTAGE ENGAGEMENT RING, DAVID’S MUM KINDLY GAVE ME DAVID’S GRANDMA’S WEDDING BAND WHICH ALSO DATES BACK TO THE 1900’S – A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN!

X VENUE

WE BOTH LOVE TO TRAVEL AND LOVE THE OUTDOORS SO WE DECIDED STRAIGHT AWAY THAT WE WANTED TO GET MARRIED OUTSIDE (RISKY, I KNOW WHEN WE LIVE IN ENGLAND). WE HAD ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT GETTING MARRIED AT VENTNOR BOTANICAL GARDENS ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT BUT WE WERE UNSURE IF WE COULD LEGALLY GET MARRIED OUTSIDE BUT AFTER VISITING THEM AND FINDING OUT THEY HAD PLANS TO CONVERT THEIR OLD TENNIS HUT SO THEY COULD HOLD OUTSIDE CEREMONIES, IT WAS A NO BRAINER. THE VENUE IS ONE OF OUR ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE PLACES TO VISIT AND IS SITUATED IN VENTNOR, ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE PLACES ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT, WE ALWAYS FEEL LIKE WE ARE ON HOLIDAY THERE AND ITS ONLY 40 MINUTES FROM OUR HOUSE.

X AESTHETIC

WE WANTED THE DAY TO REFLECT US AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, AS MENTIONED ABOVE WE BOTH LOVE TO TRAVEL SO DECIDED ON A TRAVEL THEME. THE OVERALL FEEL AND DESIGN OF THE WEDDING WAS VERY LAID BACK WITH A VINTAGE/BOHEMIAN FEEL. WE USED LOTS OF WILD FLOWERS IN THE MARQUEE TO REFLECT OUR SURROUNDINGS AND USED OUR OWN VINTAGE PROPS TO ADD INTEREST. OUR FAVOURITE PROP WAS ACTUALLY OUR GUEST BOOK, WE FOUND AN OLD GLOBE WHICH WE PAINTED UP AND GOT GUESTS TO SIGN. IT NOW TAKES PRIDE OF PLACE IN OUR DINING ROOM.

X DIY PROJECTS

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR US WAS THAT OUR WEDDING DAY REFLECT OUR LAIDBACK PERSONALITIES AND THAT OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS HAD THE BEST TIME. WE WANTED IT TO BE A FUN FILLED EVENT THAT OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY COULD GET INVOLVED WITH. WE ARE LUCKY TO BE SURROUNDED BY VERY TALENTED PEOPLE SO WE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THAT AND IN RETURN THEY FELT INVOLVED. WE TRIED TO DO ANYTHING CREATIVE OURSELVES FROM DECORATING THE MARQUEE, TABLES AND OUTSIDE AREA TO THE WEDDING STATIONARY, TO MAKING THE BRIDESMAID DRESSES TO SUPPLYING OUR OWN WEDDING CARS. IF WE WERE UNABLE TO DO SOMETHING WE WOULD FIND A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER WHO COULD. DAVID’S MUM DID THE FLOWERS ARRANGEMENTS ON THE TABLES AND MADE THE FLOWER CROWNS, MY GRANDMA MADE OUR BEAUTIFUL WEDDING CAKE. MY MUM’S COUSIN AND HIS SON PLAYED GUITARS DURING OUR CEREMONY, OUR FRIEND PLAYED GUITAR AND SANG WHILST WE ALL HAD PIMM’S, DAVID’S DAD, BROTHER AND SISTER IN-LAW PLAYED IN ONE OF THE BANDS IN THE EVENING AFTER OUR FRIENDS PLAYED AND SANG OUR FIRST DANCE SONG, WE THEN DID OUR OWN PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY. OUR FRIENDS DROVE OUR WEDDING CARS, MY FRIEND MADE DAVID’S WEDDING RING, ONE OF MY BRIDESMAIDS DID MY HAIR AND ANOTHER FRIEND DID MY MAKE-UP. WE REALLY WANTED TO UTILIZE OUR FRIENDS AND THEIR TALENTS AND IT MADE IT MUCH CHEAPER WHICH WAS A DEFINITE BONUS.

X DRESS

AS A YOUNG GIRL I ALWAYS WANTED TO WEAR MY MUMS WEDDING DRESS BUT UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS NOT IN GOOD CONDITION AND HAD YELLOWED SLIGHTLY. SO I DECIDED TO HAVE MY OWN DRESS, AFTER TRYING ON A FEW DRESSES IN LONDON I DECIDED TO HAVE MY DRESS MADE BY DAUGHTERS OF SIMONE. THE DESIGN OF MY DRESS (TESSA) IS VERY SIMILAR TO MY MUMS, LACE WITH LONG SLEEVES, VERY SIMPLE WITH A FISHTAIL BOTTOM AND SMALL TRAIN. THE MAIN DIFFERENCE IS THE BACK, I REALLY WANTED A BACKLESS DRESS AND THAT IS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE DAUGHTER OF SIMONE DESIGN. I WAS VERY NERVOUS ABOUT DOS MAKING MY DRESS DUE TO THE FACT I SENT THEM MY MEASUREMENTS AND HAD NO CHANCE TO TRY IT ON AS A TRAIL RUN IN-BETWEEN. BUT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO NEED – IT WAS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. I HAD NO ALTERATIONS MADE AND COULDN’T HAVE BEEN HAPPIER WITH MY DRESS. I AM ALWAYS RECOMMENDING THEM TO FRIENDS WHO ARE GETTING MARRIED! TO COMPLIMENT THE DESIGN I HAD A JEWELER FRIEND DESIGN A BACK NECKLACE, SHE ALSO MADE DAVID’S WEDDING RING AND THE EARRINGS HE GOT ME AS MY WEDDING GIFT. ONE OF MY BRIDESMAID DID MY HAIR AND I WORE MY GRANDMA’S TIARA WHICH WAS WORN BY HER ON HER WEDDING DAY AS WELL AS MY MUM AND HER SISTERS. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED MY OVERALL LOOK – I HAVE NEVER FELT SO SPECIAL!

X MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS

GEMMA: FOR ME IN WAS WALKING DOWN THE AISLE, TRYING TO KEEP IT TOGETHER AND SEEING DAVID’S FACE AS I WAS APPROACHING HIM. TWO FAMILY MEMBERS WERE PLAYING “WHEREVER YOU WILL GO” BY THE CALLING ACOUSTICALLY WHICH MADE IT EXTRA SPECIAL.

DAVID: FOR ME IT WAS WHEN WE HAD COMPLETED THE CEREMONY AND WERE WALKING BACK UP THE AISLE AS HUSBAND AND WIFE ALONG TO THE BEACH BOYS’ “WOULDN’T IT BE NICE” WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS CHEERING FOR US.

X ADVICE

WE DID A LOT OF THE CREATIVE ASPECTS AND PLANNING FOR THE WEDDING OURSELVES, WHEN YOUR SO INVOLVED IN THE FINAL OUTCOME OF THE DAY IT’S HARD NOT TO GET TO IMMERSED IN THE FINAL DETAILS SO THAT YOU BECOME SLIGHTLY OBSESSED WITH EVERYTHING NEEDING TO BE PERFECT. TRY TO REMEMBER THE REAL REASON WHY YOU ARE GETTING MARRIED, THE LITTLE DETAILS ON THE DAY WILL NOT MATTER TO YOU AS MUCH AS YOU THINK. AND TRY TO ENJOY THE WEEK LEADING UP TO YOUR WEDDING, TRY NOT TO GET TOO STRESSED OUT. WE HAD ALL OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY COME AND HELP US SET UP THE 2 DAYS BEFORE THE WEDDING WHICH HELPED US RELAX AND HAVE FUN.