This love story is a true romance! It was an absolute delight to assist this gorgeous couple with their wedding flowers. Their account of their wedding day is just so beautiful to read, and I hope you’ll enjoy reminiscing with them. They both answered the questions and so it is my pleasure to hand over to Jessica and Tommy, to share their perfect day with you…
How long have you been together?
We had been together exactly 11 months to the day when we got married on the 14th September 2019.
How did you meet?
We met at Fourth and Fifth coffee shop in Milton Keynes. Our initial plan was just to go for a coffee, but ended sitting for hours before going for dinner.
When & how did you get engaged?
We went to choose a ring together on the 2nd March 19, it was then ready on the 5th April and Tommy proposed in our house on the Friday evening on the sofa.
Which date did you chose for your wedding day?
We chose the 14th as that was the day we met 11 months earlier.
Where did you hold your ceremony & reception?
We got married at the Dairy at Waddesdon. We looked around two locations and we both knew as soon as we arrived at the Dairy that this was the perfect location. We loved the setting and the fact that the whole venue was exclusive use on the day.
Who was involved in planning your wedding?
Tommy and I planned the wedding with the help of my parents. My mum was a great help in arranging various appointments and baking the wedding cake.
Did you both have Hen/Stag Do’s?
I had a hen do, my sister and bridesmaids arranged the day, we went to the Wolverhampton horse racing and Jess Glynne performed in the evening.
Tommy went to London and did a two day sight-seeing tour. His best man had never been to the UK before as he hails from Lebanon. So they did all the tourist locations, followed by drinks and dinner in the evening.
How many people did you invite to share your special day?
We had approximately 86 guests. Guests flew in from Germany, Northern Ireland and Canada.
Who were your Bridesmaids?
I had 6 bridesmaids and a flower girl. My chief bridesmaid was my older sister Hannah, then 3 friends who I have known from school, Harri, Haz and Ellen. Becki was another who I went to University with, and then finally Alex who I house shared with when living in London. The flower girl was Daisy, who is 4 and Tommy’s niece.
Who were your Best Man & Ushers?
My Best Man was Rabah, he is Lebanese but lives in Canada, so travelled all the way here. I spent 8 years out in the Middle East, Rabah and I started on the same day in a new company in Qatar.
Ushers were, James (Sister’s husband), Henry (James’s son), Charles (Jessica’s brother)
Jessica – Tell us about your beautiful dress!
I wore a dress from Fairytale Weddings in Towcester, it was from the Ellis Bridals range. The back of the dress had lots of lace detail. I tried on so many different styles, but knew as soon as I tried this one on that it was perfect.
The runner up was an Ian Stewart dress that was a grey colour, it was very different from the dress I chose.
And Tommy’s – what about your designer suit?
I bought a navy Hugo Boss suit, I tried on a couple of suits but went back to the first one I tried on. I didn’t want to go for a morning suit, as this didn’t fit in with our wedding style.
What did your Mum wear?
Navy and white polka dot sleeveless a-line dress with navy super wide disc hat with ostrich quill and suede navy court shoes and clutch bag .
What theme/colour scheme did you chose?
The Dairy has lots of greenery, especially looking over the lake, so we wanted a colour theme that complimented the scenery. We chose a waterlily green for the bridesmaids dresses then, autumnal colours for the flowers. These were made up of lots of green foliage, corals and peaches.
How did you feel on the morning of your wedding?
Jessica – I was mostly nervous about walking down the aisle and not falling over, but also quite excited about the day ahead.
Tommy – I felt calm and relaxed. It all went so fast, although I did get a little nervous as I heard the Aisle music start.
What did you choose to eat?
Starter: Pan fried salmon fillet, chorizo and butter bean casserole, red pepper and pea shoots Or Tomato salad, burrata and avocado mousse, puffed wild rice and basil pesto
Main: Roasted Rack of Lamb, herb crust, pancetta, potato terrine, chargrilled courgettes Or Pea and mint agnolotti ravioli sautéed asparagus, pumpkin seeds
Dessert: Vanilla Panna Cotta, poached champagne rhubarb, raspberry purée and gingerbread crumbs.
Who made speeches?
We went for traditional speeches, My dad, who had a grand introduction from our Master of Ceremony as the Bradley Cooper of Buckinghamshire, which is a bit of a family joke. Tommy’s speech was great and made some great jokes about the family. The best mans speech was excellent, especially considering it was his first western wedding and in his second language.
Which song did you choose for your ‘First Dance’?
We chose ‘Me and You’ by Kenny Chensey. This is a personal favourite of Tommy’s. Tommy grew up in New Mexico for a while as a child and got really into country music. He said when he heard that song at the age of 13 he wanted to have it as his first dance if he ever got married.
What was your favourite part of the day?
Favourite part of the day (apart from the getting married bit), was having everyone together and dancing in the evening.
What was your one Wedding Day ‘Must Have’?
I think having a photographer was a must have, it meant that we could relax and enjoy the day knowing that someone would capture it. We have looked through our photos so many times since the wedding, as it’s great to see that she captured people enjoying day that we wouldn’t have seen if there weren’t photos.
The whole wedding process was quite relaxed and that’s down to having excellent suppliers and wedding coordinator at the venue. I didn’t ever feel stressed or rushed about the day like you always hear.
Would you change anything or do you have any advice for currently engaged couples?
Don’t stress and do things in plenty of time. We had 6 months to plan our wedding and that was ample time. I think because the venue sorted out the food and supplied the drink it made it a lot easier.
Would you like to mention any particular wedding suppliers who assisted with your day?
Signature Flowers (obviously) were really great. Emma listened to exactly what we wanted and spent time going through and sending us what she had prepared.
We could not fault the venue, the day ran so smoothly with thanks to Georgia and the Waddesdon wedding team. We also had lots of compliments about how lovely the food was.
Where are you going on your honeymoon?
We went to Lake Garda for our mini moon for a week straight after the wedding and our main honeymoon is to Mexico in January.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this week’s blog as much as I did!
Have a great week!
Emma x
