Natalie and Simon – Ellenborough Park wedding
Frothy pink peonies was where it all began.....
Natalie’s love of these beautiful blooms was the key to dictating the time of year for Natalie and Simon’s incredible day in May at Ellenborough Park. Sparkle from Jimmy Choos, an exquisite Suzanne Neville couture dress and oodles of unadulterated romance then followed and, my goodness, were we in for a treat.
We first met Natalie at her sister’s friend’s wedding, at the beautiful Stapleford Park (See more of Natalie and Oli’s stunning day here). It’s always lovely when our brides and grooms meet us through a friend or family’s wedding - not only does it mean that they’ve already seen us in action, but I already feel a special connection with them. And so when Natalie and Simon came to see us to chat about their exciting plans, it was just like meeting old friends again.
I felt the same when I was chatting to Natalie over the phone just a few weeks before the wedding and one thing that will stick in my mind always was how she described meeting her Suzanne Neville dress as like ‘meeting a friend for the first time’, which I just loved! Her trips to the Knightsbridge boutique for fittings were made so special by her family and bridesmaids that she really felt an extra special personal connection with this dress. From that moment on, I was literally counting down the days!
One thing that struck me was how they’d cleverly weaved subtle themes through the planning. As we arrived at Ellenborough, we were greeted by the stunning wire horse sculpture in the grounds – so perfect for these lovely pair, as Natalie had ridden a chocolate brown horse through Windsor Great Park to the spot Simon had romantically proposed to her. The name of the horse ‘Troy’ then also featured on their table plan. There was a beautiful gold monogram which treaded through everything too – stationery, embroided dressing gowns, cake topper.
Natalie had also searched a long time for a way to dress the wall behind the top table. The solution? A flower wall lovingly made by Natalie and her Mum which featured peony-like flower heads – she’d described it to me over the phone and it most definitely didn’t disappoint!
The other theme for us was time – we seemed to lose track of it. Not in a disorganised, ‘lost control of planning’ type of way, but in a ‘we’re having such an incredible day’ way. The speeches were some of the longest we’ve covered (2 hours!) but they were so good that the time just flew. Before we knew it, we were standing at the side of the dance floor, moments before the first dance
As a Daddy’s girl and a lover of music, this moment completely melted my heart – Natalie’s Dad sang their first dance song. He’d sung with the band before and so, as soon as Simon popped the question, the band choice was a no-brainer (and definitely contributed to why we didn’t want to leave!). The dance floor was packed, the band were incredible (with Natalie’s Dad at the centre), but most importantly, in the middle of all their friends and family were one very happy (and super smiley!) bride and groom. The perfect end to an utterly perfect day.
