A Midsummer’s Night Dream

Emily and Joseph were married on 24th June 2017 (Midsummer’s Day) at Courteenhall Estate in Northamptonshire.

How did you meet?

We met at school when we joined the same sixth form in 2007. We were in the same friendship group and very close friends but we were both in relationships so there was no romantic link until we both returned from university single in 2012.

How did the proposal happen?

We had planned the holiday of lifetime for September 2015 to Las Vegas, Miami & The Bahamas and unbeknown to me, Joe had decided he was going to propose when we booked in the January.

We had a day trip planned to the Grand Canyon in a helicopter whilst we were in Vegas so Joe took the opportunity to propose whilst taking in the spectacular views on the skywalk. It was one of those standstill moments in life where it feels like it’s just the two of you and I just burst into tears!

Where did the wedding take place?

The Wedding took place in the grounds of Courteenhall Estate- we got married in the Church and then walked down to the house and marquee.

We had the most beautiful weather so could have all the sides of the marquee open and make the most of the longest day of the year.

What did the bride wear?

I wore a dress by Pronovias. I wanted a dress that had the wow factor without being over the top and I certainly found it. To hear your groom describe you as “the most beautiful he’s ever seen you” definitely reiterated that I’d picked the right dress!

What did the rest of the Bridal party wear?

The Groomsmen all wore three piece suits from Debenhams and my bridesmaid wore dresses I had made based on a design I found and fell in love with way in advance. It was important to me for my Bridemaids to feel as special and glamourous as I did.

What was your theme?

We didn’t have a specific theme- my favourite colour is Burnt Orange so I wanted to incorporate that colour in subtle ways and having a Summer wedding seemed perfect. We then found that Sage Green complimented Orange and wanted lots of White to balance those two colours out especially flower wise.

Our Reception theme was loosely based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream due to the day we chose to get married and we incorporated that into our table plan.

Describe your cake

My Mum made our cake and she did the most amazing job- we had three tiers- Fruit cake, Lemon cake and Madeira. We had a more detailed bottom tier and two smaller tiers with the top tier incorporating our hint of Orange. As my Mum and a couple of other family members are Gluten Intolerant, she made the cake Gluten Free so everyone could enjoy a piece and it didn’t hang around- I didn’t even get a piece of my own Wedding Cake!

Something Blue?

I chose both of our Brother’s Girlfriends to represent my Something Blue as I wanted to incorporate them into our day but didn’t want loads of Bridesmaids. They both wore beautiful blue dresses and I bought them each a corsage and they read out a poem in Church.

What were the highlights?

The whole day was made up of lots of different highlights but getting to marry my best friend was the best highlight for me. The bubble you’re in on your wedding day makes you giddy and it’ssuch a special feeling.Myself and Joe just wanted to have fun and for all of our guests to relax and enjoy the day.

Your best buy?

Flip flops! There’s nothing worse than tired aching feet so providing flip flops for myself and all of our female guests meant everyone could dance all night long- even the Groom rocked a pair!!

How did it end?

The day ended far too quickly! As the last song played, the majority of our guests were singing and dancing on the dancefloor before merrily filtering out to the Vintage Red London Buses we had hired to take them back to Milton Keynes.

Myself and Joe had a complimentary room provided by the Venue so we headed back there very drunk in love before enjoying a beautiful breakfast the next morning.

Is there anything you wish you’d done differently?

It sounds cheesy but not a thing! I really enjoyed planning my wedding and was determined not to be a Bridezilla or stress on the day and I really think that worked in our favour. Once the day comes, there’s nothing more to do than enjoy it.

Having all the people you love in one place is an amazing feeling and I wanted to make sure I made the most of every single moment.

My only regret is that we can’t do it all over again!

Where did you go on honeymoon?

We jetted off to Sri Lanka for 8 nights and then The Maldives for 7 nights. We wanted a combination of activity and relaxation so picked the perfect locations.