Romance at the Reef

Kelly and Oliver were married on 25^th January 2019 at Reef Villa and Spa, Sri Lanka.

How did you meet?

Our Bridesmaid Jess, is a mutual friend and she set us up on a rather awkward blind date just over 8 years ago. We think she is a very good match maker!

How did the proposal happen?

On a boat off the coast of Corfu in September 2016.

I was snorkelling around the boat and Oli was fishing. Oli kept casting his line out towards me saying ‘I have caught a fishy, look!’. After about the 5^th time of me telling him that he hadn’t caught a fish and to get that fish hook away from me, I got back on the boat in a huff. Once on the boat, Oli told me again that he had caught a fish and that I needed to reel the line in. It wasn’t until I dumped the hook on the boat deck, that I realised there was a diamond ring on the end of the fish line and he was trying to hook me! Very cheesy but also very original.

Where did the wedding take place?

It took place at Reef Villa and Spa, Sri Lanka. We decided to get married abroad as we didn’t want a traditional UK wedding. For us, we wanted the day to be about us getting married and committing ourselves to one another rather than worrying about what colour napkins and flowers we were going to have, or arranging table plans for the 100s. We wanted an intimate wedding abroad and we are very lucky to have such understanding, amazing friends and family. We were fortunate enough to have 20 friends and family agree to come all the way to Sri Lanka to celebrate our special day with us

What did the bride wear?

An Ivory, Stella York dress that had lace and crepe chiffon and clear beading. I had a fair few alternations to get it how I wanted. My veil was borrowed from my friend, Lara and my shoes were white wedges.

What did the rest of the Bridal party wear?

Groom, Father of the Bride and bride/groom brothers wore cargo shorts, a white shirt and boat shoes.The bridesmaids wore long blush, Bardot Lipsy dresses.Guests wore whatever they felt comfortable in.

What was your theme?

Our colour scheme was blush pink mainly due to the bridesmaids’ dresses being that colour. Our overall theme was for people to be comfortable, relaxed and have a great time, after all the had travelled over 5,500 miles to share our special day with us!

Describe your cake

On our wedding day we didn’t have a wedding cake as the Grooms mother wanted to make our cake. We had a UK party with all our friends and family where we had a 4-tier cake adorned with a garland of pink lillies(the cakes were almond raspberry sponge, Jamaican ginger cake and fruit cake). We also had our first dance at our UK party. It was a great excuse to wear the dress and celebrate all over again.

Something Blue?

Oli bought me a Sri Lankan Sapphire and diamond ring as a wedding gift, so I wore this as my something blue.

My something old was an antique platinum diamond ring which my mother gave me as a wedding gift. My something borrowed was my veil from my dear friend, Lara and of course I had a six pence in my shoe!

What were the highlights?

There were so many highlights!

For us it was the location, venue and the 5* service. Reef Villa and Spa is truly beautiful, and the pictures do not do itjustice. We were very lucky as there were no other guests staying in the hotel on our wedding day, so the venue was exclusive. It meant that we could have a truly intimate wedding without any strangers gawping at us exchange our vows or watching us eating our dinner. The general manager and the staff couldn’t do enough for us doing the finest job and made sure that we had the best day.

For our guests I think the highlight was the food, they all commented how fantastic it was.

Your best buy?

I’m not too sure about best buy but the best find was Reef Villa &Spa by far!

How did it end?

We wrapped up the wedding with a 3-course meal and plenty of champagne, wine and beer! We also had fireworks which we wouldrecommend, and we had a surprise visit from Fred and Wilma (gorgeous Labradors). They could only stay for one drink,but it was nice of them to pop in for one.

Is there anything you wish you’d done differently?