JOSEPH AND STEVE’S STYLISH DIY KENT WEDDING

These two handsome guys got married in Kent and had a great wedding planned and decorated with help of their friends. My favourite part is definitely the jukebox – what a fun idea for the party!

TELL US THE STORY OF HOW YOU MET

The first contact was made on a dating app, but very quickly we felt a connection and arranged a first date. The first date took place in the Sylvan Post, a pub in an old post office. We met in front of Forest Hill Station and instantly the sparks were flying. As it was the beginning of May the weather was warm and we sat under the big tree in front of the pub and talk the whole evening. When it got cold, we went inside and spent another couple of hours chatting the night away. The evening finished with our first kiss in one of the old post office vaults.

NOW ABOUT THE BIG DAY! WHAT WAS THE THEME AND INSPIRATION?

We always had our guests in mind when planning the wedding, the venue needed to be close to London, as Steven’s family came from Germany. We have done an extensive search and finally settled on a wedding in Kent. The Bull came up in one of our searches and also family recommended The Bull. We visited The Bull twice, before making the decision.  Our wedding coordinator, Leigh Anne was a great help right from the start.  We felt comfortable that she knew what was needed to make our wedding special.

Our wedding was always very close to our hearts, so we involved family and friends to make it ours.
Rose, Joe’s mum took care of the flowers and the cake, which were made by family friends and were fantastic.
The suits and accessories came from Moss Bros and Ted Bakers and were chose in countless trips to the shops to get it 100% right.
The Bull took care of food and beverage and of course the organisation of the day.
In regards to the topic music, this was a choice, which was close to Joe’s heart. He loved the Jukebox in his favourite pub and therefore we chose to hire one for our wedding, which turned out to be a grant success. Everyone was up and dancing right from the start.

TELL US ABOUT THE CEREMONY AND RECEPTION LOCATIONS. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE VENUE AND WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT IT?

We chose The Bull, because it is close to London’s main airports for our  German guests and the village of Wrotham isn’t far from Joe’s family.
The cosy atmosphere of The Bull and the traditional look of the village got us right from the start. The Buttery, where our celebrations took place looked wonderful.  We fell in love with the venue.

 YOUR OUTFITS

We chose our suits and accessories together. There were countless trips to Moss Bross, Ted Bakers and several other outfitters. 

FLOWERS, DECORATIONS, DID YOU DO ANY DIY? 

Flowers were a surprise from Joe’s mum, Rose.  She ordered the flowers from a family friend.

The table decorations were a DIY job.  We planned them together, Joe and his best man assembled everything the night before the wedding. 

The order of service was made by Joe and three of his friends the week before the wedding.  We had a production line going on!

Cake was also made by a friend!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER

We met Michelle at a wedding fair at The Bull and after she presented us with her works, we were sure that she was the right person for the job. Michelle has been a star from the beginning. She met with us prior to the wedding and suggested what pictures would be the best for us. Some we would never have thought of.  During the wedding, she just has been amazing. She was hardly noticeable and made the wedding pictures be like a little relaxed photoshoot. The pictures are more than we ever expected and when we saw them the first time, we both had tears of joy in our eyes, because they made us re-live every moment of our special day.

YOUR WEDDING PLANNER

Leigh Anne at the Bull Hotel.  She was amazing!

 BAND / DJ

Jukebox45s provided an amazing jukebox, so that guests could choose the songs that they wanted to hear – within reason!

WOULD YOU HAVE ANY PIECE OF ADVICE FOR COUPLES PLANNING THEIR WEDDING?

The most important part is not to take the planning too seriously – enjoy every moment!  There will be occasions, where family and friends will give their opinions on how things should be run and they are doing it in the best of intentions, but the decisions is yours. It’s your guest list, it’s your invitations and its your day, make it yours and you will be absolutely thrilled on the day. The most best bit was having all of our family and friends together celebrating with us.

Our wedding day has been perfect, everyone involved had been absolutely amazing and there was no point, where either Joe or myself needed to intervene. The team from The Bull have been so accommodating and perfectly organised. Michelle has been brilliant and it didn’t feel like there was a photographer, so all our guests acted naturally and the pictures show the atmosphere during the day. We are really grateful to everyone, who made our day perfect for us.

 

TEAM

Ceremony Venue: The Bull Hotel
Wedding Co-ordinator: Leigh Anne at The Bull Hotel
Celebrant: Kent County Council – Kentish Weddings
Photography: Michelle Cordner Photography
Suit 1:  Joe’s Suit – Ted Baker
Suit 2: Steven’s suit – Moss Bros
Shoes: Ted Baker  and Moss Bros
Hair:  Chaplin’s of London, Crofton Park
Flowers:  A family friend
Decorations: homemade
Stationery: homemade
Wedding website: Getting Married
Cake: family friend
Music: own choice via the Jukebox by Jukebox45s
Rings: Fraser Hart

 

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