Fay and Christopher first met at a mutual family friend’s birthday party. They wanted an informal and relaxing wedding and Ellingham Hall gave them the perfect venue for their wedding on September 22 that they had been dreaming of for years.

The wedding planning was filled with lots of personal touches. Fay said: “We enjoyed the planning and tried to do a lot of it ourselves to make it more personal to us.”

THE VENUE:

After attending a wedding fair at the Metro Radio Arena, they knew that Ellingham Hall was the right choice. Fay had previously worked there as a waitress when she was younger and always thought to herself how she would love to get married there one day.

She said: “We viewed 3 wedding venues but didn’t feel they came close to Ellingham. We loved having all of our family and friends staying there with us for the full weekend. We would definitely recommend it to other couples.”

THE OUTFITS:

Fay wore a Martina Liana dress from Mia Sposa. She said: “I was quite indecisive but I felt special each time I tried a dress on. The ladies at Mia Sposa were so helpful and patient with me.”

The blush pink Sorella Vita bridesmaid dresses complemented the summer theme and flower bouquets.

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Sean Elliott was the couple’s photographer. They chose him after seeing his work at another friend’s wedding and noticing how good he was.

Fay said: “We are both quite shy and didn’t want any posed shots, we didn’t even notice he was there half the time.

Whilst getting our photos taken, our very committed photographer actually fell into the little river as he was trying to get the perfect shot for us. He then had to walk round the rest of the day with a squelchy shoe.”

THE EXTRAS:

Fay had kept the secret from her guests that she was pregnant at the time of the wedding. She said: “When it was over a few of the guests stayed up for a few more drinks. Little did they know they were drinking non-alcoholic prosecco thinking they were getting drunk”.

The couple had an amazing day. Fay said her highlight was “seeing it all come together after months of planning, and seeing our friends and family enjoying the day. We were lucky that everything went so smoothly from start to finish.”

THE BRIDE'S ADVICE:

“Don’t leave things to the last minute and be as organised as you can. Also, take some time during the day to reflect as a couple.”

For more inspiration take a look at our dedicated real weddings section, or take a look at the glossy pages of our regional magazine.