Hello beautiful,
Welcome to our very first edition of our Real Wedding – Feature Bride blog of 2018! This month we have been invited to join Matthew and Rebecca Banks as they tell the story of their romance and subsequent wedding. Matthew and Rebecca were married at Bashall Barn on 2nd December 2017. Let's get stuck in shall we, and find out how it all went..
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How did you meet?
"We went to Air Training Cadets together and met there!"
How did he propose? Or did you take the plunge?
"He proposed on Christmas Eve at our first home together! He kept having to change his idea as I kept saying 'oh have you seen this proposal? It's so cute' and he didn't want me to think he hadn't put any thought into it and just used what I'd mentioned!!"
Tell us about planning your wedding…
"Stress central! We had two years to plan and it was just stressful the whole way through. I'd only been to one wedding as a kid, so I had no idea what you did, or didn't, need to do! It was worth it in the end though."
What were you most excited about?
"Seeing everything come together, and I was excited to see Matt's reaction when I walked down the aisle!"
Did you trust your other half with any of the planning?
"He just had to sort his groomsmen out, everything else was up to me. He contributed where he could but I usually shot him down – poor guy!"
What was your theme?
"Rustic and military. We didn't want to go over the top with decorations so we made 90% of them ourselves and lucked out with the decorations that Bashall provide, like the hessian bunting."
How did Zoe incorporate this theme in to your stationery?
"She put together navy and twine which sounds like an awful combination, but her design was so beautiful and in the end I changed my original idea of my stationery because I loved her idea so much."
What was your experience with Zoe like, as a designer?
"Zoe was amazing, she let me have an idea and if she had suggestions, she would give them in a way that didn't make me feel like my original idea was wrong. She built upon my vague ramblings and made these incredible pieces."
How did you feel when you saw the finished designs?
"I loved them, and I was so impressed that she managed to pull everything together, especially when I was throwing super last minute changes at her. She made everything we planned for come true and then added her own amazing talent to it. I got non stop compliments on all of my stationery."
How many bridesmaids and pageboys did you have?
"One page boy, which was my nephew, and four bridesmaids: my sister and three best friends!"
Tell us about the big day itself…
"It was quick but magical. I was surprised at how calm I was but after two years of stressing, it all came together wonderfully. Everyone seemed to have a good time and it felt so intimate having everyone we loved there with us."
What was the easiest thing about planning your wedding?
"Picking the dress!! I bought it after one hour in the first shop I went to!"
…and the hardest?
"Sorting out suits for the groomsmen that weren't in the military... but let's not go there!" (Eeek! - LMSB)
Did your guests like your stationery?
"They loved it, some have kept it stored away as they didn't want to get rid of it!"
Did you get any particularly positive feedback for your theme and design?
"Everyone loved the navy and the rustic theme together, it's not something we'd seen often and everyone complimented it, especially our invites and table plan!"
Where are you planning to go on your honeymoon?
"Las Vegas!"
Would you recommend LMSB to friends and family?
"Of course, Zoe was not only an amazing designer and hard worker, she answered all my dumb questions about how weddings worked and was always there for any last minute ideas I had."
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What an absolutely gorgeous wedding, and really incredible feedback for Zoe.
Rebecca is not the first bride to admit that planning a wedding is stressful. It is one of the top three most stressful things people go through in their lives! There is so much pressure to get everything perfect and many brides tell us that they are trying so hard to please all their family and guests, and the stress just mounts. We firmly believe that your wedding is about YOU and your partner. It's YOUR day. Whilst it is admirable to want to cater for everyone, and we know there are often certain people who will insist you do it their way, it is about YOU and what YOU want. Don't drive yourself mad trying to create the perfect day for someone else – you want to look back on your wedding and know that all the hard work paid off for YOU.
There is nothing we like less than hearing from brides that their days were hard, or not enjoyable, or “I wish I had done this differently” simply because they tried to please someone else above themselves. It is the one day in your life that it is perfectly acceptable to be selfish. You don't need to turn into Bridezilla to get what you want, just be firm and honest, and true to yourself. And if there are people involved in the day who are not pulling their weight where they have been asked to, it's OK to tell them to jog on, and have people in your wedding who will help you, and do their best to ease some of that stress for you. True friends will go out of their way to assist you, and put up with your (reasonable) demands without complaint because they know how important this day is to you.
Zoe is always happy to help where possible, not just with stationery and design work, but with ideas and useful contacts for other aspects of your wedding. Don't get stressed if the company you wanted are unavailable – ask us – we can help you find a suitable alternative.
We will have another Featured Bride blog for you in the not-so-distant future. We hope you enjoyed our first of 2018.
Much love,
Let's Make Something Beautiful
