Don’t you just love a relaxed and simplistic wedding? That’s exactly what Casey & Aled planned for their June wedding at the Corran Resort, Carmarthenshire.
I’m so pleased to share this beautiful wedding with you all today. If you are in the midst of planning and finding it all very stressful. Please take 5, enjoy these lush images by the lovely Sandra Ace and think… its all going to be fine, I’m going to have a flipping awesome wedding day!
Lets hand you over to Bride Casey as she shares all the details of her big day.
Enjoy,
Maria x
What was your budget?
We never really got round to setting a budget. We probably spent more than we wanted to, but we had the best day ever, so we didn’t mind!
How would you describe your wedding theme?
We can’t say that we had a particular theme from the beginning, we just went for things that we liked. We definitely didn’t stress about a theme as we knew it would all come together on the day. If we were to sum up the theme in three words, it would probably be Simple, Rustic and Relaxed.
What was your favourite part of your wedding?
We can honestly say we loved everything about the day, there’s too many brilliant moments to choose from, it was perfect! We wouldn’t have changed anything about it. It was overwhelming the fact that all of our favourite people, each and everyone who had played a part in our lives came together under the same roof for us. 
Tell us about your Wedding Dress
I never really knew what I wanted, so to be honest I was very open when it came to looking and trying on wedding dresses. I was very excited though. I headed to Emma Philips Bridal Studio, where I picked up a lot of different dresses and tried them on (it was very overwhelming, and I made my mother, and mother in law cry!). There was one dress that stood out for me, which weirdly enough was the first dress I actually picked out from Emma’s collection and that was it! It was absolutely gorgeous, I was in love with it and every dress I tried on after that didn’t compare. Emma was awesome, she made the experience very easy and enjoyable for me!Who did you pick as your bridesmaids &/or best man and why?
Best Man – Jason Harries. Al & Jase have been friends since school and went to University together. He did a great job with the speech and had the room in fits of laughter. Along with the Ushers they did a fantastic job – even went to the church the night before to cut the grass!
Choosing my bridesmaids was easy, there was no question who they were going to be. I chose five of my best friends from school and my gorgeous niece. We had so much fun in the weeks leading up to the wedding (hen parties of course haha), during the morning and throughout the day, they really made it special for me!
Why did you choose your venue?
We visited various venues in the Carmarthen area, but we both set our hearts on The Corran as soon as we walked in. They showed us around the property and we fell in love with the grounds, the rooms and most importantly the wedding reception and outdoor patio area. From the very first meeting we had they were incredibly accommodating and helpful which kept me pretty much stress free throughout!
Tell us about your photographer
Sandra Ace, she is awesome! We wanted a relaxed and a natural feel to our wedding photos, as soon as we looked through her website and we knew immediately that she was the photographer for us. At our engagement shoot, she made us feel relaxed and I think Al enjoyed it a little bit too much! On the day she just blended in and we honestly didn’t even realise she was there, but at the same time she captured the day magnificently – just as we imagined! We both knew the day would go so quick, and it was more important to us that we spent time with our family and friends so we gave Sandra a limited number of formal (but important) moments to capture. The only real part of the day that me and Al got to spend together was the time we had at Laugharne Castle taking photos with the Castle and the Estuary as a backdrop. We both love the work she’s done and we constantly re-live the day by going through the photos.How did the proposal happen?
Writing this story still gives me the biggest smile!
It was May 2014, after a long rugby season we decided to have an extra special holiday and travel Thailand for a month.
The very first island we went to was Koh Tao, a beautiful small island where he had booked an amazing hotel with an infinity pool overhanging cliffs with the backdrop of the most beautiful sunset (little did i know, that this would be the place that would make me the happiest girl on earth). It was late afternoon, just before sunset and we immediately headed to the pool which we almost had to ourselves. We were just relaxing on the sun loungers minding our own business, reading our books, chatting away reminiscing and realising how lucky we were to be there – loving life. Al seized the moment, he went back to the room (to my knowledge it was to get the camera). I had no idea that he had been working for a couple months previously with a Jewellers custom building a ring for this very moment. As the sun was setting in the distance, Al asked me to stand so we could admire the spectacular views and sunset together. It was perfect. He turned and said to me “you know i always tell you that you’re the one? Well you are” and went down on one knee, I was in total shock, and asked him if he was serious. I couldn’t stop smiling! I was on cloud nine. The champagne was on order and we celebrated through the night!Any DIY stories/tutorials you’d like to share?
I had most of my ideas from websites like Pinterest, but i couldn’t put them all into action on my own, so with a little help from my mum & bridesmaids we got everything that I wanted done, and I was very happy with it all on the day. Our table numbers and name places were handmade and our table plan was handwritten by my mum on a mirror, it looked amazing!
It was all quiet hard but enjoyable and all the hard work paid off because on the day it all looked amazing if I do say so myself.
What was your first dance & why?
Ho Hey by the Lummineers. There was no question about this one, it was only going to be the song that we would have. It’s completely ‘us’ and reflects our personalities and our relationship.In hindsight, was there anything you would have done differently?
I can honestly say I wouldn’t change anything about the day. It was perfect for us. It was the best feeling marrying my best friend and seeing all of our closest family and friends having the best time and enjoying themselves! We want to do it all over again, we had massive post-wedding blues!
Do you have any advice for future couples?
With regards to the day itself the only advice we would give is that the day flies by, so enjoy every second and try to absorb it all together at some point if you manage to get a second to yourself.
We got married as early as we could (11am) just to be able to have the majority of the day to celebrate with friends and family and it was perfect. It didn’t feel rushed or pressurised at any point during the day which was exactly what we didn’t want.What’s the best piece of marriage advice you received?
The best piece of advice that we received was that you must always love each other. There will be tough times but if you stay strong and love each other – the storm won’t last forever. Also, never go to sleep on an argument.What was your favourite thing about planning a wedding?
I did enjoy planning the whole wedding because I am Miss Organised but buying my dress, inviting everyone to our special day and the food tasting was fab, but overall seeing all the hard work come together was brilliant because at the beginning it feels like it never will as there is so much to think about and do.
The Suppliers
Photographer: Sandra Ace
Videographer: Nathan Ifans
Ceremony Venue: Christ Church, Carmarthen
Reception Venue: The Corran Resort & Spa, Laugharne
Bride’s Dress: Maggie Soterro from Emma Phillips
Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Bride’s Jewellery: Links of London, Swarovski
Groom’s Outfit: Dyfed Menswear & Herring Shoes
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Anya by Ebony Rose from Emma Phillips
Cake: Julie Olausen (Family Friend)
Flowers: Julie Bates
Hair: Lauren Brinson
Make Up: Jodie Amner
Band: Noughts & Crosses
Stationery: PDA Card & Craft & Handmade
Any Reception Decor/Props: Pom Pom Studios, Light Up Letters
The Wedding Album
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