There are times that the wedding that comes across your desk just makes you stop and take some time to enjoy the submission. Before you know it a hald hour has gone past. You can just feel the love between Rhian and Lloyd’s at this stunning and quirky 1920’s wedding. The thing that I found adorable is the the fun and excitement that you can see in their faces. Thank you Enfys Photography for capturing all the little details of the day. 
How would you describe your wedding theme?
Inspired by the 1920’s and our own personal quirkiness, our colour scheme of rose gold, navy, pink and light blue personified The Great Gatsby and Boardwalk Empire with a modern twist. We wanted to achieve a luxurious yet laid back feel and using mixture of glitzy table cloths with gorgeous candelabra centerpieces and rose gold record chargers and hurricane vases with flowers (Supplied by Sparkle and Bows) which reflected the domed ceiling lights, really gave it the feel of a prohibition era speakeasy in the Great Age.
Accompanying the many art deco patterned tea lights throughout the venue, the stage provided the centerpiece of the room; Mr & Mrs Waygood in lights. It was great to dance the night away with the band in front of our name. I can’t think of any better way of seeing my new name for the first time (Supplied by Light Up Letters Wales).
The day began at St Teilo’s Church in Methyr Mawr, chosen for the beautiful chocolate box houses, castle backdrop, stunning Church and family history. The service was conducted by Reverend Mike Evans who is the Vicar at St Teilo’s and Pastor Mark Thomas who Lloyd knew personally to officiate the ceremony. Giving out bells to the congregation, we wanted to get the noise and party atmosphere started early and with a capacity crowd we surely raised the roof on the 160 year old church. The hymns we chose were Lord of the Dance and Calon Lan, which we had to spell phonetically in our orders of service for our English guests.
After the service our groomsmen provided guests with CD’s of our favourite music to continue the party on their journey to the reception.
At The Stage Door of the Grand Pavilion in Porthcawl, guests were greeted and roused by the Porthcawl Ukulele Band who really got the party started. We decorated the room to give it a speakeasy feel, like a hidden prohibition era bar. We even considered using a password in case of any raids but we decided the more the merrier and forwent the formality. With heart shaped Welsh cakes on arrival, we introduced our friends and family from further afield to the local delicacy. Needless to say many appetites were spoilt thanks to Bakestone’s in Bridgend.
Guests then proceeded to the main hall of the Pavilion where our table plan was placed on demi john’s to continue the prohibition theme. With table names inspired by the era like The Cat’s Pyjama’s, Tommy Guns and Art Deco, we aimed to continue the theme from the drinks reception into the main room.
We decided to go against the traditional top table and sat with the bridesmaids, groomsmen and their partners on a round table nearest our name in lights. We did this to ensure our parents could mingle with family and friends and so that we could get the party started early. This worked really well as we felt included in the day rather than on the sidelines watching the guests.
Our table was under the centre of the lit domed ceiling which allowed plenty of room for the dancefloor and ample room for the 120 guests. The meal choice was Lamb or Beef and was inspired by Jamie Oliver’s Italian Restaurant provided by Just Perfect Catering.
After the speeches we cut our art deco, four tiered cake made by, Magical Wedding Cakes, with ivory, dusky pink and gold leaf layers with jewel accents and gold fans. We chose to have a different flavour for each layer; Chocolate Marble, Victoria Sponge, Walnut and Cherry. The cake was real eye turner and we decorated the table with peacock feathers to exemplify the fashion of the early 20th century.
After the speeches, guests moved to the seafront bar with stunning sunset views of the Bristol Channel. Whilst the guests were enjoying the panoramic promenade, the band, The Big Easy, sound checked, the Jagerbomb fountain and Magic Mirror set up for the evening and more tables were added for the additional evening guests.
What was your favourite part of your wedding?
There were so many parts of the wedding that were so perfect it is hard to choose a favourite. I really enjoyed the speeches, they were so personal and meaningful to us both with some killer jokes and many a tear shed by myself and the guests.
A resounding favourite of our guests however, was the jagerbomb fountain (one of our best ideas ever!). Between that, the magic mirror and the dancefloor there was hardly anyone sat down through the entire evening.
Tell us about your Wedding Dress
My wedding dress story was a sad tale with a happy ending. Picking my perfect dress, I put a deposit down the summer before the wedding and arranged my first fitting for December later that year. I was extremely happy with my dress and ticked it off my to-do list. However, a chance drive by visit through Porthcawl in early winter put my heart into overdrive. The shop was gone! I knew that the business had changed location previously and clutching at that thought we phoned everyone we could find with any information. After several frantic conversations, text messages and emails, my worst fears were made a reality. The shop had gone bankrupt and worst of all they didn’t tell us! With only 5 months to go I had to find another dream dress. Drowning my sorrows, mascara tears running down my face, Lloyd and his sister rang every wedding shop in the area. As we live away for work we had limited time in Bridgend to dress shop and realistically I needed to find a dress on our week back home. After arranging several frantic appointments in local bridal boutiques, being told that 5 months was too short notice to get the dress of my dreams, fate intervened and a chance appointment at Pink Butterfly Brides became available.
The previous sobbing at the reality of the situation became a distant memory as in here nothing was an issue. I was told that we still had time to order a dress and it was made to measure. They gave me a heavenly, straight forward experience and left me feeling like a princess again. I found the most gorgeous satin gown; plain and elegant with a neat little bow and paired it with a lace jacket that gave it a traditional feel for the day. For the night I paired the dress with a cream bolero which had ‘Mrs Waygood’ embroidered into the back. I loved it and the memory of the first experience faded. Choosing my beautiful hairpiece with them as well gave the dress more of a 1920’s feel to complement the theme. I cannot thank Holly and Sam enough for their saving of my day!
Who did you pick as your bridesmaids &/or best man and why?
For my ladies it had to be my sister, Beth as Maid of Honor and my best friend Kathryn as my bridesmaid. We are the best of friends and have had many happy times together and I couldn’t think of anyone else I would have by my side during this whole experience. We also had Lloyd’s 2 year old niece as a flower girl with a bouquet of flowers with intertwined LEDs.
Lloyd had two best men. He chose his brother Matthew and best friend Rob to do the honours. We also had two groomsmen; Craig a childhood friend of Rhian’s and Aled who is a fantastic friend and Lloyd’s ultimate rum drinking, Mexican food eating buddy.
We surrounded ourselves with the people we loved and who would support us in the run up to the wedding and will continue to long into the future.
Why did you choose your venue?
St Teilo’s Church was Rhian’s Grampa’s Church and the location is always somewhere we loved going when we first started dating. Its picturesque location with the nearby river, castle and sand dunes also made for a beautiful location to start our special day.
The Grand Pavilion fitted in perfectly with our theme with its art deco architecture and sea front location it was perfect. We had the use of the whole building and this allowed us to really put a stamp of our individuality into the wedding.
Tell us about your photographer
Our photographer Mel from Enfys Photography did an amazing job of capturing our special day. I found her by chance on Facebook on the way home from the national wedding fayre in Manchester. After a weekend of ruling out what I didn’t want I saw her work and I knew straight away that I had found something I did want! I have never been that comfortable having my photo taken but her and the second photographer Will made us both feel really comfortable capturing moments between me and Lloyd where we were just messing about and having a giggle. These are the moments we remember of our wedding day; not a straight face in sight just smiles all the way captured perfectly.
How did the proposal happen?
Lloyd’s proposal was romantic and comical! We got engaged in June whilst staying in Orlando, Florida. We had gone to the Magic Kingdom for the day at Disney World which is my guiltiest of pleasures. After spending some time together in ‘the happiest place on Earth,’ Lloyd took me to Cinderella’s wishing well. I was told to close my eyes to pose for a picture whilst dropping a penny in the well. Lloyd’s plan was for me to open my eyes to him being on one knee. Waiting and waiting for what seemed like an eternity I was eventually told to open my eyes. When I did, nothing… Lloyd looked very frustrated and embarrassed, I asked what was wrong and he told me that he needed to take the photo again. Once again I closed my eyes but I could hear the ruffling of his bag in front of me. After a few minutes I was told to open my eyes again. There was Lloyd standing in front of me, bewildered and confused. In a frenzy he told me his plan, he was going to propose to me! The ring (well thankfully the stand in, in case this very situation happened) had been stolen. He had the ring box but no ring! With that he fell to one knee and asked me to marry him, it didn’t matter about the ring; it was perfect! Everyone cheered from the nearby bridge and I was trembling with tears in shock, we kissed and the cheers and whistles got louder! It turns out that he had been planning the whole day step by step for months and there was a timed schedule for everything with the entire day planned out, so it had to be on that day and there was no chance to quickly source another ring. Immediately after the proposal, Lloyd again surprised me by taking me to the Crystal Palace Restaurant which was extra special with a congratulatory visit from Winnie the Pooh and the gang. After the meal we went to various locations around the park and at the end of the day it was time to go back to our hotel, or so I thought. Ever since I was little, seeing the adverts on TV, I’d always dreamed of staying in one particular hotel. Topping the day off, Lloyd had booked it for me. Disney’s Contemporary Resort with a room overlooking the castle. We sipped champagne on the balcony and told our family and friends back home the news. I thought that the day couldn’t get any more special but he’d arranged one more surprise for me. Dinner in the California Grill on top of the hotel during the fireworks display! This was just incredible, the food was to die for, the service was impeccable and the unobstructed view of the fireworks whilst we ate was one of the most fairytale moments of my life. I couldn’t have topped it if I’d arranged it myself, what a day. To top the story off though, on our return home it transpired that the ring had be left in the UK all along! I love our story! Lloyd even included this story in his wedding speech, telling people how much he needed me in his life. At least we can both look back at our memorable day with a smile and a giggle.
Any DIY stories/tutorials you’d like to share?
It was quite difficult finding rose gold accent pieces for our tables so we came up with the crazy idea of using old vinyl records as charger plates which we spray painted rose gold. These looked fantastic but took a lot of work to make sure they dried evenly. We loved them so much we also sprayed the frames which contained our table names; the rose gold really made the names ‘Zozzled’ and ‘The Cat’s Pyjamas’ pop.
In the 1920’s it was all the rage to have your photograph taken on a moon against a black back drop to give the illusion you were sitting in space together. Once I found this out, I wanted one! My dad is a very talented man and was able to make one for us. He made a large black wooden platform, big enough for several people to sit on and slotted in a large ivory moon. It looked so fabulous and allowed our guest to take ‘out of this world’ pictures.
We created mini vinyl record CDs of our favourite music and our groomsmen handed them out as people left the Church. We wanted people to play them in their cars on the way to the reception venue. This was to get the party started and offer an insight into the cheesy songs that we love as a couple such as ‘Waking up in Vegas’ by Katy Perry and ‘When You’re Gone’ by Bryan Adams and Mel C.
When we got to the venue we played music by Postmodern Jukebox throughout the meal (these guys are fantastic, check them out on YouTube!); they taken modern songs and make them sound vintage. This helped create that 1920s atmosphere with a modern twist which was exactly what we were after.
In the evening we had songs playing that we requested that were not traditional for a wedding party such as Switch by Will Smith, What’s my age again by Blink 182 and the Bear Necessities from the Jungle Book. This made for one awesome dancefloor that was never empty and even included some stage diving and crowdsurfing!
What was your first dance & why?
Our first dance was ‘Earth Angel’ by Marvin Berry & the Starlighters; slow and romantic. This song holds a special place in our hearts and was the first thing we planned for our wedding. We had a second dance which was fun and energetic, full of life and not too serious (a bit like us!). This was ‘Danger! High Voltage’ by Electric Six. We had so much fun calling everyone up to the dance floor for this song and Lloyd’s gold led flashing shoes stole the show; the pictures speak for themselves. The songs were both performed by ‘The Big Easy’ who are a fantastic funk and soul band who kept everyone up on their feet on the dancefloor.
We also had a last dance of the evening which was the exit song of the Wishes fireworks from Disney World. Slow and meaningful it was a reminder of when we got engaged and all we had been through to plan our wedding. The night ended with everyone in a massive group hug to this song which was the perfect end to a perfect day.
In hindsight, was there anything you would have done differently?
On reflection we would have been tempted to take out insurance for our best man Rob! This guy knows how to party and the point where he stage dived into the crowd was fantastic and was one of our favourite memories of the day. The dance floor was so crazy in the end that one of Lloyd’s oldest friends broke a rib. I know that people say break a leg but that may have been taking it too far.
In all seriousness though I would have only changed the route that we took to the Church. I would have loved to have driven through my home village, passed the houses of the family that are no longer with us, remembering my long summers with friends and to leave my village once last time as Miss Jordan.
Do you have any advice for future couples?
Don’t let people put your ideas down; it is about what you both want and no one else’s opinion should matter. Stop listening to the you ‘should haves’ and listen to your own ‘we wants’. You only get to do it once, make it count! Your wedding is about you marrying the person you love in the way that you want and not anybody else’s.
Some of our ideas were not initially met with enthusiasm, but once people had seen what we had done, their opinions changed instantly as they understood why we did the things the way we did.
What’s the best piece of marriage advice you received?
Our best man Rob gave us these words from Bob Marley which we thought were beautiful:
“He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the most you can. He isn’t going to quote poetry, he’s not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break. Don’t hurt him, don’t change him, and don’t expect for more than he can give. Don’t analyse. Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he’s not there. Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don’t exist, but there’s always one guy that is perfect for you.”
What was your favourite thing about planning a wedding?
Our favourite thing about planning a wedding was being able to personify our craziness and put a very personal stamp on a wonderful tradition. We strengthened the foundation blocks of our relationship through the process and allowed our friends and family to learn more about us and become entwined in our mad little world. Lloyd always wanted a big wedding and myself, coming from a family of 8 was never as sure but by getting married your family immediately grows and I was so happy to share the day with such wonderful people who I am now privileged to call family as I am sure we will share many more happy occasions in the future.
The Suppliers
Photographer: Enfys Photography
Ceremony Venue: St Teilo’s, Merthyr Mawr
Reception Venue: Grand Pavilion
Bride’s Dress: Pink Butterfly Brides
Bride’s Shoes: Jenny Packham
Bride’s Headpiece: Pink Butterfly Brides
Groom’s Outfit: Crush Menswear
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Chi Chi Clothing
Cake: Magical Wedding Cakes
Flowers: Rozi’s Posies Wedding and Events Florist
Hair: Kate Petersen
Make Up: Kate Petersen
Band: The Big Easy
Caterers: Just Perfect Catering
Any Reception Decor/Props: Sparkle and Bows
Transport: Kennedy Classics
Other: Dazzle Events
Porthcawl Ukulele Band
Wedding Events by Jan
The Wedding Album <a href="http://cwtchthebride.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Cwatc