The proposal
“We’d planned a trip to Venice in spring 2011 to celebrate the anniversary of the date we first met,” explains Sarah. “Little did I know that prior to the trip, Ade had taken my Dad out for a drink, asked for my hand in marriage, bought the ring and had everything planned to pop the question on our anniversary. So we took a gondola ride in the morning then went over to Rialto Bridge, Venice’s largest and most beautiful bridge. We sat at the bottom of the bridge close to the Grande Canal and Ade pulled out, and delivered, a beautiful speech he had written asking me to be his wife – then he pulled out the Rock! He had hidden the ring in a large box which also contained a bottle of Moet, 2 flutes and a bunch of leaves that he had picked from a bush close to where we had our first kiss – how sweet!”
The bride’s outfit
Sarah looked like a true modern-day princess in her customised Ronald Joyce bridal gown. “I knew I wanted big and dramatic. I love crystals and anything that sparkles so the more sparkly the better,” remembers Sarah. “Initially the dress was quite plain by my standards so the girls in the Bridal Couture Italia worked with me to create my dream gown. They added extra crystals to the bodice and skirt, an 8 foot train with more crystals (over 3000!), diamante straps and a crystal-encrusted shrug. I also had a layer of pink tulle added underneath the skirt, which was very subtle.”
The groom’s outfit
Sarah’s groom Ade found his perfect suit in Next and matched it with a pair of Kurt Geiger shoes.
The bridesmaids
Sarah had her two stepsisters and her two best friends as her bridesmaids. “The dresses we chose were also from Bridal Couture Italia and were full length, white and strapless with a crystal encrusted bodice. They looked like an understated wedding dress!” remembers Sarah.
The ceremony
Sarah walked down the aisle to the traditional Bridal Chorus, while her maids began proceedings by walking down to Pachelbel Canon in D.
The reception
The reception took place in Matlock Court and their theme was all about sparkly Swarovski Crystals. “We decided very early on to go with a crystal-themed wedding and kept the colour scheme to white and silver, with no bold colours,” remembers Sarah. “We let the crystals do the talking.” Sarah and Ade’s first dance was to Aerosmith’s Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing, “Ade used to text me the lyrics when we were dating and it is also the soundtrack to one of our favourite films,” says Sarah. “We also had this song played by the string quartet during the register signing.”
The honeymoon
Sarah and Ade had a minimoon straight after their wedding in Jersey. Their main getaway was five weeks later in Cuba.
Sarah and Ade’s real wedding gallery
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