Real Wedding – Anna & George, Ipplepen, UK

We are taking you all the way to the UK for the simply stunning celebration of Anna and George.

As soon as Anna and George lay eyes on the The Lost Music Hall at Great Ambrook, they instantly fell in love and could see their vision of a sublime countryside affair coming to life. With only a few months to plan their day, they decided an intimate soirée with their nearest and dearest was the perfect way to keep things personal and relaxed.

A sprawling wedding party of their favourite people (nine bridesmaids, no less!), with glamorous, garden party vibes underpinning it all – you couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces and every element was selected with love, care, and an undoubtedly creative eye.

Anna stunned in her Chosen by Kyha gown – the dramatic tulle two-piece that allowed her to make a statement as she made her way down the aisle, before going on to pare back her look in a simple and gorgeous design she had made by some talented industry friends.

Spencer of Love of Mine Photography has documented a dream day, in a downright dreamy way and we can’t get enough.

The meeting.

George and I met at a BBQ in Bethnal Green, London in 2017. We instantly got along so well, so in early 2018 when we started dating it was very easy to quickly know that we were so happy and great together.

The ‘one’.

Very quickly ! I think we both knew, it just felt different and incredibly special.

The proposal.

We were on holiday in Milos, Greece when George got down on one knee and popped the question. It was full of joy and emotions, and we were both on cloud nine for the rest of the holiday

Planning process.

It was a lot of fun, and a lot of spreadsheets! We planned the whole thing ourselves, in a venue where we needed to plan and bring in everything. We had a budget in mind which we were mindful to stick to, so it was a lot of planning, negotiating quotes, and navigating availability as we planned the whole thing in just a few months.

Style inspiration.

We both knew that we wanted a wedding that felt like one big party, a splash of elegance and to be set somewhere magical in the English countryside. When we found The Lost Music Hall at Great Ambrook, we instantly knew this was the venue for us. It was the first and last venue we viewed! We stayed there for a week and had family and friends popping in and out all week which was so much fun.

We wanted a small intimate wedding, so 50 was the perfect number for us. It meant we were able to speak to everyone individually and it felt really personal.

The ceremony.

Our venue wasn’t legally licensed, so we were married at the Hackney Town hall in London a few weeks prior. This meant that we were able to choose George’s Aunty to marry us which was incredibly special and individual to us. Our friend Lachie read the most gorgeous poem during the ceremony also which is a great memory.

The outfit.

We got married really fast with only a few months to plan the wedding so finding dresses on such a short lead time was difficult. I ended up with two looks on the day which was great fun- the first was a dramatic stunning tulle two-piece set from Australian label KYHA, this definitely gave me that ‘’statement wedding look!’ The second was a dress that I made with some help from my very talented friends in the industry. It was really simple with a big puffy sleeve in a cut that is very typical of what I often wear. It actually had a big bow on the back and a couple of days before the wedding I decided to remove it which was a risky move but paid off! I styled it with a stunning Chanel hair scarf that was my ‘something borrowed’ from my Bridesmaid Zoe.

Favourite moment.

I have so many, but probably when our guests opened their letters we had individually written them. There were many tears, and it was very emotional. It was our way of expressing how much they each meant to us and how grateful we were to have them all there with us

Meaning of marriage.

Marriage for us is a way to affirm our love for each other and an on-going commitment.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Can’t help falling in love

First Dance: Are you ready for love

Funny stories (or near disasters).

A few, but the most stressful was navigating the weather which was incredibly indecisive! At the last minute the sun started shining, the rain cleared, and it only started again when we sat down for lunch. We were very lucky!

Planning surprises.

Just the sheer amount of organisation and planning! I have a new respect for wedding planners. We didn’t have a wedding planner as we managed most of it ourselves, which was great because it was all perfectly how we envisioned it, but on the day, we really thought having someone there to coordinate it would have been very useful.

Words of wisdom.

Just have fun with it! A wedding is one of the most joyous days of your lives so enjoy it and enjoy the process leading up to it. You’ll wish you can do it all over again once it’s happened

Final words.

I had nine bridesmaids, and it was the best decision, we all got along so well and had so much fun. They were all so easy-going and, on the day, they were total superstars making sure everything ran to plan.

Anna and George highly recommend using a wedding planner or an on-the day co-ordinator to ensure a stress free wedding experience. Get to know some of our favourites here. 

ANNA AND GEORGE’S SUPPLIERS

Ceremony and reception venue: The Lost Music Hall– We found this venue via UniqueHomestays.com

Celebrant/Officiant: George’s Aunty Ann.

Photography: Love of Mine. Spencer has been based in the UK but is relocating to Aus this year and I am sure he will book up fast! He was a total superstar to work with, and captured the day so perfectly.

Florist: Lexy of Bella Cosmos. I knew I wanted a local florist who had a focus on local produce and sustainability.Lexy was  incredible and was so helpful in the lead up. We used minimal flowers to avoid waste, we did clever things like use the (9!) bridesmaids bouquets as the table flowers when we all sat down for lunch which saved us a lot of money.

Hair and makeup: My 9 bridesmaids !

The Dress(es): Dress 1: Chosen by KYHA, Dress 2: Made by friends.

Veil: Chosen by KYHA

Catering: Sima and her team at The Kitchen Tabl – they were incredible and we had sooo many compliments about how delicious it was!

Bar: We did it ourselves, but we did generously have @AperolUK provide us with Aperol on the day for spritzers.

Favors: Handwritten letters to each guest.

Cake: We used cakes from Sponge UK, and just stacked them up and iced them ourselves. We decorated them with some flowers.

Stationer: Our very talented friend Andrew hand wrote our name places @andrewsketch

Entertainment: South West Ensemble String Quartet and Monique, acoustic guitarist both booked via Bands for Hire.

Hire: Tables, chairs, glassware and cutlery from Total Event Hire.