Surprises, Sparkle & a Setlist to Remember

Q. Tell us a little bit about yourselves, where you’re from? How you met? When you got engaged?

Kim: I grew up in North Wales, and Jamie’s from Devon. We met in Liverpool - he’d just graduated, and I was back from my placement year. Most of my friends had moved on, so I ended up finding a room on Spareroom.com and moved into a lovely place on Hope Street.

On move-in day, I spotted this tall guy walking down the street and thought, he’s fit. Turns out, he was mates with my new housemates! About a month later - after he missed several not-so-subtle hints - I finally made a move (with a bit of liquid courage). Luckily, he was into me too. Our first date was a bit awkward, but three months later, he called me his girlfriend - finally catching up to me, as I’d decided that a month earlier!

Seven years on, we’re in the Philippines - where I was born - visiting family and spending a few days on a quiet island near Coron. It was typhoon season, and with one on the way, we made the most of our first night with a nice dinner. I noticed Jamie ordered a Long Island Iced Tea (weird for him), not realising he needed a confidence boost... because he was about to propose!

He’d planned to do it on the beach, but I was too full and insisted on taking a buggy back. Just as I was unlocking the door, he asked me to wait - there he was, down on one knee. And the rest is history.

You booked your wedding almost two years in advance, how important was it to find and secure the perfect venue? 

Booking our wedding almost two years in advance was a big deal for us because the venue was such an important part of what we wanted. We knew it would set the whole vibe for the day, so finding the right one was a top priority. Once we saw the place we loved, we didn’t want to risk missing out - especially since popular spots book up fast. Securing it early gave us peace of mind and made everything else easier to plan around.

Why was Elmore your dream venue? What did Elmore have that other places didn’t?

We always knew we wanted an autumn/winter wedding, so we were searching for a venue that felt warm, cosy, and romantic - somewhere with real character, but also big enough to comfortably accommodate all our guests (which turned out to be trickier than we expected!).

It was actually our wonderful photographer, Andy Mattheson, who first suggested Elmore Court. After a brief chat, he mentioned how impressed he'd been when photographing a wedding there - both with the space itself and the amazing staff. That recommendation immediately piqued our interest. A couple of friends had also attended weddings at Elmore and couldn’t stop talking about how incredible the food was - something that definitely caught our attention, as food was a big priority for us.

When we visited, we fell in love instantly. The main hall was beautifully atmospheric—perfect for our ceremony - and the Gillyflower couldn’t have been more ideal for the reception. We loved that it was purpose-built for celebrations, with great acoustics and thoughtful design (you can really tell Ansel put his heart into it). A major win for us was having the bar close to the dance floor - keeping the energy up and the party together was a must!

Above all, it was the team that truly set Elmore apart. From the very beginning, they were warm, genuine, and completely unpressured in their approach. Their flexibility and support made everything feel easy, and it gave us the confidence to know we’d found the right place. Choosing Elmore felt effortless - it just clicked.

How did you approach wedding planning? Did you enjoy it? How did you both find the process?

We’d say we approached wedding planning quite methodically. Securing most of our key vendors in the first year really helped - it gave us peace of mind going into the second year and made it much easier to plan our finances, since we already had a clear idea of what things would cost. Having heard from friends how stressful wedding planning could be, we were intentional about staying organised and doing as much as we could early on to minimise last-minute pressure.

That said, the guest list was probably the trickiest part! The politics involved definitely made it more challenging than we expected. We had to keep reminding ourselves that, ultimately, it was our day, and we couldn’t please everyone. Once we accepted that, things got a lot easier.

Your dress (Kim) was absolutely gorgeous, how did you find the perfect dress?

I always had a rough idea of the style I wanted - something backless for sure - but I never imagined it would be lace, and I definitely didn’t plan on having a long train. In the end, I just followed my instinct. I came across Grace Loves Lace on Instagram, and one particular dress instantly caught my eye. It stood out so much that I booked an appointment - and it ended up being the dress!

The moment I tried it on, it just felt right. Then they asked if I wanted to try a veil, and at first I said no - I’d never pictured myself wearing one. But then they brought out the one designed to go with the dress, and as soon as I saw it, everything changed. The whole look came together so beautifully. It felt elegant, romantic, and timeless - exactly what I was hoping for.

Your bridesmaids and groomsmen wore a rich emerald green, did you have a colour palette in mind when planning the wedding?

Yes, we did have a colour palette in mind pretty early on! Since we were going for an autumn/winter wedding, we naturally leaned towards deeper, richer tones that felt warm and seasonal. Emerald green just stood out to us - it felt classic, a bit luxurious, and worked so nicely with the vibe of Elmore Court.

We also wanted something that would look great on everyone, and emerald was such a flattering choice for both the bridesmaids and groomsmen. It tied in really well with the rest of our styling too - lots of candles, greenery, and some gold touches here and there. Nothing too over the top, just colours that felt romantic, a bit moody (in a good way!), and pulled everything together.

It ended up working even better than we imagined and really helped set the tone for the day.

You managed to pop a surprise element in for Jamie in the ceremony, how difficult was it to keep a secret?

Kim - Oh my gosh, it was so difficult! I’m such an open book - I genuinely struggle to keep my own secrets, especially from Jamie. But this was one surprise I was determined to pull off. Pretty soon after he proposed, I knew I wanted to find a way to include something personal and meaningful for him in the ceremony.

Jamie’s a massive Lord of the Rings fan, and one day I came across a TikTok of someone walking down the aisle to the string version of Concerning Hobbits. Even though I’m definitely more of a Harry Potter girlie, I just knew it would be the perfect surprise for him. It felt really sentimental and a bit magical - plus, after being with him this long, I have to admit I’ve grown to love Lord of the Rings too.

Keeping it a secret was honestly one of the hardest parts of planning - there were so many moments I nearly let it slip! I only told our videographer, photographer, the team at Elmore, and Jamie’s brother and Best Man. None of the other guests, bridesmaids, or groomsmen had any idea!

But seeing his face when he recognised the music during the ceremony made it all so worth it. It even prompted a laugh from our guests when they saw how shocked he was, which really helped break the intensity of walking down the aisle!

It was such a special moment and felt like a little tribute to something he loves, woven into our day.

How did you choose your wedding flowers, we absolutely adore the blousey chrysanthemums such a gorgeous flower used in the displays and tables.

Honestly, we completely trusted our incredible florist, Amber Persia. We gave her a general idea of the look and feel we were going for - seasonal, romantic, timeless - and she absolutely brought it to life.

We knew we wanted to embrace rich, autumnal tones, so Amber incorporated gorgeous toffee and caramel shades that paired beautifully with the deep emerald green running throughout the day. The chrysanthemums were entirely her idea, and we completely fell in love with them - soft, blousey, and full of texture, they added such depth to the arrangements and tablescapes.

To complement the florals, we were also really keen to have lots of warm, ambient lighting. We both love the cosy, intimate atmosphere that candlelight brings, so we included as many candles as we could - on the tables, along the steps and a large display at the front of the Gillyflower which really came to life in the evening. Combined with the flowers, it created this beautifully warm, romantic setting that felt just right for the season.

Amber was amazing at working within our budget and still creating something that felt full, elegant, and completely us. We honestly couldn’t have been happier with how it all came together.

Your wedding photographs are just gorgeous, so much love, but captured in such a happy joyful style, how did you choose your photographer?

We were incredibly lucky. Jamie went to university with our photographer Andy, as we mentioned, and we’ve been friends for years – we’ve even played a few gigs together. He’s unbelievably talented.

We knew we wanted a mix of relaxed, candid moments alongside some beautifully lit couple and group shots, capturing the warmth of Elmore and our autumnal setting. After looking through his previous work, it really was a no-brainer.

His attention to detail and ability to capture genuine emotion and natural moments in such a joyful style made him the perfect fit. Even if we weren’t friends, I’d choose him every time. We felt completely at ease with him. The calls and communication beforehand were thorough and professional, and that made all the difference on the day. We couldn’t be happier.

You (Jamie) even managed to perform with your band The Aha Shakes in the evening, tell us more?

Well, it took a bit of convincing to get Kim on board and let me hit the stage for an hour. However, my band (The Aha Shakes) is made up of very close friends, one of them was even one of my groomsmen, so it felt like a personal way to add something special to the night, I’m also more comfortable playing on stage than dancing.

We played a short set of our big hitters; it was such a fun experience to have with the boys. My brother, who was also my best man and a excellent guitarist joined us on stage for Smooth by Santana, a little surprise we had planned for our dad, as it is one of his all-time favourite songs.

One of the highlights of the night was when Kim jumped on the mic for Teenage Dirtbag – the crowd went wild and it made the whole thing feel even more unforgettable.

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