Wedding Inspiration – Hayley & Andy

We thought it might be fun to do a blog or two on couples who are already married, to see how they went about organising their wedding and why they went for the entertainment that they did. Without further ado, here is Hayley to talk about her wedding to Andy in 2013.

How old were you when you got engaged and how did it happen?

I was 21, so around 5 years ago. It may seem young but we’ve been together since 16 so we’d been together a while. It was rather spontaneous, I think (I believe he was going to ask later in the year on a holiday to Venice but just couldn’t wait!!) We had taken a trip to the Lake District, it was snowing and he asked in a little park in the freezing cold! I cried, a lot!

How long was it between getting engaged and your wedding day?

Just over 2 years, engagement was Feb 2011 and wedding was June 2013!

What were you looking for in a venue?

Something super relaxed where I could choose everything. Oh and no corkage charge was a bonus.

I wanted somewhere that wasn’t at all formal and that had nice outdoor space.

Where did you get married and why did you choose that location?

I got married at Monks Barn in Hurley. I loved the fact it was a total black canvas, I mean I even had to hire in my own lighting and fridges but I LOVED that. it was literally a barn and some gardens. I also loved the fact that we had the keys from the Wednesday to the Monday. Some of my favourite memories come from these days before. The actual area itself was because it wasn’t too far from either side of the family and I grew up around the Windsor areas so it holds nice sentiment for me.

Was the weather good?!

Oh boy, was it ever! I got so, so lucky, it was the best weather day of the year I say! Beautifully sunny and clear but not so hot that you felt sticky.

Did you plan the wedding equally or did you take control?

I mainly took control but only as I am a natural organiser and Andy is totally chilled out – I did consult him on everything but I was the one with a billion lists on the go.

What most surprised you about wedding planning?

That even if you are quite chilled about everything (I was the opposite of a Bridezilla), how it is still so stressful!! Also just how much there is to do. I think maybe I gave myself more work by having a venue where I even had to hire in fridges and lighting but there is still just so much to do. You think of venue, entertainment, catering, but theres so many little things to think about.

What did you wear? Can you remember how much the dress cost? 

My dress was a complete bargain, I was looking at dresses in bridal stores as usual but I just saw a simple dress whilst walking through a department store one day, tried it on as I was bored and realised I loved it. It was well under a £100. The dress was never a huge deal to me (shock horror, I know!) so I'm happy it was even cheaper than the bridesmaid dresses.

What entertainment did you have at your wedding?

Wandering Hands and Rich T DJ. Wandering Hands - provided by sister agency Sternberg Clarke - suited the venue so perfectly and they went down a storm.

What was your favourite part of your wedding? Were there any inspired original ideas?

Obviously the usual parts - walking down the aisle, being announced husband and wife - but other little ideas we had that I loved were the Pimm's and ale bar we set up. We just bought lots of bottles of Pimm's and let people make their own. We also hired in kegs of local area ale so people could pull their own pints. I loved that we had a little fingerprint guest book so we now have a framed print with all of our wedding guests' prints in the living room.

Can you provide us with your favourite photo from the entire day?

Would you do it all again?

YES!! We’ve been dating for 10 years and our 5th wedding anniversary will be this summer.