A Summer Wedding at Pennyhill Park
When we first met Amy, we knew her wedding was going to be one to remember for a lifetime. We were overjoyed when she agreed to be a featured bride, so pop the kettle on and read all about how she created the perfect day.
The Bride Tribe
Tell us a little about your groom and your proposal
“I met my husband, Brad, on Tinder & we went Go Karting on our first date which was a bit unusual but it worked out! He proposed at a special place for us in the Surrey Hills on a picnic. We went straight after our newborn son’s photoshoot, which I had put makeup on and got dressed up for the first time since giving birth, but typically I got changed into my jogging bottoms for the picnic as I had no idea what he was planning.”
Amy & Brad
Where was your venue, and what made you fall in love with it?
“I grew up 2 minutes from Pennyhill but had never been as it was so close. We looked around some other equally gorgeous venues but what made Pennyhill stand out was the personal touch. When we had a viewing they put a sign up for us and made us personalised macaroons with our initials on them. The outside setting for a summer wedding was also stunning. I wanted a really classy feel for the day, which the venue lends itself to, but then a big party at night which having a band worked perfectly for.
We were so lucky with the weather and the spa and pool were the perfect day after treat and it felt like we were on holiday. “
Outside space at Pennyhill Park
What was your favourite part of the planning process?
“The menu tasting - the food was incredible and there was so much wine! I really regretted driving and not being able to try it all! It was also a lovely date for us and made us so excited for the wedding. We also ended up adding in extra courses because of the tasting. It was so hard to choose!”
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
“It’s hard to pick out a specific moment but the day as a whole was the best day of my life. It sounds so cliché and cheesy but being in a stunning venue surrounded by your favourite people was so special!”
Amy wears Emerson by Mia Mia Bridal
What did you enjoy the most about your Boo Adventure?
“I thought I had found ‘the dress’ at another store but I had driven past Boo lots of times and had always imagined buying my wedding dress from there as my Brad's nickname growing up was Boo. I decided to book an appointment just in case and I found my ‘Pinterest dress’ immediately! I tried on lots of dresses and had such a hard time deciding as they were all so beautiful. Emma and Maddie were brilliant and Emma’s reverse psychology made me realise which dress was meant to be as I am so indecisive (libra) and I chose my dream Pinterest dress which came with a detachable bow and I added a belt for the evening so I even got two dresses in one!”
Which guests travelled the furthest for your big day?
“Brad’s brother and his girlfriend flew all the way from Australia. My German Exchange partner from year 9 and her husband flew over from Germany.”
Who was your most Most Valuable Person on the day?
“My maid of honours & bridesmaids - they kept everything under control and were so helpful from picking up flowers, steaming dresses, hunting down my dad, getting our son to sleep, helping guests find their rooms, dressing me for photos, a wild goose chase for my lost phone and making sure I had the best day ever!”
Amy’s Suppliers
“I found our suppliers mainly through Instagram, Hitched and Bark.”
Hair by Jenna - all her pictures of hair were the style I was looking for. I booked her for my wedding hair before trying her out to do colour and cuts which was a risk but she is now my go to hairdresser. Jenna does a brilliant job every time and is so efficient.
Leanne Beauty & Makeup - really liked her classy style of makeup on every single post & she definitely gave me the look I was going for. Both Leanne and Jenna were amazing on the day taking charge of timings for the morning and even going above and beyond and looking after our son!
Lily’s Flowers - an independent company with gorgeous floral arrangements. Was so lovely to work with them to design my ideal flowers and they had great ideas to keep budget on track as spending on flowers can easily get out of hand if you have big ideas, which I did have originally!
MIB Band - amazing party band I found on Hitched who added so much fun to the evening and they also provided a cocktail duo to play outside at the drinks reception which added something special.
Darren Salanson - photographer - such a nice guy who we found on Bark. Our guests praised him for being so relaxed and fitting in perfectly with the day. He also turned around our photos within a week so we didn’t have long to wait which was a bonus!
Pretty Cake Studio - the talented Jordana worked with us to design a beautiful cake. The sugar flowers were so intricate and most importantly the cake was delicious!
Amy’s 3 top tips for a perfect day
Start early - we had a young baby so I was pretty busy and left a lot of planning a bit too late! I didn’t even order invitations in time & forgot to invite people - oops. It all worked out in the end but caused me a lot of stress in the lead up!
Trust your instinct - I am so glad we went with Lily’s Flowers even though their original quote was so much more expensive than other suppliers. We worked together to find a compromise between budget and style but on the day it turned out their version of ‘compromise’ was above and beyond my expectations as their flowers were so beautiful.
Have fun - on the day nothing will really matter if it hasn’t gone to plan. Get on the dance floor, eat the calorific food, have another gin! It’s far more important to have the memories than the perfect Instagram picture.
Wedded Bliss
