Sophie and Ollie
We are always really excited when we receive your wedding photographs, and sometimes just the anticipation of them can send us into a tizzy. This is exactly how we felt about Sophie & Ollie’s big day. I shall let Sophie tell you in her own words what it was like to plan her dream wedding.
Sophie, tell us a little bit about your other half
“Ollie and I met back in 2020 just after the infamous first lockdown, so we were a covid couple! A mutual friend invited us both to go on holiday to France and we met while we were out there. We pretty much fell for each other during that week and the rest, as they say, is history. Fast forward two and a bit years and Ollie proposed in October 2022 at our flat in London. He teamed up with one of my bridesmaids to get me out of the house for a few hours while he got everything ready to propose - think lots of candles and rose petals! When I arrived back at the flat my favourite song was playing and he totally surprised me by proposing, it was very romantic!”
Where was your wedding venue?
“We found our wedding venue on instagram after lots of searching. Having decided that Somerset was where we wanted to get married as Ollie grew up there, we were looking for venues in that neck of the woods and came across Brympton House. I instantly fell in love and knew that it would be the perfect place for us to get married, it's so beautiful that it didn't take much to persuade Ollie! We wanted a romantic and elegant winter wedding so Brympton lent itself to that perfectly. On the day it was filled with candles and beautiful flowers, all styled by the incredible in house Brympton styling team.
Tell us a little about your suppliers and how you found them.
“It's probably no surprise to any other brides that instagram became my best friend when finding suppliers for the wedding, which is where we found most of them. All of the suppliers completely exceeded expectations and we really felt like we were surrounded by the dream team, which was a total joy!
Make up - Elle Hitchens (@ellehitchensmakeup) - Elle actually did my make up before I was engaged when I was a bridesmaid at a friend's wedding. I loved my make up so much that it was a no brainer for me to book her for the big day, she was the first supplier we booked and I absolutely loved my make up on the day.
Hair - Hannah Lenanton (@hairbyhannahuk) - I found Hannah through Elle and she was amazing through the whole process. Ultra organised, flexible and accommodating - she made sure the morning went smoothly and my hair, along with all six bridesmaids' hair, looked so lovely.
Photographer - Steph Newton (@stephnewtonphotography) - It's safe to say that both Ollie and I were totally blown away by Steph, both on the day and beforehand. We did an engagement shoot with her a few months before the wedding which was so much fun and definitely meant that posing for the photos on the big day was easier and more natural. Steph delivered over 1,200 photos within 2 weeks of the wedding and they are so incredible, we just couldn't be happier!
Videographer - White Villa (@whitevillaweddings) - Ash who did our video on the day was so relaxed and such a pleasure to be around - we're super excited to get our video back soon and can't wait to see what he captured!”
What 3 tips would you give to other brides planning their day?
“My top tips would be:
Trust your gut. There were a couple of things that I changed because I had a gut feeling that it wasn't quite right (including a change to my dress with the help of Emma at Boo!) and I was so glad I did.
Romanticize the planning process and make an occasion out of everything. Make a day out your food tasting or wine tasting, have drinks after you go for your dress fitting, or make an evening out of organising your table plan. Anything wedding related is an excuse for champagne in my view!
Enjoy the day and have fun. Things will go wrong and it won't matter, just be in the moment with your other half and soak it all up!
What was your favourite part of the planning process?
“In line with the top tips, we had several evenings at home wedding planning where we used it as an excuse to drink champagne we were given for our engagement and made an evening of it. Invitation sorting, table planning and organising the finer details were all some of my favourite things as we made them special and memorable.”
What was your most memorable moment of the day?
“My most memorable moment of the day has to be the ceremony. I thought I'd feel nervous but once I was at the top of the aisle with Ollie I completely relaxed and it was so special being in a room full of so much love and surrounded by our nearest and dearest. We both agreed it was our favourite part of the day and I just wish we could do it all again!”
What did you enjoy the most about your Boo Adventure?
“My whole journey with Boo Bridal and finding my dress was so amazing. I had tried a couple of wedding dress shops before going to Boo but I was starting to lose hope as I really wanted a dress with sleeves for our winter wedding and was struggling to find anything I liked. Boo was total breath of fresh air and before I'd even arrived Anna had picked out 7 or 8 beautiful dresses, all with sleeves. I absolutely fell in love with my dress from Alan Hannah and with a few tweaks such as adding a bow on the back, it became exactly what I was hoping for. A few months later I had a slight wobble and rang Emma who was incredible, she invited me to go back to Boo within 24 hours and we fixed my concerns by making the skirt bigger! The end result was a dress that was bespoke and I was so happy with, and I've no doubt that I couldn't have had that without the incredible Boo Bridal team. But my favourite part of the whole adventure with Boo was having Emma there on the day to help me get dressed. She was calm, reassuring and made sure I took deep breaths when the nerves were creeping in! She steamed my dress and veil so that I didn't have to worry about them and was so wonderful to have there on the morning of, I know that the process of getting ready was much more relaxed knowing that she was there to make sure everything went smoothly.”
Anything else you’d like to tell us about? Hen? Stag? How far everyone travelled? Any complications you had to overcome?
My favourite detail of the wedding were the handwritten notes to each guest which doubled as the place names on the tables. They took us hours and hours but the guests' reactions made it so worth it!
Who was your Most Valuable Person on the day?
“Although my bridesmaids and my mum were all amazing on the day, my most valuable person on the day has to be my husband! He was cool, calm and collected the whole time and seeing him at the top of the aisle made any worries and nerves melt away. He nailed his speech and we just had the best day together, I feel very lucky to have married him!”