Helen & Scott are here today to share all the details of their big day. We’re also thrilled to see that they booked one of our fabulous Lush List Members, Rocksalt Photography
Enjoy, Maria x
How would you describe your wedding theme?
We always imagined our wedding to have a elegant classic grand theme. Which was brought to life by attention to detail; David Austen roses, the statin bridesmaid dresses, plenty of scented candles and a few triple Welsh harps, along with the stunning mature landscaped gardens of Gregynog Hall. A combination of all these details brought a wedding to life, with a magical atmosphere.
It would have to be the moment, standing arm in arm with my dad, when the doors to the ceremony room were opened, and Pacabell Canon D started playing on the harp, a room filled with our beloved family and friends, I saw the beautiful candleabras lining the red carpet and following the trial on red rose petal I glimpsed my future husband standing at the top of the stairs, looking handsome and happy, I will never forget that moment or how I felt. It was indescribable happiness. 
Tell us about your Wedding Dress
My wedding dress was vintage couture lace by St Pantrick. It was a beautiful figure hugging to just below the hips and cascaded into a long elegant train; which kept my twin sister/chief bridesmaid busy though the wedding!
It was the very first dress I tried on, the following 20 dresses just couldn’t compare to it! The overall look was brought together with a pretty sparkle ribbon around my waist tied with a bow at the back and a floor length veil. My wedding dress turned out to be very comfortable thought out the day, however it did take 4 fittings to get it completely ‘tailor made’ :)
Who did you pick as your bridesmaids &/or best man and why?
Well for me it was a no brainier, I had to pick my best friend and identical twin sister Jen to be my chief bridesmaid. My older sister Kat always needed to be by my side, she has a strong calming influence! My best friend since forever Vic was another obvious choice, she knows me better than anyone. And to round up my gorgeous bridesmaid crew was Jenny, my fabulous physio friend, who’s cheeky smile can always make my laugh. 
For the boys, Scott always wanted Michael Hogg as his best man: his best friend since primary school; even though they now live 3 hours drive apart, they will always be super close. For the ushers; James, Sam and Aaron, an even 4 ( to match the bridal party of course :))! The boys helped keep my husband calm and on time on the big day. They all looked extremely smart in their slate grey tailcoat. 
Why did you choose your venue?
Gregynog Hall is a truly magical and unique venue. Hidden away in the mid Wales countryside, Gregynog is an imposing black and white stately hall, surrounded by beautiful mature grounds, offering complete exclusivity and privacy. The extensive flowerbeds and water foundations creates a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.
The food at Gregynog in renowned for being of a top most quality and taste. The wedding co-ordinator Shirley and chef Heiko were very flexible and helpful in our choice of wedding food, as mixing a vegan bride and a meat eater groom isn’t the easiest! 
The decor, facilities and staff were all excellent, and from the first meeting with Shirley, we both knew that Gregynog Hall was the venue for us.
Tell us about your photographer
Where to start…Hannah Evan, from RockSalt Photography, was always the photographer we wanted. Her work is simply unique and exquisite. Her eye for detail and ability to capture special moments to second to none.
We all clicked from our very first meeting, and our professional relationship only got stonger from our pre wedding shoot and the big day itself.
Hannah is local to Gregynog and she was able to use her knowledge of the venue and grounds to capture spectacular photos, taking us from under a beautiful stone bridge to a shady forest.
Her calm friendly manner was exactly what I needed when we started running a little bit behind schedule. She was and is far more than a wedding photographer, she is now a friend and I can’t rate her high enough.
How did the proposal happen?
Reflecting on the proposal, I still can’t believe how much of a surprise it was! We were in Egypt, on the 29th of June 2013, our 1 year anniversary, very early in the morning..
I was woken up by Scott asking my to join him outside on the balcony, I thought this was odd as it was 6am! I thought he’d seen something interesting outside so I didn’t complain, much ;) as soon as I was outside, Scott got down on one knee and asked if I would make him the happiest of men.
I was utterly speechless, but of course the only answer I could ever give was YES ! So there we both were hugging on the balcony, with the sun rising slowly over the Red Sea, in our PJs :) magic 
Any DIY stories/tutorials you’d like to share?
The only major DIY story that springs to mind is the packing and labelling of 140 wedding favours! The favours were Welshcakes, made locally by Sue Price. She made us over 400 welshcakes.
If you are thinking about giving food an a favour, I would advise that you source items locally and order elements separately as this made it a lot cheaper for us, but a lot more fiddly! …As we brought the bag, labels and ribbon separately.
4 hours later, each guest had 4 tasty welshcakes as our thank you to them for joining us on our special day. 
What was your first dance & why?
Our first dance was A Thousand Years, by Christina Perri. It was sung live by the talented band Popped Up from Cheshire. We always knew we wanted this song as our first dance song after watch Eclipse, from the Twilight Saga. I am definitely team Edward when it comes to Twilight! This song was able to define our love for each other, endless. ‘Il love you for a thousand years, il love you for a thousand more’ 
In hindsight, was there anything you would have done differently?
Definently, MY SHOES! 
Future brides…go comfy with your footwear!
Do you have any advice for future couples?
From my very limited experience of weddings, as our wedding was the first wedding I attended! I would say, future couple need to remember why all your family and friends are gathered there, it is solely to celebrate your love for each other. That is truly special and rare to have such a happy occasion In your life. The feeling of the collective happiness and love of everyone that is special to you in one place needs to be remembered. Just sit back, relax and take it all in. 
What’s the best piece of marriage advice you received?
The best marriage advice was from my mum, she wrote this on a card and placed it on our wishing tree. She said ‘don’t allow little things, to become big things’.
This Is how I interpreted my mums advice; life is full of small bumps in the road, don’t worry, stress or give them any of your energy, just remember the bigger picture. Enjoy each moment, be happy, enjoy your new life as Mr and Mrs. For life is short, but love is forever. 
What was your favourite thing about planning a wedding?
My favourite thing by far about planning our wedding, was the joint family effort it took to bring it all together. We both got so much enjoyment out of sharing the build up of the special day with our family, and in turn seeing how happy it made them. For example, my dad was in charge of the tasting and ordering the wine to best complement the food, a job in which he thoroughly enjoyed! All in all, the planning of a wedding is truly a family affair, which makes it so special and sometimes abit stressful ;)
The Suppliers
Photographer: Rocksalt Photography
Ceremony/Reception Venue: Gregynog Hall
Bride’s Dress: Severn Brides, Shrewsbury
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Coast
Cake: Margaret Roberts
Flowers: TMS events
Hair: Louise Price Hair Design, Telford
Make Up: PureBeauty, Welshpool
Band: Popped Up, Cheshire
Stationery: Shevone Thura, Design
The Wedding Album
