Names: Ryan and Shannon

Wedding Date: 19th August 2011

The proposal:  Vegas Baby. We had planned a holiday to Vegas with a group of friends. I had always said to Ryan if he was ever going to propose I would  love it to be somewhere  crazy and different. Ryan thought Vegas would be perfect. He bought the ring months before the holiday and when we landed he told all our friends what his  plan was. On our second night we all decided to go exploring and check out the famous lights and nightlife of the Vegas strip. We set out and first stopped in  front of the famous fountains of the Bellagio Hotel. Its a spectacular sight to watch them shoot up into the air and create a magical display to music. I was  mesmorised and totally preoccupied with taking photos. When the display finished I turned around and Ryan was down on one knee holding a ring with all  our friends standing behind him in a semi-circle, all with big smiles on their faces. Ryan was almost in tears but managed to say “Will you marry me”. I was totally taken by surprise and a bit speechless for a couple of seconds but of course I said yes.

The Vision:  We wanted the wedding day to be totally relaxed but very special and unique. We knew we wanted to have it in a barn and specifically wanted  somewhere that was a blank canvas so that we could create our own finishing touches and make it as bespoke as possible. We had so many ideas and  wanted to ensure the day would be remembered forever.

The planning process: We gave ourselves 8 months to plan the day. I came across the venue in a magazine and knew straight away we had to view it. We went to have a  look in January and booked the day for August that year.We wanted to supply all the alcohol ourselves and so waited for special offers  at the  supermarket to stock up on beer , cider, wine, and champagne and we made our own Pimms on the day. We didn’t want to have a sit down meal so instead chose to have canapes after the reception, fruit and cheese boards with the cake, and bacon and sausage baguettes in the evening. We went on  a friends recommendation for the cake, and chose 100 cupcakes and a rum and chocolate top cake to cut. We only had the barn until 8pm so we hired  out a private area of a really gorgeous pub just up the road and Ryan created his own music playlist of all the songs he knew would keep people on the  dance floor.

Budget: We had a budget of about £7000 thanks to family, but I think we probably ended up spending about £10,000.

The Venue:  Ratsbury Barn was the second barn we viewed and knew it was the perfect venue for us. It had this really simple, but rustic atmosphere and we were allowed to  decorate it however we wanted. It had a gorgeous little pond with a red bridge and an apple orchid which gave it an almost fairy tale like feel. We knew in the  summer the garden and surrounding fields would be filled with flowers and we were right. There were even little rabbits running around on the day.

The dress:  I tried on what seemed alot of dresses and eventually found the perfect one on the website “Preloved”. I got in touch with the lady selling the dress and  made arrangements to meet up to try it on. It fitted like a glove and I knew straight away it was the dress for me. It just felt so right. I didn’t have to make  any alterations at all.

Groom’s attire: Mos Bros

The Readings and music:  We hired an acoustic guitarist – Andy Cherry from the agency website Alive Network. He played during the reception and for a couple of hours  afterwards whilst people mingled. I walked up the aisle to “All you need is Love” by the Beatles. Ryan’s sister did a reading for us called “The Art of a  good Marriage” by Wilferd Arlan Peterson.

Beautiful Bridesmaids: Included Ryan’s sister, my sister and my best friend. Dresses were from Oasis.

The flowers:  We picked our own flowers from “Blooming Green Florists” the day before. We wanted a wide variety of seasonal flowers and greenery so picking our own  worked really well. They also made our buttonholes and corsages.

The cake:  We went on a friends recommendation and chose cupcakes with a rum and chocolate cake for cutting. The cupcake holders and decorations matched the  theme of the day perfectly. Supplied by Jules at “The Fancy Baker”

Your Photographers: Philippa and Gemma of Cotton Candy Weddings

The Details and Decor: We did all the decorating ourselves, using photos, memorabilia, and lots of rustic and vintage style wire and wooden hearts, chalk boards and signs.

The Honeymoon: We went to the South of France, and did a road trip from Toulouse to Nice.

Memorable moments:  We had the perfect summer’s day – it was warm with not a cloud in the sky. Our guitarist chose music which really suited the mood and  atmosphere of the day. The food was so tasty. The speeches were the perfect mix of jokes, sincerity and good wishes for the future. All in all we  could not have wished it to go any smoother. We have so many memorable moments.

Advice for other couple’s: Don’t assume the guy doesn’t want to be involved with the planning. Ryan had some really good ideas and to know that both our efforts went into making our day so amazing really makes a difference.