Today’s lovely wedding takes place in Croatia and we are loving every single detail! He bride shared with us: “We always knew we wanted an abroad wedding; we had never been to Croatia but the country stood out to us. After some research and the visit, we had fallen in love with the beautiful country. We both knew it felt right. Some of our family members had been married abroad previously and cherished the memories of getting to spend a full week with our loved ones aside from busy life. It’s such a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere…”
From the bride: “We both went to the same college, so we knew who each other were from being about 15, but we didn’t really meet properly till we were 18. We became friends and spent some time together, but I had moved to York for university and Kenny was in the army in the south. It wasn’t until I moved home after university in 2013, we started dating.”
From the groom: “It’s safe to say this didn’t go as planned. I had known I was going to propose for a while, and I knew where and when I was going to do it. I had booked a weekend away in the Lake District national park for Michelle’s birthday and we had planned to walk the mountain Scafell pike the next day, the Saturday. So, I planned to do it at the top of the mountain. It was Friday the 13th (superstitiously unlucky) which I didn’t realise at the time, we had checked in to the spa hotel. Michelle had just finished work so wanted to have a shower before we had an evening in the spa. Michelle thought I was angry because I hardly spoke all the way in the car. Nerves got the better of me and I knew if I didn’t do it soon, I would ruin the trip. Whilst she was in the bath, I thought it would be the perfect time to prepare and get the ring, but I had stupidly put the square box into a flask which had a circular top. I was pacing around the room trying desperately to get it out, Michelle started shouting at me from in the bath to stop pacing around the room and chill, which made it worse. When I eventually got the ring out, as soon as she got out the bath (her face was covered in makeup, stood in a towel) I was trying to make her sit down but she was telling me off because she was trying to take her makeup off). Make-up half off, I pulled her down to the chair and popped the question. She went bright red but luckily, she said yes. We both started laughing at the situation, and still do now”.
“The biggest surprise of the day for the bride was “seeing Kenny’s reaction when he turned around at the bottom of the isle”, and for the groom was “turning round on the isle and see in how incredible Michelle look. I knew that she was going to look amazing, but she really did blow me away.”
“It took around a year and a half, once we had picked the location, we started searching wedding organisers; we figured it would be too hard across country to plan it alone. Each planner’s web page has brochures of the venues they offer, which made it much easier, I think social media and searching venues on Instagram also helps get a real feel of the places. We flew out to Dubrovnik in June 2018, it was a busy four days for us, finding somewhere where all of the family could stay was key. We chose to stay in Lapad bay because it was a great all-around area, just outside the city where we could have more of a relaxed vibe with restaurants, bars and the beach. We only ever actually viewed one venue, we had our heart set on villa Rose, we got the boat over and it was safe to say it did not disappoint. The venue was beautiful, and it really felt private and untouched, and the idea of having a boat trip over seemed special. Once we had met the wedding planner, chosen the venue and location to stay, everything was fairly easy. Our next important step was choosing the right photographer, we had an idea of what we wanted and from searching online we came across Matjia, the brochure really stood out to us, the natural, colourful look was unique. The style and quality of photography was already apparent but his friendly nature over email really made the decision easy. Apart from getting the bridal and groom party sorted with attire, there really wasn’t much else to do until a couple of months before; having a wedding planner made this really easy, sorting music, lighting, decoration and flowers”.
“We loved every single part of the day for many different reasons. But if we were to pick one single moment, we would both agree on the ceremony. It was perfect.”
“The wedding planner original sent us a list of photographers, but after searching the internet for Dubrovnik photographer’s Matija had already stood out to us. We wanted pictures that captured the candid moments vibrantly and this did not disappoint. Every moment was captured perfectly and we could have not been happier. The memories we will cherish forever. We have had so many comments on how beautiful the shots were. Matija was so personable and really took the time to distinguish the dynamics between family and friends. His personality really shone through and a pleasure to work with.”
“The inspiration was difficult at the start, especially when the venue is a far away from home. Apps like Pinterest and Instagram are great to see what you like. We wanted a boho style, but the venue was so beautiful we tried to keep things simple. I’ve always liked gold, and my dress was ivory, so incorporating a green to match the natural leaves of the bouquet and scenery with a dusky pink seemed to complement each other well. The dusky pink buttonholes and ties on the men’s suits matched well. Kenny picked a medium blue, he always wanted this colour suit and it matched with the pink well. The brown brogues made the style look smart.”
“We took Polaroid cameras with us and a large plain white book so people could write next to the photograph. We have loved looking back through this and the messages when we got home. People seemed to think this was a great touch. My friend and bridesmaid Jessica Hogarth who is an England-based illustrator drew on the front of the book to make it individual. You can pick up so many little trinkets for favours from Amazon. We also put bubbles on the tables for people to use in photographs. I made all my own confetti, buying the clear sealable bags and personal stickers online. Using dried lavender rose and marigold made it smell amazing and look so vibrant (this is also eco-friendly). It’s a cheaper way to do it, but I also felt proud when we had made them and it added a personal touch. The best thing we bought for the guests were the fans, everyone loved them. Although we got married later in the day, it was still warm. We placed these on the seats with the confetti bags.”
The bride’s advice: “Don’t be afraid to do an abroad wedding, once you’ve picked a location the rest falls into place, there is so much help and advice online. Picking the perfect venue is key. Make sure you research legal paperwork; every country is different and requires individual documents. Enjoy every moment because the day passes by so quickly. Pick a photographer who will capture your perfect moments forever.”
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