Inspired by the people and places they love, Ella and Ben chose a wooded glade to say their vows, surrounded by friends and family. Ella explained, “We wanted everyone to feel like they were part of something special, exclusive, intimate, and family.”
Planning to get married in 2020, their plans have been derailed and changed several times. Ella told us, “I learned that you can’t control every little thing and as long as you have good music, speeches, and enough food and drink for everyone, nothing else matters. really matters. Oh and a global pandemic could strike at any time, so be prepared to adapt your plans! »
With a budget of £20,000, there were lots of DIY projects to save money, and the whole family got involved in helping out, as Ella explained: “Almost everything was DIY – the names were Brighton pebbles from my hometown. These were carefully written by my mother with all the markings. The cake was made by my aunt and we also had a Brighton Pier-themed ‘Hole in The Face’ made by an artist friend of ours. We saved a lot of money by asking our friends and family to help us with the DIY. We also had DJ friends and everything we saved went into the free bar – the most important thing of all!
An outdoor ceremony in England always carries a risk of rain, but the brave couple went there, with a dreamy woodland venue, The Dreys in Kent, hosting their celebration. Ella told us: “The ceremony took place in a clearing in the woods surrounding the Dreys. We both wrote our own vows and made sure they were personal so we could share our feelings for each other with those closest to us.
“I walked down the aisle to Purple Rain – played on strings by local Kent music students. Before the ceremony, the rain was falling hard but just as the ceremony was about to begin it stopped and as we were saying our vows we could hear the rain falling on top of the trees – it was gorgeous.
While it may have been different from their original plans for a 2020 wedding, Ella told us, “It felt like that’s how it was supposed to be. Although the buildup during the pandemic was stressful, when we finally got to D-Day, everyone was much more emotionally involved in the day and ready to party!
She added some advice for future couples: “There are a lot of photographers and other vendors who tell couples what’s ‘cool’ and ‘what not to have at their weddings.’ We would all say that the most important thing is to make the day feel personal to you – so whatever you want to include, you have to include it! Don’t listen to any noise that isn’t useful. think if you could do something yourself, don’t accept anything overpriced that isn’t essential, you can do something unique on a budget!”
