NATURAL BEAUTY

REAL WEDDINGS NATURAL beautyJo and Greg celebrated with their friends and family at Denbies Wine Estate

Images courtesy of Greg Shingler Photography

Jo and Greg met online. “We hadn’t had much luck on dating apps, but I think we both knew on our first date that we had something special,” says Jo. “We talked until the pub closed, and we were literally asked to leave. A year later, we moved in together and then went straight into the first lockdown, so it was an interesting way to start our life together, but it made us get to know each other and know we want a future together.”

Greg proposed during a holiday to Italy. “It was a massive surprise as I never expected him to chance taking the ring through security on a plane, but it was our first chance to take a holiday since lockdown, and he knew he wouldn’t get another chance for a while,” shares the bride. “He proposed in front of an amazing view as the sunset.”

Here the bride shares some of her favourite moments from their big day...

Once restrictions had lifted a little, and we could get out of London, we found ourselves regularly escaping to the Surrey Hills. We love wine, so the fact that Denbies Wine Estate was a vineyard was a plus. It just felt like the perfect fit. We also wanted a space that would feel comfortable with 150 people, and Denbies Wine Estate offered an amazing outdoor location as well as beautiful indoor spaces. For our favours, we chose personalised shot glasses and a bottle of Limoncello for each table. We do like a party, so shots were inevitable, but I did a speech at the end of the meal explaining the significance of the drink being partly due to our engagement in Italy but also due to the time my dad kept topping up Greg’s drink, and he was too polite to tell him to stop – so ended up drinking three tumblers of it!

We repurposed the lanterns from our ceremony and used them as our centrepieces. Our tables names included pictures of us as children. It was great fun choosing the photos, and we were happy for everyone to have a laugh at our expense!

Greg and I went from having no cake to a full treat table. The South East Cakery in Dulwich just made it too hard to choose. We went for a chocolate explosion cake, with six types of brownies with flavours ranging from peanut butter and white chocolate to Rolo rocky road.

We had natural blooms in keeping with our countryside theme from Cathey’s Flowers. I decided on a sunflower bouquet to mark a special friend who sadly couldn’t be there. We also had some blossom trees at the end of our top table.

Denbies Wine Estate managed all our catering. We had a barbecue along with a wide selection of sides, so no one went hungry. Our evening food was a massive cheese tower. We love cheese, and so did our guests, but the tower was huge, so it meant we still got a great amount to take home with us too! Lots of my friends have already got married, so I wanted a gown that felt unique to me. My dress was by Pronovias, and I felt really special without being uncomfortable. The biggest plus was the fab team at Teokath of London, who sold me the sample dress from the store. I then bought vintage shoes and a headpiece from Lace & Favour.

My four bridesmaids chose different styles to suit their shape from David’s Bridal. I loved how beautiful they all looked and that they felt comfortable.

The groomsmen chose blue tweed suits from Moss Bros, and Greg opted for a check suit from Walker Slater. It was a little hot considering it ended up being 23 degrees, but it looked great.

Greg and I were so lucky to have perfect weather, so we could have our outdoor ceremony. Lockdown rules were lifted so all our guests, except friends in the USA, could come. After such an unsure year, we couldn’t believe it was happening, and we just smiled all day. We knew we wanted a band, as after so long in lockdown, we wanted everyone up dancing and singing along. We found Rockit and loved their repertoire. It had hits from every decade, and they played all the classics without going overly cheesy. Our guests have all said how much they loved the band, and the dancefloor was never empty. 39

To make sure Greg couldn’t see me as I walked from the hotel to the ceremony, I was covered with a sheet. It was hilarious! There was a crowd of people walking through the vineyards, who all stopped to watch, clearly thinking I was some sort of celebrity with my sheet – afraid they would have been disappointed, but our guests loved watching it all unfold. I loved the wine train and the private moments we shared in the wine cellar where we got to catch our breath together. After that, it was all about the party!

We stayed over the night before and had a few glasses of bubbles to start the weekend off. I managed to smack my toe on the bed on Friday night, and by the morning, we realised it was completely purple, and I’d likely broken it. Luckily, I wasn’t getting married until three, so we managed to squeeze my foot into my peep toe shoes and practice walking without a limp. The adrenalin kicked in, but we did think for a while I’d have to go in flip-flops, which isn’t ideal when you’re 5ft 2in! One of Greg’s favourite moments was the many references to Liverpool F.C. I surprised him by having the venue play You’ll Never Walk Alone as we walked back down the aisle. He in turn surprised me, my dad and his groomsmen with personalised Liverpool kits.

Some of our friends made it over from Amsterdam and Dubai, which considering the travel restrictions and PCR test rules, we were so amazed people went to the effort.

Denbies Wine Estate was brilliant and couldn’t do enough to make the day run smoothly, with backup plans in place, but they always stayed optimistic. Greg Shingler Photography was also incredible. He blended in and was always calm, helpful and happy. All our suppliers were amazing, and after the year everyone had in the industry, the positivity from them all was so genuine and really kept us on track.

JO AND GREG’S CONTACTS

Venue and catering, Denbies Wine Estate, www.denbies.co.uk | Photographer, Greg Shingler Photography, www.gregshingler.co.uk Bride’s dress, Teokath of London, www.teokath.co.uk | Bride’s accessories, Lace & Favour, www.laceandfavour.com | Groom’s suit, Walker Slater | Groomsmen’s suits, Moss Bros | Bridesmaids’ dresses, David’s Bridal | Mother-of-the-bride’s dress, Melita Boutique, www.motherofthebridechobham.co.uk | Hair stylist, Arabella Hewitt Make Up Artist, www.arabellahewitt.co.uk | Make-up artist, Make-up by Charlotte, www.makeupbycharlotte.com | Cake, The South East Cakery, www.southeastcakery.com | Flowers, Cathey’s Flowers, www.catheysflowers.com | Invitations, Chloe Jessica Design, www.facebook.com/chloejessicadesign | Entertainment, Rockit, www.functioncentral.co.uk/band/rockit | Lighting, Lighting With Intent, www.lighting-with-intent.com