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Extraordinary Weddings The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation is an Exeter-based charity helping people with terminal and life-limiting illnesses have the wedding of their dreams.
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he charity organises weddings throughout the UK, with the support of a growing network of wedding suppliers who offer their services at a reduced rate, or for free.
How it began Naomi Thomas has been a wedding planner for 15 years – but it was only after being a bride herself that she decided to start The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation. In 2010, Naomi was diagnosed with incurable secondary breast cancer. “All hopes of marrying my soulmate were put on hold,” she says. “Until local wedding planner Sam Williams stepped in and offered her services for free.” “I married Graham in 2012 in front of our friends and family and our beautiful baby boy Devon,” Naomi says. “Our big day was perfect; even more so because it had been arranged for as little money as possible thanks to the generosity of local wedding suppliers.” Later that year, Naomi founded The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation. To date, the charity has organised over 50 full and partial weddings and has the support of more than 700 registered wedding businesses. Naomi and Graham celebrate every milestone together and always renew their vows on their wedding anniversary. Naomi says: “We don’t know how long I have left. Every time I say those words to Graham I realise how lucky I am to stand beside him for just that little bit longer.” The couple have held renewal ceremonies at the Deer Park Country House in Devon, Watergate Bay in Cornwall and at their home – but for their fifth wedding anniversary, Naomi and Graham travelled to Venice. “We’d never been before and it’s such a romantic destination that we always knew we’d eventually visit,” says Graham. “Once the sun was low and the crowds had dispersed we chose the perfect spot in St Mark’s Square for the intimate ceremony. It was the most beautiful and romantic backdrop for this significant vow renewal.” Naomi says: “We felt utterly alone with one another despite being surrounded by locals and tourists.”
Photo: Tara Statton Photography
fundraisers and will happily accept a donation of your wedding dress.” The team is always on the lookout for supporters, champions and fundraisers. Naomi’s book, No Ordinary Wedding Planner, was published in 2014. It describes her story, the charity’s early days and the first weddings they organised. “If you’d like to support The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation and read about our mission, you can buy a signed copy from our website (weddingwishingwell.org.uk) for £4.99, or purchase the eBook for just 99p,” says Naomi. n
How you can Help There are plenty of ways to support the charity. Couples can buy a range of wedding favours or make donations instead of giving favours. The foundation can also help couples to organise a wedding gift list in the charity’s honour. Naomi adds: “Of course, we’re also happy to meet new 40 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk
The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation Unit 17 Exeter Business Centre, 39 Marsh Green Road, Marsh Barton, Exeter EX2 8PN; 07875 030393 info@weddingwishingwell.org.uk www.weddingwishingwell.org.uk
Not sure what to do with your wedding dress? You Can Donate! If you have a wedding dress and would like to donate it, please get in touch and email us with a photo to info@weddingwishingwell.org.uk. If it is a dress we feel that we can make use of we will arrange for it to be collected by courier or you can drop it into our shop. Our dresses are either offered to our couples who are in need or sold at our shop, La Boutique in Exeter, with 100% of the profits going back into the charity to help us give our couples the wedding day they truly deserve.