When and how did you and your partner meet?
Courtney was struck by cupid when meeting her future husband. “We met in February 2017 whilst my sister and brother in law (BIL) was renovating their house. My now husband was my BIL’s best friend so he was there helping out. Next thing, my sister and BIL were setting us on a double date with them as they thought we’d be perfect together. Guess they make a good Cupid!
What was the proposal like?
“Perfect. We were at my BIL’s private field that he uses for work (he owns an adventure company) and decided to go camping one April weekend. I was playing ball with our dog and when I turned around he was down on one knee”
Did you have an inspiration for the theme of your wedding?
“A colourful wedding was on the cards for Courtney, “I used to live in Spain when I was younger and therefore peacocks hold a special place in my heart. So we decided our theme was peacocks (which is perfect because all the colours in the peacock feather is our favourite colours).”
Was the style of gown that you chose, what you always imagined or did it surprise you?
“Completely surprised me! I was going in with the idea of plain white a-line shape and ended up with a fitted, super sparkly dress! I just fell in love instantly and it was so perfect!”
What was the hair and makeup look you wanted to achieve with your artist(s)?
“I wanted fairly dark and bold eyes and a natural caramel lip colour as this always looks incredible on photos. We added some gold sparkle on my eyes to tie in the peacock theme. For my hair, I wanted to have Hollywood style sleek curls, all down but pushed back on one side. My dream became a reality and my makeup artist and hairdresser were brilliant at bringing my dream to life!”
What was it about your venue that drew you in?
The perfect setting was designed for Courtney, allowing her to reminisce about the beginning of her love story. “It was a beautiful Manor House in Weymouth (which is where we met each other) with lots of garden space, so we were able to have everything we wanted. It was completely private, so only our wedding guests were there and no strangers walking around like you do with some other venues. The decor and layout was exactly what we both imagined and we didn’t have to compromise on anything – they were incredible and so helpful. They really understood how important everything was for us and nothing we asked was ever too much for them.”
What advice would you give future brides when looking for their dress?
“Go with an open mind, try every style and shade of white on. Trust the stylists as well – the ladies I had were incredible and knew from the beginning what would look good on me. They took my venue and theme on board as well and tried to tie it all in. I wouldn’t go anywhere other than Minster Bridal! I did go to another place before visiting Minster and there was absolutely no comparison in terms of the quality of the dresses, the expertise of the stylists and the care and attention I received. They made me feel so incredibly special!”
Did you have a favourite element of your dress?
“I loved the fit of the dress as this massively complimented my shape. I was absolutely obsessed with the glitter under-layer… it made the dress sparkle from every direction (and left a trail of glitter behind me so I was always easy to find!).”
What was your routine / plan the night before?
A pamper night and a delicious dining experience with parents, helped Courtney prepare for the big day ahead! “I went out to dinner with my parents and sister at Côte Brasserie which was so special. I stayed the night at my parents house, had a shower and shaved head to toe! I then dried
my hair using my normal hair routine (I have quite frizzy natural hair and this wasn’t an option for the big day!) and after that I sat with a face mask on talking with my parents. I tried to get an early night but it was hard!”
What was your highlight of the special day?
Courtney has a very special piece of advice for brides to be on their wedding day, so make sure to take some notes! “We had couple photos taken at golden hour and once those were done, we sat together on a bench looking over at all of our friends and family having an amazing time and we had our own little moment. It was such a crazy busy day that taking just 10 minutes out to sit together and take it all in meant the absolute world! I often think back to that moment.”However it doesn’t end there… “So 5 days before we got married, we found out we were expecting our first baby. We decided not to tell anyone and it was amazing having this as our own little secret. When I look back on photos, I love knowing that our little one was a part of our special day! Advice to others that find themselves in this situation and want to keep it hush hush: let your venue know! They were incredible with me and they got some alcohols free gin in for me and told me to just ask for a ‘brides gin’. They also made sure I had alcohol free versions of the welcome and toast drinks so everyone was non-the-wiser… even my mum!”
How did it feel looking back at your wedding photos / videos?
“Quite emotional – it’s so nice being able to see parts of the day and night that we didn’t see because we were else where. In every single photo, everyone has the biggest smile on their face so it’s nice to know that everyone had a great time and not just us.”
What was your first dance song?
“You Make My Dreams Come True by Daryl Hall & John Oates. The lyrics are perfect and we wanted something upbeat to get the party started. We decided to do a choreographed dance which we self taught and could put our own twist on it to make it less serious. It actually worked really well!”
Venue: Radipole Manor Weddings
Photographer: Ripples and Waves photography
MUA: Brooke Hawker