Classic Elegance

Lizzy and Richard's wedding at Redcoats, Hitchin, was a relaxed and romantic day. Photography by Sophoto

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Early days…

Lizzy met Richard at her sister's wedding, where she was the bridesmaid and he the best man. "It's a big cliché!" says Lizzy, "First and foremost we became the best of friends, and we both knew fairly early on that things were going well."

The proposal…

Although the couple had previously spoken about getting married, Richard's proposal 18 months after they met came as a surprise. It happened while they were out walking in Cambridgeshire. Richard got down on one knee and asked Lizzy to marry him, and she said yes straight away.

The venues…

Lizzy and Richard wanted their civil ceremony and reception to be held in the same place to save their guests from having to arrange transport to and from venues. They chose Redcoats Farmhouse Hotel and Restaurant in Hitchin, an old converted farmhouse with beautiful gardens, a conservatory for the ceremony and a marquee for the reception.

The dress…

Lizzy wore a sleek Jenny Packham dress embellished with pearls. "I wasn't that keen on it when it was on the hanger, but as soon as I tried it on I just loved it," she says. "It was a very simple dress with no extra layers to worry about, which made it comfortable and easy to wear. I'm a firm believer in 'less is more' and I didn't want to be fussing over a difficult dress and lots of accessories." Lizzy also wore a pearl necklace given to her by her mum on her 21st birthday, and a simple headband to match.

The bridesmaid, Lizzy's older sister Susie, wore a classic, full-length dress from The Tailor's Cat in Cambridge.

Richard, his two best men and ushers wore morning suits from Moss Bros, with grey waistcoats and deep red ties to match the bridesmaid.

The decorative touches…

Richard and Lizzy opted not to stick to a theme because they wanted a relaxed and informal day and felt that it would limit their flexibility. They picked their colour scheme once Lizzy had chosen the bridesmaid dress, which was deep red, and they used hot pink, baby pink and white as accent colours.

Lizzy and Susie had pretty posies made up of hot pink orchids, light pink and white roses, and greenery. The centrepieces consisted of similar floral arrangements in tall vases, and the white iced cake featured handmade sugar orchids to match the bouquets.

The couple designed the stationery themselves, and had them printed at a local stationers. "We were amazed at how much cheaper it was to do it this way," says Lizzy. "It took a bit of time to design them just how we both wanted, but it was well worth it."

The best bits…

A harpist played throughout the ceremony, and Lizzy walked down the aisle to Woodland Walk, a traditional Welsh song. "I was so nervous as I walked down the aisle, but I began to relax when I could no longer see all those faces looking at me!" says Lizzy.
The father-of-the-groom did a reading from Les Misérables, and Lizzy's friend read a passage from Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières. "They weren?t too soppy, but still very lovely," says Lizzy.

After the ceremony, Champagne and canapés were served in the garden. Once the wedding breakfast was over, one of Richard's best men, university friend Mark, gave a speech. "It was brilliant," says Richard. "Very funny and slightly embarrassing, but Lizzy's family are still speaking to me so I guess they weren't too shocked by the stories!"
In the evening they had a band, the lead singer of which is an old friend of the groom. "They had everyone up dancing, including the grandparents," says Lizzy.
The couple chose not to have a first dance, but everyone got up to dance to the first song, Stevie Wonder's Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

"It all seemed to go by in a bit of a blur, really," says Lizzy. "There were so many people to talk to and I was so excited, but part of me just wanted to spend 10 minutes with my new husband and have a little time to ourselves. But it was just so much fun. It?s not often you have all the people you care about in one room, so we really made the most of it."
"I have to confess that Lizzy did most of the planning, but there was never any sign of bridezilla - she seemed pretty relaxed about it all," says Richard. "I'll never forget the moment that she walked into the room at the start of the ceremony. I was just so proud to be marrying her."

The honeymoon…

After the wedding, the couple jetted off to Vietnam for a romantic honeymoon. "We'd not been there before, and we loved it. We went on various tours and rested in snazzy hotels. We had a Trailfinders wedding list, which helped to pay for the trip."

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