The Personal Touch

Laura Charalambous, 25, and Oliver James Wragg, 29, were married on 16th July, 2008 at Brighton Registry office and held a ceremony in Sussex Square Gardens on Saturday 19th. Their theme was red, silver and ivory.

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Early days…

Laura a pre-school supervisor, and graphic designer Ollie met on Wednesday 16th July, 2003 after Laura and her friend Antonia decided to go clubbing in Brighton. "I had just moved to the area from Leamington Spa and was working in the club they decided to go to," says Ollie.

Ollie remembers that although it was a busy night, he couldn't help but notice Laura. "I could feel her eyes on me, and then later on she climbed up and sat on the bar, saying to me that she was hot and wanted the fan behind the bar to cool her down," he says.

It seems, however, that Laura's seat on the bar had more to do with Ollie having caught her eye than the need to cool down. "I saw Ollie from across the room and told Antonia that I had to go and talk to him," admits Laura.

Three days later the couple had their first date and within a week Ollie had been introduced to Laura's family.

The proposal…

"I proposed to Laura on January 16th, 2007 in Sussex Square Gardens. Having asked her father's permission earlier that day, I managed to get Laura to come out for a walk, despite it looking like rain, and popped the question just as she was beginning to moan about her boots getting wet! Thankfully, she said "yes" and forgot about the boots," Ollie laughs. Ollie presented Laura with an 18k white gold ring with an emerald-cut blue topaz gemstone and diamonds along the band.

Hen and stag parties…

Laura's first hen do was held in Brighton with family and friends. "We went out for a meal and then bar crawled our way to the Funky Fish Club. I had a second hen do which was a long weekend in Dublin with a few close friends. They organised it all in secret and only told me at the airport when we were checking in our bags!"

Ollie too had a secret do. "Like Laura's hen do, my stag was planned in secret so I had no idea what was happening." Ollie's stag weekend started on the Thursday evening when he was 'welcomed' home with an egging from eight of his friends. Two days later, after several changes of costume and a trip to Brussels, a tired Ollie arrived back home in Brighton.

The venues…

It was important that the whole wedding was very personal, and Laura and Ollie really wanted to hold their ceremony in Sussex Square Gardens as it held so many happy memories from their years together.
"One day we were walking around the gardens and stumbled across the 'secret garden'," explains Laura. "The entrance to the secret garden was through an archway and inside there were so many different flowers and colours, it was beautiful. It was a dream come true and I knew that it was where I wanted to get married."

Thankfully the committee of the gardens was only too happy to allow Laura and Ollie to hold a wedding ceremony in the lovely surroundings. After a formal marriage a few days previous, the couple invited their friends and families to join them on July 19th in Sussex Square Gardens for their alternative wedding service.

After the ceremony the couple and their guests made their way to Terraces Bar and Grill on the seafront. "We were in Terraces having a drink one wintry afternoon and decided to have a look around downstairs. We thought it would be perfect to have our wedding reception there because of the great layout and outdoor space."

The attendants…

Laura's three bridesmaids - her sister Anna and cousins Louise James and Elena Peratikos - were joined by neice Holly Charalambous and cousin Olivia James, the latter two being flower girls. But Laura also had close friends who she wanted to be included in the wedding party and so asked Alex Wallbank, Victoria Cole and Jenny Goman, whose partners were ushers, to take on the roles of usherettes.

The adult bridesmaids stood out in red gowns while the black-clad usherettes looked elegant in their cocktail dresses. The flower girls wore cute ivory-coloured dresses which were bought at Monsoon.

The best man, Matthew Cole, and three ushers Craig Dimond, Richard Goman and Leon Young each wore silver/grey morning dress teamed with a white shirt, waistcoat and red tie. The groom also wore a silver/grey suit with a white shirt and red tie.

The dress…

Laura's dress was a highly structured full A-line gown in pure silk zibeline with asymmetric piping and crystal detail on the bodice. To complement the asymmetric lines on the bodice the dress designer had used a pleated drape across the skirt.

The flowers…

Laura chose lilies and gerbaras as they are her favourite flowers. Her bouquet included white lilies, mini red gerberas and hypericum berries. The bridesmaids carried tied posies of all-white mini gerberas as they wore red dresses, and the flower girls held tied posies of mini red gerberas as they wore ivory dresses.

The transport…

Guests were collected from the gardens and taken to Terraces by bus. "The bus hire was brilliant as the guests didn't have to worry about parking, taxis or driving. I'd really recommend hiring a bus if going to different venues," says Laura before explaining how she made her way: "I travelled in Ollie's mum's convertible Mercedes to the ceremony and then Ollie and I were driven in a family friend's Aston Martin DB6 to the reception. We were lucky as they are both silver coloured and so matched with our theme!"

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