Champagne & sparkles

Lucy and Matthew enjoyed a gorgeous day by the seaside for their winter wedding. Photos by Venetia Norrington

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Early days…

When physiotherapist Matt graduated from university his plan was to travel widely taking his skills to some of the world's biggest cities. His adventure started more than a decade ago in London, and it was here that he bumped into Lucy. "He moved into the hospital staff accommodation where I lived," remembers Lucy, who first set eyes on Matt as he made his way to his early morning shower. "He was wearing nothing but a small towel around his waist," she laughs. "I knew from the moment I saw him that he was my goal - the fact that he was wearing just a small towel was an added bonus!"

For Matt it was Lucy's sense of fun that got him hooked. "I soon found out that Lucy has an adventurous nature, but has her feet firmly on the ground," he says.

The proposal…

Matt executed a flawless proposal plan. As Lucy explains: "We had planned to go camping in May for Matt's 40th birthday, but unbeknown to me he had made other plans. On the morning of the camping trip he packed the car, before telling me that he had booked a night in a luxury London hotel, a show and a meal in a fancy restaurant."

But even this change of plan was just a ruse aimed at getting Lucy to take the train to Gatwick without any suspicions. As they reached the airport stop he presented her with her passport and asked her if she would like to use it. "I was so excited that we nearly missed our stop," says Lucy.

Four days later, on a park bench in the bohemian district of Trastevere in Rome, Matt got down on one knee and presented Lucy with a white gold ring decorated with three diamonds.

Hen and stag parties…

Lucy and nine friends headed north to Glasgow where they enjoyed an action-packed weekend in November. "It was absolutely freezing," she says. "It even snowed." The fun included a pub crawl atop a double decker bus. "This was certainly an experience, particularly when a rather lovely policeman joined us on the top deck. I soon discovered he wasn't a real policeman when the music started!"
For his part, Matt headed to Manchester as it was a handy meeting place for his friends who were coming from Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the north and south of England.
"I was given a soft toy to protect for the whole weekend," says Matt. "If he was left on his own at any point, I had a forfeit." So, when Matt and friends enjoyed a game of five-a-side footie, watched a football match, went to dinner and danced, they did so with a soft toy in tow. Unfortunately it didn't make the big day itself. "On the journey back to the hotel he became a bit disorientated and we lost him to the night!" says Matt.

The venues…

As Matt is Catholic, the couple decided to have a religious ceremony at Our Lady of Ransom Church. While Lucy was transported to the venue in style in a white London cab, the men arrived on foot.
Lucy entered the church to Wagner's Here Comes the Bride, and the couple signed the register to Ave Maria. "This was sung with no accompaniment by a friend of a friend," says Lucy. The couple exited to Mendelssohn's Wedding March.
They followed their vows with a reception at the Cavendish Hotel in Eastbourne. "We chose the Cavendish Hotel as it looked amazing inside and out," says Lucy. "It was also very convenient for the church and our house, and offered reasonably priced accommodation for our guests, many whom were travelling from Ireland and the north of England. They were also very accommodating of the late night singing, which was obligatory for the Irish contingent!" laughs Lucy.
"Our first dance was to the Michael Buble version of Save the Last Dance and was sung by our amazing band The Cover Up Band. The musicians learnt the track especially for us. We had lessons for a few months to perfect our dance, complete with a lift at the end, which worked well," says Lucy.

The dress…

"My mum made my dress and it was absolutely beautiful," says Lucy. "It was everything that I wanted. It was made from a gorgeous ivory-coloured silk and the bodice was covered in sequins. The full skirt was also dotted with sequins and the back of the bodice was laced all the way down. It took a while to get into."
Lucy had bought a cashmere bolero to fend off the cold winter weather, but says that on the day she didn't need it thanks to the adrenalin coursing through her body.

"I wore a black morning suit with a cream and gold striped waistcoat and a champagne ruff," says Matt who teamed his outfit with a watch that Lucy had bought him as an engagement present, and some cufflinks to complement the pretty champagne colour scheme.
Matt was ably assisted by his younger brother who was his best man, while three friends took on the ushers' role. "We had two pageboys as well," says Matt.

The flowers…

Lucy's simple bouquet comprised calla lilies, white freesias, white lisianthus and white Veronica, which were given a smattering of sparkle with some diamantés.

The best bits…

"Several moments stand out for me: the silence of the church which let me take a quick breather to savour the moment, greeting all the guests in the receiving line, and finally my speech" says Matt

Top tips…

"Do exactly what you want to do on the day. Also, we recommend having a professional toastmaster who knows your wishes, and so will make the whole day stress-free. Our toastmaster, Michael Ramsden, was amazing and got everyone where we wanted them, when we wanted them. We also had a photo shoot on the beach for just the two of us, which provided a wonderful opportunity after the ceremony to be with each other before the party got into full swing."

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