Your Wedding Day Dream Team
Photographer: Kris Askey (https://www.krisaskey.com/)
Florist: Maria’s Flowers (https://www.mariasflowers.online/)
Band/DJ: Onset (https://www.onsetdjs.com/)
Hair and Makeup: Hair and Makeup by Saskia (https://www.hairandmakeupbysaskia.co.uk/)
Cake: BAKE in Ashbourne (https://www.bake-ashbourne.co.uk/)
Tell Us About Your Incredible Outfits What and who did you wear?
What and who did you wear? Laura wore a Lillian West Wedding Dress, with Charles & Keith heels, Megan Therese earrings, a Swarovski bracelet gifted by her bridesmaids.
What and who did your partner wear? Ben wore a slim fit khaki donegal tweed suit from Moss Bros.
What and who did your wedding party wear? Ben’s groomsmen wore a slim fit stone Donegal tweed suit from Moss Bros.
Your Love Story – How did you meet, was it love at first sight? Tell us about the proposal!
Our love story is a very modern one, as we met via Hinge! We went for our first date on 25th March 2022 and it was pretty much love at first sight, as we both deleted the app shortly thereafter! Laura was dropping hints about the proposal from very early on, but it took Ben a little while to muster up the funds for an engagement ring! However, he finally popped the question on 26th May 2024, overlooking Broadway Tower and with our beloved Staffie, Ted, in tow! That was followed by an overnight stay in Birmingham and a slap-up meal at The Oyster Club, which is where we had one of our early dates.
Your Wedding Day Vision & Inspiration What was your inspiration and vision for your day?
We went for an autumnal theme in terms of colour palette, flowers, and signage, and quite a minimalist approach in general, and were delighted with the results. In the three plus years we’ve been together, we have been to 11 weddings so took plenty of inspiration from other couples we know! We also did a healthy amount of stalking on the West Mill’s Instagram page!
Why did you choose The West Mill Venue?
Laura used to live and work in Derby so knew Darley Abbey fairly well, but we first came across the West Mill as a couple when staying over in Derby for the weekend. Ben (half) jokingly suggested we might get married there one day over a drink in Darley Abbey Wines, so it was only natural that it was the first venue we booked to see after getting engaged. In fact, by process of elimination, it ended up being the only venue we viewed, which is just as well because we instantly fell in love with it and booked it on the same day!
We love the architecture of the building and its use of natural light, and the setting is breathtaking on a dry day. We also love how each floor has a distinct use, it worked really well on the big day.
Did you do any DIY projects?
Yes, we designed all of our own signage and stationery – including bar mats starring Ted! – with some help from Ben’s talented Uncle Gaz!
Tell us about the details – Flowers, Cake, Decor, Stationery….
As said, we went for an autumnal colour palette and a generally minimalist approach and were delighted with the final output. The sneak peek photos we have seen looked absolutely gorgeous, and it was a real joy to see our vision come to life on the big day!
Alcohol. Because No Great Story Started With A Salad (…or did it?) What was on your food & drinks menu?
We were delighted with the food, Jenkinson’s did a stellar job! Our main menu was a chorizo and red pepper arancini starter, followed by a chicken breast main and sticky toffee pudding dessert (Laura’s favourite!). Ben and Laura had a pescatarian main of seabass, which was also a triumph, and there were vegetarian and vegan options available for guests too!
Booze wise, we provided Peroni and prosecco for the drinks reception along with an elderflower spritz non-alcoholic option. For the main, we provided red, white and rose wine – expertly sourced from our local Morrisons!
The Hangover Only Lasts A Day But The Memories Last A Lifetime Can you sum up your wedding day in 3 words?
Best day ever!
What are your favourite memories or highlights of your day?
It’s hard to summarise just how perfect our big day was. It was easily the best day of our lives, and there’s so many reasons for that. The wedding ceremony was absolutely note perfect, and the drinks reception was a fun-filled, relaxed affair. Our wedding breakfast was glorious, with lots of heartfelt speeches and a joy-filled ambience throughout. The evening was exactly what we wanted too – just a non-stop party with all of our favourite people. We are overjoyed with how the whole thing came together and couldn’t be more grateful to The West Mill, our brilliant suppliers and wonderful guests.
Do you have any advice for future Brides & Grooms?
Be true to yourselves – weddings elicit a lot of unsolicited advice, and there’s generally a lot of silly conventions and taboos that you just don’t need to follow. From the outset, we said we wanted our day to be a representation of us and our love, and so we gave ourselves plenty of time (circa 16 months) to plan it and regularly checked in with each other throughout to ensure everything came together as we wanted. If you can, tackle everything as a team and be sure to communicate openly and honestly with one another, because wedmin stress is real! Ultimately though, just make sure that every detail is as you want it and that all of the decisions you make are for you and not anybody else.
Loved reading about Ben & Laura’s day? Read more real wedding stories here.