Your Wedding Day Dream Team
Photographer: Joe O’Brien / @earwigjoe
Florist: Poppy Scout / @poppyscout.co
Stylist: Tara Knott / @taraknott_
Rings: Kate Dawson / @katedawsonjewellery
Makeup Artists: Sian / @makeupbysian.x / Alex / @makeupbyalexandra.x / Hannah / @_hbmakeupartist
Ella’s Dress: Shona Joy / @shonajoy
Alterations: Katie Machej / www.facebook.com/katiealgarbridal
Ella’s Shoes: Ballerette / @balleretteofficial
Suits: Service Works / @service.works
George’s Shoes: Paul Smith / @paulsmith
Acoustic Musicians: Paul Tabor / @paul_tabor_wedding_singer / Tom Rollins / @tomrollinsmusic
DJ: Tom via Wedding Jam / @wedding.jam @smashthedancefloor
Confetti: Proper Confetti /@properconfetti
Tell Us About Your Incredible Outfits
What and who did you wear?
Ella wore a Shona Joy dress, which was taken in by Katie Machej, olive green ballet pumps from Ballerette, a £30 unbranded Vinted veil and very minimal accessories. George wore an olive green suit from Service Works and some Paul Smith shoes, which he already owned.
What and who did your wedding party wear?
The bridesmaids wore mismatched pale blue and chartreuse dresses from ASOS, KOOKAI, Club L London, New Look and Princess Polly, and the Groomsmen wore the same suit as George and their own shoes. We weren’t remotely strict on what they all wore for accessories; we just wanted them to feel like themselves!
Your Love Story – How did you meet, was it love at first sight? Tell us about the proposal!
We met on Tinder in 2019 whilst Ella (who is originally from Surrey) was studying at NTU and George was living in Derby, where he is from. We didn’t initially work out, but found our way back to each other in 2021. Once we started to properly date, we were attached at the hip pretty quickly, with Ella moving in with George after just 4 months.
Fast forward 4 years, and we’d bought a house together in Milford, got a wild Labrador called Melvin, travelled a lot and began discussing our dream wedding and life together regularly.
On the first morning of a holiday to Corfu, George woke Ella up at 6am (after far too many cocktails the night before), dragged her down to the very quiet beach and proposed on the jetty as the sun came up. Ella obviously said yes!
Your Wedding Day Vision & Inspiration What was your inspiration and vision for your day?
We mainly just wanted it to be a proper good party with our absolute favourite people, which it completely was. We did actually try to make the guest list small, but it was 100 people before we knew it, and with it being a once in a life time opportunity, we decided to go big and invite everyone we loved!
In terms of the design of the day, we were going for a Harpers Bazaar meets garden party theme. We started with our stationery (Ella is a Graphic Designer, so did these herself) and then built the rest of the day around that. The mood board was bouncy/fun/neutral flowers with pops of colour throughout. The main colours we went for were olive green, chartreuse and baby blue, then we had pinks and burgundys dotted about in accessories and decor.
Why did you choose The West Mill Venue?
Ella actually works with The West Mill team on their design and marketing, so having a close relationship with both the venue and the incredible team, it was an absolute no brainer. George had also loved the building and area way before that, having walked around Darley Park and the mills a lot as a kid.
We love old buildings, character and history. The West Mill is just so much more beautiful and characterful than any new build venue, and the central location was ideal with guests coming from across the world.
Did you do any DIY projects?
Ella did all the stationery and the wedding website, and Ella’s mum did the cake. The rest we left in the hands of our amazing suppliers!
Tell us about the details – Flowers, Cake, Decor, Stationery….
Tara and Hattie worked together to bring our vision to life, which, to be honest, was a bit vague! We were pretty chilled about it, gave them ideas and a colour palette and let them run with it. The venue couldn’t have looked more beautiful!
Flowers included alliums, smoke bush, peonies, ranunculus, grasses, all sorts! We had the most amazing hanging backdrop, which sat at the top of the aisle and then was moved down to the breakfast floor. Tara did the draping and then Hattie added the incredible flowers. It was honestly beyond all expectations!
Tara bought these gorgeous twisted candlesticks from H&M and dotted them along the table with runners and bud vases, which Hattie designed as individual vases of each flower variety.
Alcohol. Because No Great Story Started With A Salad (…or did it?) What was on your food & drinks menu?
For canapés, we had the fish and chip cone, mac and cheese bite and Staffordshire sausage with cheddar mash.
The wedding breakfast was braised ox cheek (unbelievable), followed by the stuffed chicken with mash (insane) and then the sticky toffee pudding (obscene).
Drinks were Modello (a nod to our favourite holiday destination in Mexico), Asahi, and Daylesford Prosecco for the drinks reception. Then for the meal we had Mucho Mas for the red, Faustino Rivero Ulecia Albarino for white and for the toast we had Nyetimber champagne.
The Hangover Only Lasts A Day But The Memories Last A Lifetime Can you sum up your wedding day in 3 words?
Beyond all expectations!
What are your favourite memories or highlights of your day?
We actually both loved the ceremony; we were both beaming from ear to ear whilst our friends and family all sobbed. We really felt the love in the room! All our married friends had said that when you see each other on the aisle, all the nerves melt away, which we didn’t really believe, but it was completely true!
Walking out into the drinks reception, having confetti flying absolutely everywhere and then saying hi to everyone was incredible! Looking back at everyone we love all in one place was like no other feeling before.
We are friends with our photographer and specifically didn’t want to spend hours taking photos, so we literally just walked to the end of the garden and back, had a proper laugh, and that was it, back to the party. All our photos are of what happened, not how we posed, and that will be so much more important for us to look back on than a shot list the length of your arm and no time spent with guests.
Our speeches were all really funny, with the odd soppy sentence thrown in. Ella surprised George with a cameo video of Big John, which went down a storm. BOSH!
We also wanted the day to be really chilled despite the larger guest list, which led to people getting up & dancing during the meal and all mingling across tables, which we loved. We floated around the room for most of the meal.
Do you have any advice for future Brides & Grooms?
Ah so much advice… let your Event Manager take all the stress from you, it’s literally their job! You are the guests of honour, not the hosts. Soak it all up because it’ll be the best day of your life, gone in the blink of an eye.
If you’re not sure, have the big wedding, when else will you have all your favourite people in one room?!
One last thing… spend the money on the party and having everyone there. Ella’s dress was £180, she did her own hair, and the Groomsmen’s suits were Service Works rather than Universal Works. No one will remember what your dress cost, but they will remember the entertainment, venue, food and booze!
Loved reading about Ella & George’s day? Read more real wedding stories here.