Our vision for the wedding was for it to feel like middle earth, like an elven realm!
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We are from a really small island called Jersey, in the Channel Islands (it’s only 9 by 5 miles!), and are happiest when hiking a trail or swimming in the sea. In our downtime from work (Baillie as an airport firefighter, and myself as the managing director of a luxury hair studio) we love to escape to fantasy worlds through movies and books. Being from such a small place, we love to travel as much as possible and this is what inspired us to have a destination wedding.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met on New Year’s Eve in 2017. Both of us had plans with our different friendship groups that fell through last minute (fate perhaps?), and somehow we both ended up at the same pub gig in a run down pub! Baillie fuelled by dutch courage, approached myselfand my best friend – although was quickly was shut down as we had a mutual hatred for men that night (due to besties recent breakup!). So, there he went, off into the night. As the evening went on, I realised I might’ve just made a mistake. He was cute. I tried to find him — but he was already gone. Luckily, the story didn’t end there.. with a few messages back and forth over the following months and now the rest is history!
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).
Our vision for the wedding was for it to feel like middle earth, like an elven realm! We picked a luscious green venue on the hills of Sintra where fog eerily rolls in and creates the perfect setting. As big lord of the rings fans, we wanted to create an overall ethereal mood with lots of wild flowers, silverware and lace. We choose pink and green as our main colour theme as we love to clash colours and also a nod to the Beverly Hills hotel aesthetic which I have always loved!
What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).
The venue created the perfect backdrop for all of the other visuals, so I am really happy we made the choice to go with Camelia Gardens. Then adding all the draping flowers like Amaranthus and Irish bells added to the whimsy of it all!
What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
The creative side was the most enjoyable for us, creating moodboards, choosing colours and bringing together elements to achieve the overall vision. My advice to couples starting their wedding planning journey now would be to stick to doing you – it is so easy to get wrapped up in Pinterest that you end up changing your mind hundreds of times! Remind yourself that you are doing it for the two of you, what would be personal to you, your personalities and so forth. Oh and get a good wedding planner!
Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?
All of our vendors were absolutely phenomenal and we wouldn’t change a thing! We would love to shout from the rooftops about our amazing wedding planners from ByMatilda who truly made our dreams come true, and it would not have been possible without them! And our amazing photographer Adriana Morais – when I saw her photos for the first time I knew she just had to be our wedding photographer. Her style of photography tells a story like no other, and her photos are pure art.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?
For my dress, I knew I wanted a basque waist gown from the start of my dress hunt journey – I loved the drama of a corseted waist and then layers of fabric and tulle bursting out from the hips creating a beautiful Victorian shape that felt more editorial. For Baillie’s suit we had searched high and low for a green double breasted suit – we knew this colour would work perfectlywith the style of the wedding and when we couldn’t find one anywhere we created it custom and it turned out perfectly!
Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.
For our wedding rings we knew we wanted to go very classic for Baillie so we opted for a thick gold band with milgrain on the outer edge for some detail and to give it a more vintage feel. For my wedding band I chose a wishbone ring which hugs my engagement ring perfectly and feels quite elven – you can see the theme here! For my engagement ring, Baillie found and adapted the most perfect green sapphire ring (my favourite colour), with diamonds round the perimeter. I love the more vintage style and having a ring that really feels like me!
What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).
For us we love art, so the photography was really important to us to pick someone who we could really trust to capture our day, and in a cool unique way! Also the venue, as when you choose an amazing location it really does speak for itself!
Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?
We keep saying to each other that it really was the best day of our lives in every way – I think a moment we will treasure forever would be saying our vows to each other, it felt so surreal being stood in front of everyone we love and telling our story, and there was so much raw emotion there and it was perfect. Followed by our celebrant pronouncing us as husband and wife and then the La’s “There she Goes” played as the confetti came down – and we truly felt like we were in a movie in that moment!
BRIDE Danielle, @daniellegaudin_ GROOM Baillie, @bail_g LOCATION Camelia Gardens, Sintra, Portugal, @cameliagardens PHOTOGRAPHER Adriana Morais, @adrianamoraisphotography STYLIST AND PLANNER ByMATILDA, @bymatilda.pt FLORIST Bloomery, @bloomery.floraldesign CELEBRANT Sam Gardner, @samgardnercelebrant ENTERTAINMENT D’Johnz, @thedjohnz HIRE Backup Rentals, @backup.rentals CATERING AND CAKE Casa da Comida, @casa_da_comida STATIONERY AND SIGNAGE bride&groom ENGAGEMENT RING local jewellers in our small town WEDDING RINGS Goldsmith, @goldsmiths_uk BRIDE’S MAIN OUTFIT Freda Bennet dress, @fredabennet BRIDE’S SHOES Zara, @zara BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Veil from EllieBridals on Etsy HAIR & MAKEUP ARTIST Makeup by Tecas, @makeupbytecas BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Diptyque, Orpheon, @diptyque GROOM’S MAIN OUTFIT Custom tailored suit from Suit Supply, @suitsupply GROOM’S SHOES Zara, @zara GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Le Labo, Santal 33, @lelabofragrances GROOMSMEN SUITS suits from Remus Uomo, @remusuomo BRIDESMAID DRESSES Princess Polly, @princesspolly; Topshop, @topshop; Pretty Lavish, @prettylavishuk; Pepper mayo, @peppermayo
