Amber + Thom by Rebecca Emily - Together Journal

We decided to get married outside because we wanted something different and that eclectic, whimsical feel.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love… 

Thom and I grew up in the same town where we still live today with our darling (dog) daughter Winnie, who we are utterly obsessed with. Thom has worked for the fire brigade since 2015 and I’ve been lucky enough to have travelled the world modelling, which I did up until last year. I’m a huge home bird, and Tom is a social butterfly, but we complement each other in the best way. Thom joked in his wedding speech that “if no one can find Amber come 9 o’clock she’s probably at home watching Harry Potter” which is completely accurate!

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We met while Tom was working as a chef in a bar. I came in with my older sisters, and after some gentle encouragement from them to get to know each other, we hit it off straight away. It feels second nature to be around Tom. He’s just got a way of making you feel completely at ease, and after almost 10 years, we’ve never gone a day without speaking.

Amber – my first impression of Tom was how magnetic he was. He’s such a beam of light and has such a positive impact on people around him. He also makes friends with everyone wherever we go, which makes for some fun taxi rides and interesting conversations in the supermarket queue.

Thom – my first impression of Amber was, wow, she is beautiful! She is so warm and happy that it makes you want to spend as much time as possible around her.

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?

Amber – for me, it was pretty early into our relationship; we developed such a deep connection and bond right away. There were never any thoughts of “I wonder where this will go, or let’s just see” It was almost unspoken that this mutual feeling between us, this really deep love and respect, was permanent.

Thom – much the same, I knew very early that this was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. It just felt natural from the start and required no effort or thought.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…

Once I had the ring, I started thinking of how I was going to propose. I knew Amber wouldn’t want a big public affair but rather a more intimate personal proposal. Her birthday was coming up so I booked us a weekend in Edinburgh and decided it was then I was going to ask the question, where or how was still up for debate. We’d had a day sightseeing and in the evening we went out for a meal just down the road from Edinburgh castle, after the meal we wandered up to the illusions attraction and I had decided that afterwards we would head up to the castle and that’s when I’d pop the question. I’d had it in my head id ask someone to take a photo of us, and that’s when I’d get down on one knee, but Sod’s Law, no one was there with it being late! That plan out the window I picked a spot and got down on one knee, I have no idea what I said but it worked and she said yes!

Amber – all I remember is thinking how funny it was that Thom wanted to ask someone to take our photo. He’s so camera-shy, and I think that’s when the penny dropped! After that, it was a bit of a blur, but I just remember immediately saying yes. I was so glad it was just us two present; it felt very intimate.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.

Right from the initial stages of planning the wedding, it was really important to us that the day felt intimate, relaxed and very bespoke to us. From working within the fashion industry, I wanted there to be editorial and unique elements mixed with warmth and some more classic and timeless features. We decided to get married outside (yes, even in England) because we wanted something different and that eclectic, whimsical feel. We live in such a beautiful part of the country and we really wanted that to also be a focus point of the wedding. We added to that intimate atmosphere with all the warm tones we used in our decor, on the tables, we had a lot of natural beeswax candles that our friend’s mum makes, and on the dance floor, we had hanging stars and terracotta tablecloths, but something I also put a lot of thought into was our flowers; my friend Sammi from Simply Fern was such a safe pair of hands, I really wanted them to feel ethereal and natural and very undone and Sammi surpassed every expectation. It was also important to me that we had a lot of small personal touches scattered around, so we chose to do quite a lot of extras such as newspapers, matchboxes, blankets, napkins, biscuits and even cocktail toppers, all with our signature A+T and our little Winnie; these all went down such a treat with our friends and family, and I was so glad that all the hard work paid off. We are so lucky to be surrounded by so many talented friends who helped and featured on the wedding day in so many ways, and it really made the day feel so uniquely ours.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

Thom’s main focus was music, and mine was the photographer, so they became our biggest priority to get right.

Thom – we have been to see Loud Noises a few times before, and right from the start, they were a clear choice in terms of music for the day. They are an incredible four-part brass band that plays all your recognisable songs and is so engaging. They are the ultimate party starters. We had everyone up on their feet, including my Grandma, and people are still talking about how amazing they were to this day.

Amber – I really took my time researching photographers that captured weddings in a very modern, editorial, yet timeless way and as soon as I came across Rebecca, I knew she had to be the one, and I instantly became obsessed with her work. Rebecca manages to catch images in such an intimate way and her work speaks for itself in terms of how she can highlight all those candid moments in the most beautiful way. I also have to mention how lovely Rebecca is too, she made us feel at ease immediately and was really communicative and engaging pre wedding.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?

I think the moment that stands out to the both of us … and probably all our guests was the moment I fell off my father-in-law’s shoulders and right onto my face! It seemed like such a great idea at the time, Thom was on our friends shoulders, the band was playing everyone was having a great time and then someone suggested that I to, should get on someone’s shoulders and join Thom. However, as I’m 5’11, there were limited options on who would be tall enough until my very kind father-in-law volunteered. Let’s just say we had both had a few too many drinks to be attempting any such thing, and as quick as I was up, I was coming down on my face. Luckily there were no injuries, and it made for a pretty funny story… and yes, it was caught on videos.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?

After modelling a lot of dresses in my past career, there wasn’t a style, shape or colour I hadn’t tried on, which made finding something that felt right for me really difficult! I had been to a few places in Manchester and London, but everything either felt too much or not enough, and I really wanted something that sat in between timeless and classic and that relaxed feel we wanted of the day. When I discovered Amare Bridal, it was like walking into heaven; not only is the shop so beautiful, but Lynsey is so helpful and has a way of knowing what you need before you do. My dress was by Bon Bridal and fit exactly what I was looking for. I felt so amazing in the dress, and it was so comfortable. It was also great to support a British designer.

For Thom and our groomsmen, we wanted to add that black tux edge to the day to really play on the juxtaposition of the outdoor wedding. We also wanted an opportunity for our friends to get dressed up, so we chose black tie. Thom’s jacket was a beautiful oyster velvet and really complimented our bridesmaids, who looked amazing in silk champagne dresses.

Thom – I chose my suit within approximately 6 minutes of walking into the shop.

For us the day couldn’t have felt more perfect, it was exactly what we had hoped and planned for. We were surrounded by all the people we love most, and all our suppliers made the day so special. We trusted our gut on everything and threw caution to the wind with any doubts people had about an outdoor wedding in England. People always tell you how quickly the day goes, and it is so true, but with the person you love more than anything by your side and all your people joining in the celebration of that, you just have to soak each and every minute in.