We woke up early to drive up to a quiet lookout point in the Waimea Canyons, which is where he got down on one knee and proposed to me with my wedding ring (I knew I only wanted one ring).
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
I work in Consulting, and Josh works in Finance. We are originally both from the UK, but both transferred with our jobs to New York, where we have been now for nearly six years. We love to travel and have been fortunate to travel to many incredible places over the years. We also love to spend time with our friends and family (we’re really lucky to have so many great people in our lives)!
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Josh and I both met while we were at university – we both studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and lived in the same halls of residence in our first year. Josh was one of the first people that I met, and we were friends for a few months before we got together. Josh had his long floppy fringe, as did I, and he was wearing this thin, shiny black jacket (the pinnacle of fashion at the time), which over the coming months became affectionately known by our friends as “binnie” because of its striking similarities to a bin bag. I remember thinking that while we were friends, nothing would ever happen between us…
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
There wasn’t really a first moment that I realised I would spend the rest of my life with Josh. It was just something that grew to be. He is my best friend and we just have so much fun together.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Josh proposed to me on a trip to Kauai, Hawaii, in May 2021. I always knew he would do a good job, but I look back at our engagement and can’t actually believe that was our engagement – it was so special! We woke up early to drive up to a quiet lookout point in the Waimea Canyons, which is where he got down on one knee and proposed to me with my wedding ring (I knew I only wanted one ring). I remember Josh being very flustered the morning he proposed, which is very unlike him(!) – so much so that as we left the hotel to drive up to the canyons, the whole car got covered in coffee when Josh accidentally left our coffees on the roof of the car while sorting his bag before we pulled away! After he proposed, we drove back down from the canyons, and Josh suggested a walk along the beach to get to a “restaurant” he had booked for lunch. But as we walked down onto this secluded beach, there was no sign of any restaurant… just a private picnic he had arranged to be set up, where we opened a bottle of champagne and ate on the beach.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding…
We knew that we wanted a classic, elegant and elevated feel/style for the day, but with unique twists and personal touches that reflected who we are as people and how we wanted our guests to feel throughout the day. For example, we hired a string quartet to play classical music as guests arrived, jumping into pop songs (Bridgerton style) as we walked down the aisle and during the cocktail hour. We hired furniture and trees to dress the incredible Came House. For our wedding favours, I hand drew each of our guests, which we included in miniature frames for everyone to take home. At the same time, we also wanted all of our guests to have the very best day and to have as much fun as possible! Our band was the incredible TMD, and the dance floor was packed the entire evening!
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
We knew that the day would go so fast and that we wanted to be able to look back on the day. As such, it was really important to us that we had the very best photographer and videographer. We were really fortunate to work with Emily Rose Hamilton and Chris Pavey (aka Toast Films) to document our day. We might be biased, but we think they absolutely nailed it!
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
We had a real issue in getting our bow ties to tie on the day. While we’ve done it before, for some reason, it just wasn’t happening on the day.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
We both wore black tuxedos in keeping with our black tie dress code and wore shoes by Christian Louboutin.
CEREMONY + RECEPTION Came House, @camehousedorset PHOTOGRAPHER Emily Rose Hamilton, @emilyrosehamilton VIDEOGRAPHER Toast Films, @toastfilmsuk CELEBRANT Zena Birch, @zenabirchweddings ENTERTAINMENT Chiqas, @chiqas_music; Truly Medley Deeply, @tmd_band STYLING The W Studio, @the_w_collection; Twilight Trees, @twilighttrees; The Luxe Collection, @theluxecollectionuk PLANNER Louise Perry Weddings, @louiseperryweddings HIRE Swit Soo, @switsoophotobooths; Cinemattag, @cinemattag MAQRUEE Sail and Peg, @sailandpeg FLORA Nudo Blooms, @nudo.blooms CATERING + BEVERAGES Ginger Catering Company, @gingercateringcompany STATIONERY Paperknots, @paperknots GIFTING WISE Prezola, @prezola SUIT Suit Supply, @suitsupply RINGS Cartier, @cartier; De Beers, @debeersofficial SHOES Christian Louboutin, @louboutinworld MAKEUP Amazing Face, @amazing_facedorset FRAGRANCE Chanel – Bleu de Chanel, @chanelofficial; Armani – Code, @armanibeauty GROOMSMAIDS ATTIRE Maids to Measure, @maidstomeasure
