An Eastington Park wedding for Becky and Antony for you to enjoy!
Becky who is a solicitor and Antony who is a police officer chose a blush pink fairy tale romance theme for their July wedding day and have answered some questions so that you can read about their wedding at Eastington Park in their own words. And of course I have added ‘Nikki’s Notes…‘ for you to see some of the behind the scenes
London based Becky and Antony met on Tinder! Their first date was to a bar called Babel in Clapham Junction where they ended up drinking Mojitos and chatting for hours – there was definitely an instant spark there!
Antony proposed in Rome on Becky’s 30th Birthday. They were at a beautiful rooftop bar as the sun was setting. For the first time ever Becky said she was speechless! Such a romantic proposal made extra special as Becky was at that time 3 months pregnant with their son.
This lovely couple took 18 months to plan their wedding. Here is their Wedding Story… Enjoy…!
Q: Why did you choose your venue?
A: We fell in love with the beautiful grounds and surrounding countryside. The house is stunning and we loved the idea of having exclusive use of the house and our close friends and family there for the whole weekend.
We loved the outdoor pergola and were so happy when we woke up to a really sunny day and were able to get married outside. Eastington Park also has a beautiful secret walled garden where we had our photo shoot and a 24 hour bar license which meant we could party all night long!
The team at Eastington were so welcoming and friendly and we are so pleased we chose the venue. They went above and beyond to make our day truly magical and stress-free from start to finish.
Nikki’s Notes… Your venue is so important and reflects you and your style so choose somewhere where you feel at home, where the Team look after you and where you will have happy memories of your wedding day. Eastington Park is fabulous! Its a venue I know very very well and have celebrated a big family event there too. The Team are fabulous from start to finish. Definitely a favourite of mine!
Q: Tell us why you chose us to photograph your wedding?
A: From my first conversation on the phone with Nikki I knew she was the photographer I wanted for our big day! She was so interested and excited about plans and she had lots of interesting ideas to capture our special moments. She is more than a photographer, since the moment she arrived in the morning she knew exactly how to make the day run smoothly and went above and beyond to get the perfect photo (despite the scorching hot day).
Nikki’s Notes… I was absolutely thrilled to receive a SILVER BAR for this image! I knew as I was taking it that it was going to be special…
Q: How did Nikki and her team capture your big day memories?
A: She put us at ease and knew in advance the photos that were really special to us. Our photo shoot in the Secret Walled Garden was very romantic and the photos of our guests and family are just perfect.
Nikki’s Notes… And a BRONZE BAR too!
Our 17 month old son Joshua was with us at our wedding and Nikki managed to capture some special family moments of us together on the swing at Eastington Park which we will treasure!
Nikki has since won three awards for her work at our wedding from The Guild of Photographers!
Nikki’s Notes… Take the time to choose your wedding photographer; its a critical decision and don’t book one based on cost alone; its a decision you may well regret. I absolutely love my job and live and breathe weddings 24/7! You, my Clients, inspire me. I want to hear all about your day, your plans, the details, your vision. Photographing weddings is what I do; its my main job which means that I can dedicate that all important time to you which makes all the difference.
Q: Was there an inspiration or theme for your wedding?
A: Eastington Park is an 18th Century Manor House situated in beautiful countryside so we went for a fairy tale romantic wedding with a blush pink theme with a touch of navy. The house and gardens were decorated with blush pink and ivory flowers and the bridesmaids wore floaty blush pink bridesmaid dresses.
Q: Did you hire a wedding planner or was it a DIY affair?
A: We did most of the planning ourselves, but Alex at Eastington Park was our personal wedding planner. He helped us with just about everything on the day and made sure every last detail went exactly to plan. We can’t thank him enough for all his help!
Nikki’s Notes… Having a good team around you is essential so that you don’t have to worry about what’s going on all day. You just need to enjoy and get married!
The dress is by Augusta Jones. Very romantic ivory lace with a V neckline and open keyhole back. I bought my dress from a beautiful boutique wedding dress shop called The Dress in Teddington.
Nikki’s Notes… Something borrowed from a family member is always special.
Q: What did James wear?
A: Navy blue suit with navy blue tartan waistcoat, a light grey tie and blush pink buttonhole.
Nikki’s Notes… Navy for the gents is still a very popular choice although black shoes rather than brown are becoming de rigour. Such a smart choice and it suits every skin tone.
Q: What flowers did you choose?
A: Pale pinks and blush including roses, peonies, hydrangeas and eucalyptus
Q: What song did you walk down the aisle to?
A: “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz and back up the aisle to “Paradise” by George Ezra (both sung by Indie singer Laura Greaves).
Q: What was your favourite part of your wedding day?
A: We loved it all! Saying our vows was very emotional and I don’t think we were prepared for that.
Q: Did you have any special readings during the service?
A: Our sister in law Kat and close friend Anna did special readings for us.
Nikki’s Notes… Outdoors wedding ceremonies are wonderful! Just make sure your guests are aware of your plans as Becky’s and Antony’s were so that sun screen could be applied in advance or if its chilly throws/wraps can be brought.
Q: What did you have for your wedding breakfast?
A: A three course meal. Guests had options for each course. I chose Basil marinaded vine tomato and mozzarella salad, Thai spiced salmon and Eton Mess. Antony had Chicken Liver Parfait, Slow Roast Pork Belly and Hot Chocolate Fondant with salted caramel and peanut sauce.
Nikki’s Notes… I have never seen a Groom ribbed so much by his Best Men! The speeches were phenomenal and incredibly funny!
Q: What kind of cake did you go for?
A: Three tier marble blush cake with sugar roses and foliage. It was absolutely stunning. We had different flavours on each tier including lemon drizzle and cherry bakewell.
Q: What was your first dance song?
A: “Something Just Like This” by Coldplay (played by our band Riptide). We went to Glastonbury together the week after I found out I was pregnant and we saw Coldplay there so they song brings back very special memories for us.
Nikki’s Notes… Do work with your photographer to enable them to create stunning back lit images of you on the dance floor.
Q: Who/what made your day extra special? Eg, a friend’s speech/ supplier that went above and beyond?
A: Alex, our wedding manger from Eastington Park, went above and beyond to make sure everything went perfectly. And our Photographer Nikki was so experienced at guiding us through the day and making sure everything went really smoothly whilst capturing the most amazing photos which we will treasure forever.
Our florist and stylist team also worked incredibly hard and the flowers and décor was just breath-taking and so much better than we could have ever imagined!
Q: What advice would you give anyone planning their big day?
A: Enjoy every second as it’s over far too quickly! Oh and make sure someone records your wedding speeches as it is so special to be able to listen to them again.
Nikki’s Notes… We had a ball photographing Becky’s and Antony’s wedding for them. Getting to know them both and their families. And of course then going on to win awards including a SILVER from the photography industry!
Photographer: Nikki Kirk & Team www.nikkikirkphotography.com
Ceremony & Reception venue: Eastington Park www.eastingtonpark.co.uk/
Videographer: Our very good friend, Lucy Hilson
Flowers: The Flower Girls by Emma www.the-flower-girls.co.uk/
Stylist: Styletopia www.styletopia.co.uk
Dress: Augusta Jones
Dress shop: The Dress in Teddington http://thedress.co.uk/
Bridesmaid dresses: M&S
Groom’s outfit: Debenhams
Cake: Cake Daydreams www.cakedaydreams.co.uk
Catering: Berry Blue http://berry-blue.co.uk/
Stationery: The Bridal Paperie www.thebridalpaperie.co.uk
Entertainment: Indie singer Laura Greaves for walking down the aisle and the reception and Riptide (Band) for the evening. https://www.riptideband.co.uk/
Favours: Scratch cards in beautiful personalised envelopes by Wedding in a Teacup https://weddinginateacup.co.uk/
Hair and beauty: Claire Guy (hair) http://claireguy.com
and Kate Kelvin (makeup) http://kkmakeupartist.co.uk
Rings including engagement ring: Beverley Hill London (shop in Hatton Garden)