Hannah and James - 24.07.21

October 22, 2021

Hannah and James married this July at the beautiful Penshurst Place set in the rural Weald of Kent surrounded by picturesque countryside and ancient parkland. Hannah looked absolutely stunning in her beautiful dress from Farnham Bridal Boutique and the day was beautifully shot by Weddings by Bek.

Tell us about you...

Name: Hannah and James

Wedding Date: 24.07.2021

Location of Wedding: Penshurst Place in Kent

Tell us your proposal story…

James popped the question at the top of Mount Etna when we were on holiday in Sicily in July 2019. It was a little foggy on top of the Volcano and we had no signal, so we rang our parents as soon as we got back down to the car park. That evening we went out for dinner and drinks in the beautiful town of Taormina to celebrate properly! As soon as we touched down back down on UK soil, I was in full wedding planning mode! We looked at a couple of historic venues and decided on the beautiful Penshurst Place in Kent.

What advice would you give to any future bride currently planning their wedding?

Enjoy the planning as much as you can, go to the wedding shows, do your spreadsheets and Pinterest boards, basically soak up the engagement bubble! Due to the pandemic, we had a 9-month delay to our wedding, but it also gave us more time to plan and change things where our ideas had changed. At times you'll also feel like an event planner rather than a bride, I had guests texting me about hotels and taxis nearby, even though it was all listed on the Invite and our wedding website! Just try to remember that it's your special day and you can't control all of your guests.

What is the one thing in your opinion every bride needs on her wedding day?

Great bridesmaids! My younger sister and younger cousin had never been bridesmaids before but they were both amazing on the day, handing me a fan when I was hot, passing me my lip gloss for touch-ups during our photos. Looking back, I also realised how accessories really bring together an outfit. I took off my veil for the wedding breakfast to show off the back detail of my dress, then I changed my earrings from pearls to sparkly crystal earrings for the evening reception. Some brides have two dresses, but just a simple change of accessories can help to give a couple of different looks on the day and for the all-important photos!

What was the biggest pain point when planning your wedding and how did you overcome this?

Planning a wedding during Covid-19 was the biggest pain! It was the uncertainty of knowing if it could go ahead and we had to change our wedding date 3 times! After calling my venue and suppliers to give them the third date, I realised that we could take on anything and it was third time lucky! Friends and families sympathised with us for all the stress but I realised how lucky we were to have such great suppliers. You build a strong relationship with your suppliers over the months/ years of planning, so it’s important to keep them up to date and stay in good communication with them.

How did you choose your suppliers?

Our venue recommended a lot of local suppliers which was ideal for our cake and flowers, as you ideally don’t want a 5-tier cake travelling over an hour away! Photography and a wedding video were really important to us so we did a lot of research and had zoom calls to find the perfect company. Instagram is also great for finding inspiration and suppliers – it’s how I found out about Sarah Vuong when I was searching for Pearl hair pins.

Suppliers...

Venue:

Penshurst Place

Instagram @penshurstplace

Photographer:

WeddingsbyBek

Instagram @weddingsbyBek

Dress:

Farnham Bridal Boutique

Instagram: @thefarnhamboutiquebridal

Hair stylist

I Do Bridal Hair and Makeup