Summer Loving

Natasha and Del travelled to Greece to find each other

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Early days…

Natasha and Del met whilst on holiday on the Greek Island of Zante. This wasn't just a holiday romance; the couple have now been together eight years. Natasha tells us when they fell in love: "If I had to pick a moment, I'd say it was when Del had dropped me off at my rented house in Bournemouth when I was to start my four year university course. We had only been together three months at the time: and when it came for me to say goodbye, I burst into tears, petrified it was going to be the last time I saw him. It doesn't sound much, but I knew then that I couldn't live without him."

When Del met Natasha he knew how he felt instantly: "When I first met Natasha I was rather awe struck. Her looks fit perfectly with her personality and I fell in love as soon as she said 'hello'. "

The proposal…

Holidays are clearly memorable for Natasha and Del. Del surprised Natasha by proposing whilst on holiday in the Caribbean - on the British Virgin Island of Tortola. Natasha recalls: "He asked if I wanted to go for a walk on the beach before we got ready for dinner. We were the only ones there, the sun was setting and baby crabs were hatching- needless to say it was extremely romantic. He got down on one knee and asked 'will you marry me?'. I could not have asked for a more perfect proposal."

Hen and stag parties…

Natasha and her hen party of nine friends celebrated in Edinburgh for the weekend. Natasha is keeping very quiet about the antics that took place.

The stag went to Poland for the weekend and tells us about the embarrassing outfit he had to wear: "I went to Warsaw for the weekend with nine friends and was forced to wear a 'man-kini' in an ice bar. As well as the barely-there number, I also had to wear a Leprechaun outfit whilst doing an Irish Jig on St Patrick Day in an Irish bar. "

The venues…

Wedding fairs and venue open days provide a great opportunity to see a potential venue in all its glory. This is how Natasha and Del found their dream venue. Natasha explains: "We visited Oatlands Park Hotel for a wedding fair and when we returned for a full viewing we just knew it was the place where we wanted to get married. We booked the venue in July 2007. The original plan was to get married in September 2008, however as the excitement grew with all the planning we brought the wedding forward to April. "

The attendants…

Natasha had two bridesmaids to help her on her big day- her best friend and cousin. They wore strapless, satin, lilac dresses which matched the flower girl's lilac cardigan.

Del's old school friend was his best man and both his and Natasha's brothers were the ushers. The couple also had Natasha's godsons as page boys. All the male attendants wore charcoal suits with a lilac swirl waistcoat and a lilac cravat. Natasha tells us about Del's attire: "Although everyone would have known who Del was, we thought it would be nice to have him stand out from the other men in the wedding party. Therefore Del wore an ivory waistcoat which matched my wedding dress. "

The dress…

The bride's dress was a beautiful satin ivory dress with a strapless bodice and full skirt. There was exquisite beading on the front, side and at the back. To complement her bridal look Natasha wore a sparkling crystal tiara and freshwater pearl necklace with a matching bracelet and earrings. Conforming to tradition, something old and borrowed was Natasha's nan's wedding ring, new was her jewellery: and for her something blue Natasha had a blue ribbon in her garter.

The flowers…

The bride's bouquet comprised white roses and white calla lilies. Each white rose had a diamante in the centre: and to make it easy to hold the stems were wrapped in ivory satin. The bridesmaids' bouquets consisted of three large white calla lilies which were cut to different lengths, and looked like the flowers were draped over the bridesmaids' arms.

The groom's buttonhole was a white rose to match the bride's bouquet and the buttonholes for the men in the bridal party were white calla lilies to match the bridesmaids bouquets.

The decorative touches…

The ceremony room was naturally beautiful with the stunning architecture and ornate ceilings providing sufficient decoration on their own. Natasha tells us how they created their lovely reception: "We simply covered the chairs with white covers and added lilac sashes to bring in the colour theme. As the centre pieces are the focal point for any guest when they are having the meal, we chose tall, circular, clear glass vases which enabled everyone to see each other.

"The flowers were white roses, white calla lilies and lilac freesias. Inside the glass vases was lilac oasis sisal, which, when mixed with lights gave a fantastic effect. The top table had a smaller arrangement to the guests' tables. Scattered on the tables was heart-confetti with the letters D&N in the middle, as well as lilac feathers and paper lilac hearts. The top table had bride and groom confetti characters.

"To create an air of romance we had tea-light candles scattered round the centre flower pieces. In the evening this created the romantic effect we were looking for. We wanted a personal element to the reception so we had poems printed on lilac paper to thank our guests for all their love and support and sharing our special day with us. To personalise our table plan, we named our tables after significant destinations. "

The best bits…

We hear what Natasha and Del enjoyed most about their day: "We loved the whole day. The ceremony was wonderful, getting ready in the morning, walking up the aisle, exchanging of the rings and especially sharing the day with our close friends and family. We would both do the whole day again and again it was just so perfect, " says Natasha

Top tips…

Natasha has some useful advice for future wedding couples: "It is important that you are well organised for your big day as worrying about everything right up to the wedding will only make you panic. On the morning of the wedding, take a deep breath and enjoy every single moment of it. Remember your time is very precious and the day goes so quickly. It is also important to make sure you spend time enjoying the day together."

"For a selection of the best wedding services and wedding companies in Surrey, attend the local wedding fairs. You will be able to find everything for your special day. "

The honeymoon…

For their honeymoon the newlyweds jetted off to the sunny climes of Mauritius for a luxurious two-week break. Would they recommend the destination? "Absolutely! Dazzling white sand beaches, plenty of sunshine, luxury hotels, gourmet cuisine and stunning scenery, all formed the perfect setting for a relaxing honeymoon. Just what you need after all the wedding planning! " says Natasha.

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