“Our theme was industrial rustic. The venue fitted this theme perfectly. I wanted rustic flowers and colours.”
Bride and groom: Laura and James Smith
Length of engagement: 1 year 5 months
Wedding Date: Thursday 09th May 2019
Wedding location: The Vasilias Nikoklis Inn, Cyprus
Photographer: Photo7studio
We met… James and I met at work. We’re both serving police officers. James and I were on different teams but our lockers were directly next to each other. We would always talk to each other when James was finishing his shift and I was kitting up to start mine. After a year of friendship and looking out for each other at work (me mainly saving James when he hit his panic button) James eventually asked me on a date and we have been together ever since.
Our proposal… James proposed to me on my 29th Birthday (07th December 2017) in Mexico while we were on holiday. James arranged a private dinner on the pier. The setting was beautiful and very romantic. It was made even more special as he picked all my favourite food for our meal.
James kept to tradition and got down on one knee and pulled my ring from his sock. I did panic when I saw this as there were gigantic gaps in the pier’s flooring and I instantly thought I hope he doesn’t drop it. Lucky he didn’t and the ring fitted perfectly. Needless to say, it was the best birthday I’ve ever had.
Our wedding theme/colours… Our theme was industrial rustic. The venue fitted this theme perfectly. I wanted rustic flowers and colours. The venue has stunning chairs and tables which I wanted to showcase. I wanted the decor to be simple and classic.
The flowers were a huge part of the styling. I adore flowers and only wanted real. We chose white roses, lots of foliage and thistles. We had a foliage garland running down the entire length of the dining table and three large hanging foliage chandlers. Both looked stunning and just what we pictured.
My dress… My wedding dress was an ivory French crepe Suzanne Neville gown. My dress was bespoke. I had it made to my exact size and had the back lowered. My dress was the second dress I tried on and I knew it was the one instantly. I never thought I would get ‘the feeling’ because I’m very indecisive but I did, as did my Mother. It was a very special moment for us and one I will never forget.
My hair and make up… I wore my hair in a relaxed updo and I wore a dried flower hair comb made by Sophie and Luna. I also wore a long veil with delicate lace motifs on the edges.
I wanted a very natural look for my makeup. I don’t wear a lot of makeup day to day so I didn’t want my face to feel heavy. I choose Artemis to do makeup and I’m so glad I did. She was lovely and really put me and my bridal party at ease.
His suit… James’s suit was a bespoke three piece suit from Moss Bros. He chose everything on the suit from the material right down to its buttons. He loved every moment of the process. James wore shoes from Marks and Spencer and the watch he wore was a wedding day gift from me from Longines.
What our bridal party wore… My adult bridesmaids wore navy dresses in different styles to suit their figures in a dark navy. My flower girl wore a stunning dress from True Bride from NABBD based in London. The dress was called Ava which is also my niece’s name so it really was the perfect dress for her.
Our ceremony… Our ceremony was set in the beautiful Eucalyptus Garden at the Vasilias Inn. The wedding took place under a beautiful arch covered with fresh flowers. It was everything I wanted and more.
Each guess had a hankie and a fan which contained our order of service on it.
We chose our photographer because… We researched lots of photographers and always came back to photo7studios. We loved how simple and classic his photos were.
We chose our wedding coordinator because… After reading lots of information we decided there was only one lady for the job, Christina from the Vasilias. We booked directly through the venue and it couldn’t have been an easier process. Christina was amazing and made the process so easy. I can honestly say the process was very enjoyable and we had little stress.
Christine is always on hand to answer questions and puts your mind at ease.
We chose our venue because… I had been following the venue for years on Facebook. The venue popped up randomly on my feed. As soon as I saw the beautiful courtyard I thought wow. I secretly knew it was the one and where I would one day marry James. When I showed James the pictures he instantly said let’s book it. Which we did a few weeks after our engagement.
The venue is so beautiful and very private.
Our honeymoon… We combined our wedding and honeymoon together. We spent a week following our wedding at the beautiful Olympic Lagoon resort in Paphos.
My favourite part of the wedding day… I can’t answer this question because I loved every part. The entire day was perfect. Everything was so relaxed and went smoothly. It really was everything we envisaged and more.
We both wish we could do it again.
My piece of advice for other brides… If you want something for your big day do it. I know weddings are expensive but you really don’t want regrets. I have one regret and that is not having our day filmed. We didn’t as we really wanted to keep to our budget but I now really regret this decision.
Also make sure you enjoy every moment as it really does fly by. I honestly can’t believe it’s all over.
Suppliers
Wedding dress: Suzanne Neville from Serendipity Brides | Bride shoes: Dune | Bride and bridesmaid jewellery: Nomination | Bride’s earrings: Swarovski | Veil: Britten weddings | Bridal and bridesmaid hair combs: Bespoke – Sophie and Luna | Bridesmaid Shoes: Steve Madden | Adult bridesmaid dresses: Watters from the Bridesmaids Stylist St Albans | Junior bridesmaid dress: Dessy from Serendipity brides | Flower girl dress: True bride | Suits: Moss Bros | Groom shoes: Marks and Spencer | Florist: Aliki Flower Shop | Make up artist: Make up by Artemis | Hair Stylist: Renoir Hair Studio | Wedding cake/macaroons: Love island cakes | Wedding stationary: Polly & Me UK, The invite shack, Tuesdaychild Bespoke | Photographer: Photo7studio | Venue: The Vasilias Nikoklis Inn
