Hope and Kev met at school. They both secretly liked each other but they hung out in different friendship groups, so they kept this to themselves until they started to get to know each other in sixth form. When Hope left for college, they finally decided to give it a go. Hope says, “Kev has a great sense of humour, is very kind, caring and warm. He’s a little bit shy and never cocky. Plus, he’s got lovely blue eyes.” Kev says of Hope, “I love how outgoing and funny she is. She can literally talk to anybody, and no conversation with her is ever dull. She has a knack for storytelling and she’s just so intelligent. She is just perfect.” Kev intended to propose in Paris in 2020, but they never got the chance to go thanks to the pandemic. So, given they couldn’t go on holiday, or to a restaurant, he decided he’d pop the question in one of their favourite places – their own back garden. He’d booked the day off work, but didn’t want Hope to know, and because he was working from home at the time set about his usual business to avoid suspicion. Once she’d left, he jumped into action to set everything up ready for the big moment. He hired a luxury igloo from The Cosy Igloo Company for the garden and cooked Hope’s favourite tea. After they’d eaten he got down on one knee. “I nearly fell over because our garden is so uneven!” Kev remembers. When the couple started planning their big day they had an idea in their heads of how they wanted it to be. A big church wedding with lots of guests simply wasn’t for them. So, they booked a viewing at Liverpool Town Hall and fell in love with it. “Neither of us had been in the ceremony area before and were completely blown away,” Kev remembers. “We set the date, 5th August, 2022, and paid our deposit within an hour of leaving.” The couple then made enquiries at various different reception venues around the city but struggled finding anywhere to accommodate them and their 30 guests. Finally, they found Frederiks, a jazz bar on Hope Street and booked a table for lunch to get a feel for it. “The vibe was boss, all the staff were really friendly and welcoming, and the food was unreal. I’d recommend the braised beef short ribs if you ever go, it’s so good,” Kev tells us. “The bar manager took us to look at the function room, the Pillbox and we booked it online that night.” Join us as Hope and Kev give us the lowdown on their big day in the city... SIMPLY STUNNING Hope and Kev wanted their day to be simple, with a neutral colour palette. They had a budget in mind and did their very best to keep within it. For wedding favours they opted for charity pins from three organisations close to their hearts – Cancer Research, Alzheimers UK and The British Heart Foundation. The money spent on the pins was donated to the charities and they doubled as place names. To go along with these guests were also given Ferrero Rochers as they waited for the bride and groom to arrive. The couple decided against traditional centrepieces as they didn’t want anything to go to waste at the end of the day, instead choosing greenery and smaller flowers included in Hope’s bouquet that were scattered along the tables. “This complemented the space and left plenty of room for food and drink,” Kev explains. What was left they collected the next day and composted at home. Hope’s beautiful bouquet featured sandy, neutral tones featuring flowers grown by the florist, Flourish Flowers. The wedding party wore buttonholes for the men and corsages for the women, all designed using the same palette as the bridal bouquet. 40
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