A roarsome ROMANCE A chance meeting sparked a friendship that soon turned into love, leading Andy and Jolene to create the wedding of their dreams – complete with dinosaurs and all Andy and Jolene met aged 18 during a night out with mutual friends. Their connection started as a friendship, before six years later falling in love. The proposal came out of the blue on the couple’s 12th anniversary, with Andy popping the question in Bruges. SETTING THE SCENE The couple opted for a truly personal big day. Jolene says: “Choosing a venue where everything could take place in one location was important to us, and Milling Barn ticked every box. We fell in love with the beautiful wisteria draped across the old barn, the swing overlooking the horse field and the stunning grounds. Personal touches made the day uniquely ours, from hand-embroidered napkin favours, lovingly stitched by Andy’s mum Sue, to bespoke bunting created by our bridesmaids and their mum during my hen party. We embraced colour with vibrant British wildflowers, while playful gold dinosaur centrepieces reflected our personalities. Instead of a traditional wedding cake, we opted for a macaron tower – a fun alternative we knew our guests would enjoy.” LOOKING THE PART “I fell in love with my dress because of the embroidered flowers all over it,” says the bride, who chose her gown from About a Bride. The design was made even more personal when the detachable sleeves were reworked into elegant fitted sleeves, while leftover embroidery was transformed into a sash for the flower girl’s dress. She completed the look with trainers for comfort, a memorial necklace containing her mum’s ashes and earrings borrowed from her “illegal guardian”, Annabel. “I’m normally very casual, so it was a big shock to see myself so dressed up,” she laughs. Andy wore a green tweed three-piece suit with a Liberty print floral tie and pocket square, while his groomsmen wore matching brown tweed suits with green ties to complement the bridesmaids’ forest green dresses. The bridesmaids were free to choose their own dress style in the same fabric, ensuring everyone felt comfortable while creating a beautifully coordinated bridal party. MOMENTS TO TREASURE “We were so excited to see all of our planning come to fruition,” the couple say. “The vows were a little nervewracking because everyone was looking at us, but once the ceremony was over, it was wonderful to spend the day celebrating with all the people we love.” One of the biggest highlights was Andy’s hilarious groom’s speech, which guests are still talking about. There were plenty of memorable moments too, including the couple’s two-year-old flower girl enthusiastically enjoying a chocolate ice cream before changing out of her stained white dress into a dinosaur dress. The couple were also overwhelmed by the kindness of those around them. Following the bride’s mum’s passing, her closest friends delivered a heartfelt speech and walked her down the aisle alongside Andy’s dad. Their suppliers went above and beyond, from the Milling Barn team setting up all the decorations and moving them between the ceremony and reception spaces, to the florist gifting extra flowers, the make-up artist keeping the day running smoothly and the photographer remembering a special photograph the bride had mentioned in passing. “Everything was perfect, and we’re so grateful to everyone who made our day so special,” they say. REAL WEDDINGS 23
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