REAL WEDDINGS 27 Alex Covey and Alex Frances first met in college when they were both 16. They were studying animal care at the time and already knew they had a shared interest. The pair were both extremely anxious and shy, which meant they found it very difficult to talk to one another. Due to the severity of their shyness, they didn’t truly talk to each other for a long time. They we were both overcoming a bad school life that stifled their social capabilities. It took until April 2018 for them to finally get the chance to properly become friends when they unknowingly chose the same work experience placement at an animal rescue centre. They were both frightened of this new environment, but having one another there made them feel safe and being alone allowed them to speak a little bit. Work experience didn’t last very long and they didn’t cross paths that often, so their friendship didn’t truly get a chance to develop as they’d hoped. One day they both mistakenly received a bad report from their supervisor and Alex Covey took it upon himself to find out if there had been a mistake. He says, “Of course there had been, and this whole horrible ordeal went from a curse to a blessing, as I realised it gave me the chance to reach out to Alex on Facebook to let her know.” He adds, “From that first message, we just clicked and spoke to each other online nonstop. Messaging was much easier for shy people like us, and we built up our confidence to have proper conversations even at college. We spent more time together, and felt our anxiety slipping away.” Finally, on the 30th of May 2018, the pair found themselves on a bench in a nearby park. They both shared their feelings and realised they loved each other. Alex Covey says, “We had both gone so long thinking that we were unlovable and shutting ourselves off from the world, but we had finally found our place.” Exactly one year later, in the same location the couple had professed their love, the lovebirds became engaged and set out to create their dream wedding. SETTING THE SCENE When looking for the perfect venue, the pair came across Sheene Mill and knew it would fit their amethyst and rustic theme perfectly. As the couple had an intimate wedding in mind, they found it easy to envision their big day here. The property was something out of a fairytale with a sparkling pond with ducks and swans – they loved the wildlife aspect. The couple had an small wedding with six guests who all sat around one table. In the centre was a large bouquet and little menu cards. Even though the couple didn’t have a seating plan, they still had little place names made from amethyst agate stone to help guests find their seats. The wedding stylist really went all in with the theme, and the venue looked amazing! There were purple glasses and edible crystals dotted around the venue as well as purple sashes on the back of every chair, a purple tablecloth, a welcoming sign and a balloon arch. Flowers around the venue added a romantic setting, especially on the pergola where the ceremony was held, and the blooms represented the pair’s favourite colours. The bridal bouquet was elaborate and a beautiful explosion of colour, as was the groom’s buttonhole. The couple created little gift bags for guests to take home, which featured mementoes of the day such as a small amethyst crystal, purple hearts with the pair’s names plus wedding date and bags of seeds to grow their own purple flowers. There were even special activity booklets made by CherryTop Weddings, with little quizzes and games about the newlyweds to share their love story. These were
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