These lovebirds first met after Trish came into the restaurant Tom managed in the City of London and asked to use the toilet. She was on one of her work trips to London and had been on a run. Her hotel was at the top of the street, but she didn’t think she’d be able to make it back in time! Tom comments, “I thought Trish was stunning as soon as I saw her. In a clumsy attempt at flirting, I jokingly told her the toilet was for customers only, so she bought a glass of wine and sat outside. It just so happened that one of the restaurant owners was in that night, and she got talking to Trish outside. Eventually, I managed to join them when the restaurant had slowed down at the end of the night, to see they had joined tables and seemed like old friends. Trish was clever, funny and interesting! “When she got up to leave, I wanted to ask her for her telephone number, but my courage failed me. I thought that would be the last time I ever saw her, and I was surprised by how disappointed that made me feel. So, when she returned for dinner on her next trip to London, I didn’t make the same mistake! I remembered her name and that she was going on a work trip to Las Vegas once she returned from London. I asked her how that had gone and other things we’d discussed. I think that impressed Trish and we went out a couple of times after that before she went home. From that moment, we’d spend time together whenever she came to London, and I regularly visited her in New York.” Tom surprised Trish by proposing to her on Christmas Eve 2022 at her apartment with his grandmother’s engagement ring. He had initially planned to do it on Christmas morning, but the mixture of nerves and excitement got the better of him. He comments, “I’d asked for her family’s blessing the previous month in a secret meeting when I was over for Thanksgiving, so everyone knew of my plans! Thankfully, Trish said ‘yes’!” SETTING THE SCENE The main goal was for their wedding to be fun, surrounded by loved ones! The lovebirds felt honoured to receive such a big RSVP turnout despite the short notice and the distance for some, so they wanted to ensure it was just a day of celebrating. Trish says, “We always made a point to ensure we were truly present during the wedding day. We even opted not to have any alone time carved out with the photographer for fear of missing time with our guests as the goal was to celebrate with the people we love.” When Tom discovered Brown & Green Life in Crystal Palace Park was licensed to host wedding ceremonies, he immediately booked a viewing of their event space and knew it was the perfect setting. “I could imagine our wedding there, and one of the chain owners, Laura, was so helpful and happy for us to do whatever we wanted with the space,” Tom comments. “When Trish was over for a visit, I showed her the setting in person as she’d only seen it in photos, videos and video calls – she felt the same as I did! Crystal Palace Park is a special place to me, having grown up not too far away in Croydon. It was somewhere my parents had taken my sister and me regularly, so I have many fond memories there.” The newlyweds chose Westow House Pub & Hotel for the reception for a few reasons: its proximity to Brown & Green, the fact that it had accommodation, and mainly because they loved the spaces! The team was excellent from day one; they helped in any way they could and were happy for the couple to make the firstfloor bar their own. The couple hired a vintage car from Shirley Chauffeurs to take Trish, her parents and her sister (the maid-of-honour) to the ceremony. They also rented an old Routemaster double-decker bus to transport everyone from between venues with a detour on the way past Selhurst Park – the home of Crystal Palace FC, as Tom is a huge fan. This was special for the groom and his mum, especially as Tom’s grandfather drove Routemaster buses for 30 years after the end of World War II. The couple enjoyed this ride after the ceremony, hanging out with guests, drinking Champagne and singing the whole way! Since their relationship had been transatlantic and long-distance, with lots of time spent on planes and in airports, they thought luggage tags as favours would be meaningful and useful to guests. Their dear friend Jessica Starks is amazing at crafting, and personalised each luggage tag with guests’ initials to double up as 33 REAL WEDDINGS
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