Lisa and Gavin met online and immediately knew they were destined to be together.
Lisa Munden, 42 met Gavin Brown, 43 on match.com six-and-a-half years ago. After a few initial chats online, they decided to take the plunge and meet up at a pub in Liverpool Street a few weeks later. They hit it off immediately. Lisa remembers, “We had a great, fun night and didn't stop talking and laughing. Gavin was both handsome and funny.” Despite being slightly late for their first date, Lisa was greeted by a huge smile on Gavin's face the moment she walked in. She tells us, “People say when you know, you know! I knew. From the moment I saw him, I knew we would be together.”
Gavin shares with us a similar sense of serendipity, “Straight away I felt at ease. She was like a breath of fresh air, so kind and genuine.”
The proposal came as quite a surprise to Lisa; she sets the scene, “We had arranged an annual Christmas afternoon tea with both sets of parents and our two daughters at the Sanderson Hotel in London.” It was 15th December 2016, the family had just sat down to eat when Gavin could be heard asking the soon-to-be father-of-the-bride for his permission to wed his daughter. “He could hardly get his words out,” laughs Lisa. Through tears Gavin got down on one knee and asked Lisa to be his wife. “I smiled from ear to ear and of course said yes,” she adds. Dads cried and mums excitedly chatted about new hats, while Lisa reflected on what had just occurred, “It was a great and happy day, the ring was stunning and what a huge surprise!”
The wedding date was set for 26th May 2018 at St Leonard's Church, Hythe, followed by celebrations at Hayne House, Saltwood. Here, the bride reminisces about the day…
We saw Hayne House and both of us fell in love with it instantly. Even though we had only seen the plans we could see great potential in the new Orangery. Plus, the size of the garden was just perfect, as we knew the guest list would include at least 20 children.
Our friend Dawn loves a project so when I saw my ideal table plan on Pinterest I approached her to make it for us. She created it from Victorian floorboards and photo frames from antique markets.
Favours were small jars of wild flowers, thistles and white roses for each of the ladies to take away.
Gavin wore his family tartan, Ancient Lamont. The groomsmen accompanied him in the Scottish theme and were decked out in Black Watch tartan, which complemented the groom's beautifully.
Our flowers had a big job to do! We wanted a meadow feel with wild blooms and natural foliage, incorporating Scottish thistles to represent Gavin's heritage and English roses representing mine.
We wanted to continue with a natural theme, so our naked cake was decorated with the same blooms as our floral arrangements.
Musician Alana Rose played for our reception drinks. Her style was laid-back vocals with acoustic guitar – just the type of music we both love. We wanted the atmosphere of a busker at London food market.
I wore Georgiana by Temperley. I wanted something light, British and simple yet detailed. Gavin wanted me to show off my curves!
The bridesmaids' dresses took a lot longer to find than my ow n, but we had lots of fun shopping trips! After we'd made a decision on the flowers, we knew they would be wearing blue.
We all let our hair down in the evening and partied with a DJ providing the music, we also had garden games and a vintage photo booth. All of which proved popular with our guests.
Our first dance as Mr and Mrs, when our girls joined us on the dancefloor, was a truly memorable moment for us all.
Bride's dress
Angelica Bridal
www.angelicabridal.co.uk
Bridesmaids' dresses
The Bridesmaid Boutique
www.thebridesmaidboutique.co.uk
Cake
Andi Freeman Cakes
www.andifreemancakes.co.uk
Catering
Touchays
www.touchays.com
Ceremony venue
St Leonards Church, Hythe
www.slhk.org
Chair bows
Bows Chair Covers
www.bowschaircovers.co.uk
DJ
Harry Kilb
www.harrykilbweddingdj.co.uk
Entertainment
Alana Rose Music
www.alanarosemusic.co.uk
Flowers
Bloomologie
www.bloomologie.co.uk
Games
Big Day Prop Hire
www.bigdayprophire.co.uk
Groom's suit
Kilts 4 All
www.kilts4all.com
Hair and make-up
Beauty Call Kent
www.beautycall.co.uk
Illuminated Letters
Light It Up UK
www.lightitupuk.co.uk
Photo booth
The Vintage Photo Booth Company
www.thevintagephotoboothcompany.co.uk
Photographer
Story and Colour
www.storyandcolour.co.uk
Reception venue
Hayne House
www.haynehouse.co.uk
Shoes
Freya Rose
www.freyarose.com
Stationery
Feel Good Invites
www.feelgoodinvites.com
Transport
Perfect Day Weddings and Events
www.perfectdayweddingsandevents.co.uk
Transport
Molly's Classic Wedding Cars
www.mollysclassicweddingcars.com
Videographer
I Will Video
www.iwillvideo.com
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For a comprehensive list of wedding shows in all areas CLICK HERE
24 Day Wedding Fayre
Unit 55 Festival Park, Ebbw Vale, NP23 8FP
Dates: Friday, 1 February 2019 - Sunday, 24 February 2019
Upton Barn & Walled Garden Open House Weekend
Upton Farm, Cullompton, Devon EX15 1RA
Dates: Saturday, 16 February 2019 - Sunday, 17 February 2019
PMN Wedding Fayres at Old Thorns Manor Hotel
Griggs Green, Liphook, Hampshire GU30 7PE
Dates: Sunday, 17 February 2019
Victoria House Wedding Fair
Victoria House, 59 Willes Road, Leamington, CV32 4PT
Dates: Sunday, 17 February 2019
The Wedding Show at The Village Hotel Dudley
The Village Hotel Dudley, Castlegate Drive, DY1 4TB
Dates: Sunday, 17 February 2019
The Marsh Farm Hotel Wedding Show
Marsh Farm, Coped Hall, Royal Wootton Bassett, SN4 8ER
Dates: Sunday, 17 February 2019