Livvy & Stephen
Livvy & Stephen
Where are you both from originally and where is home now:
We grew up in Surrey, about two years ago we brought our house in Hampshire together.
Ceremony and reception venue:
The Bathing Hut for the ceremony and Pentillie’s main house for the reception
How did you choose your venue?
I had originally found Pentillie on Airbnb and fell head over hills in love but because we live in Hampshire, a good 4 hours’ drive away, we didn’t think it would be possible. We adventured around our area to find the venue but nothing quite suited what we wanted. In the back of our mind Pentillie was there. So, we thought sod it we have to go and see it to either eliminate it or not. We arranged for our mums to come along and we all made the journey. We turned into the drive way and we instantly knew that this was the place we wanted to get married. So we did!
How did your proposal happen?
We were in the process of buying a house at the time which was a very exciting and tad stressful time. We both had a day off so decided to head off to Brighton. We love it there with all the quirky shops and the beach most of all. We arrived in Brighton and went to Prett to get a picnic so we could head down to the beach. It was a windy day but the sun was shining away. We walked along the coast line and found a bench amongst some little shops. A nice quiet spot. We had lunch and Steve asked if I had finished.. I replied “yes” He said “I’ve got a house warming gift for you” oohhh love a little pressie me! He handed me a envelope with a card in. I opened it up to find a handmade card with a collage of all our favourite photos filled with wonderful memories. I opened the card to find a pop up of me on a floral hammock, it was so lovely. It took me a few seconds then I saw a pullback bit of grass. Behind there was my engagement ring and the next thing I knew Steve was on one knee asking me to marry him?! I cried YES!! Then he cried and we sat there for a good 10 minutes just crying talking. It was such a beautiful and special moment that I will never forget. Steve had brought a little bottle of Prosecco for us to cheers. Which we did once we stopped crying.
In 3 words, how did you picture your wedding at the beginning?
Intimate
Relaxed
Fun
Often the aspect that makes a wedding original to the couple is the detail/theme – tell us about the special details of the day and how you implemented them?
We wanted to keep everything simple. Spring florals. Handmade and cost effective. We both spent a lot of time on Pinterest for ideas, but also found Etsy to be a great inspiration. Everything we sourced I tried to get second hand or hand made by someone. I found a calligrapher on Etsy and she wrote out all my place cards and a sign in a beautiful gold ink. I was absolutely chuffed with them. We were incredibly lucky that one of my bridesmaids is a illustrator so designed our save the dates and invites. We loved the idea of clear bottles with flowers in for table decorations so our family collected them over the year. Pentillie doesn’t need loads of decorating it’s just perfect the way it’s so we didn’t want to go overboard. It has a very homely feel to it so we got all our family to bring photos in frames of good times and memories so we could place them around the house. Was such a lovely touch to really make it feel our own for the weekend.
Please give a brief account of your wedding planning story?
We started planning most things a year in advance. My first step was to get my dress and bridesmaid dresses then everything else fell into place really. I made sure everything was as easy and simple as possible as I didn’t want it to be a stressful experience for anyone. I allowed the girls to pick out their own dresses, I gave them a brief and some money towards it but left them to it. We did the same with the groomsman, because it was such a small wedding we didn’t want it to feel like a traditional stiff wedding. We wanted everyone to feel comfortable. We took each step as it came and made sure week after week we got things achieved so that closer to the time we weren’t freaking out.
What food did you choose for your day, wedding breakfast and evening food and why?
We loved the idea of our guests being able to choose what food they like and Pentillie allowed us to do that. Most places don’t! We chose three dishes for the main and dessert that people could choose from and then a charcuterie board for starters. We felt it added an extra bit of excitement in the build-up and on the day because no one can remember what they’ve ordered anyway but they knew it was going to be something they wanted.
I didn’t do a table plan I just had place cards and people needed to find their name at the table … again it allowed an extra bit of excitement for our guests and took away the regimented table plan. I had obviously communicated a plan with Lisa so staff knew who was were to serve them there food and Lisa had very kindly writing little cards out so everyone knew what they were having. Very sweet of her.
What was your favourite part of the day?
It’s truly hard to pick one point but, we both think the ceremony in the bathing hut. It was such an emotional, magical and breath-taking experience. From everyone involved including the registrar, Lisa and every single person at Pentillie for making your day so special. Seeing all of your family and friends there to celebrate with you is an amazing feeling.
How did you feel as you walked down the aisle?
An overwhelming amount of love! I didn’t look at Steve until I got to him and I just remember looking up to him. It was perfect.
Steve: I had felt very excited, nervous and emotional all morning. As I heard that she had arrived I started to feel very overwhelmed. When I saw her for the first time I thought to myself how beautiful she looked. She absolutely blew me away, I loved everything about her dress as it had been kept a top secret for ages! I grabbed her hand and held on tight as we were both incredibly emotional. I whispered to her “you look beautiful, like a princess”
What was the most important investment for you?
Our photographer without a doubt. She was with us from start to finish from recommending suppliers to the whole day its self. Even though every supplier we had was absolutely amazing, Lauren blew us away with her kindness. She felt like a friend the moment we met her. It makes such a difference being able to get on so well with someone that you spend a lot of time with in the day. We felt comfortable and relaxed around her. She captured every special moment and managed to capture the laughter which is the most important and truly special moments.
What song did you have for your first dance and why?
We chose ‘Came here for love’ by Sigala & Ella Eyre acoustic version.
What are your top tips for other couples?
Literally enjoy every second. Keep everything simple and don’t fuss over the small details because on the day it just does not matter. Your there with your family and friends and your brand new squeaky clean husband.
We just wanted to add a massive thank you to everyone at Pentillie. All of our family didn’t want to go home at the end because we just felt such happiness there. Lisa has been incredible. So warming and kind. Elle being on hand all day for anything we needed. The chef for cooking the BEST food ever, the waiting staff who worked hard making sure we had food and drink available at all times. Charfu and Khan (the two black Labradors) for taking us on a walk Sunday. And all the housekeeping staff for making sure we were catered for.
We will definitely be back :))
Suppliers:
Hair: Lise at The Lounge
Make Up: Gem Ryder
Florist: St Mellion Flowers
Photographer: LaHu Studios
Our wedding coordinator Chrissie would be delighted to show you around Pentillie! To book your private viewing, please call 01579 350044 or email weddings@pentillie.co.uk.