Becky & Scott
Saturday 7th September 2019
Photography & Floristry by Polly & Petal
‘We had the best experience leading up to our day and had the best wedding we could have wished for!’
We chose our venue due to it ticking everything on the list we wanted. We had visited a few venues but Missenden Abbey was just beautiful. We wanted our guests to be able to stay the night if they wanted to, as previously, we had been to weddings that didn’t have accommodation as an option which put us off slightly. Exclusivity was another must as we just wanted it to be us and our guests. The venue wasn’t huge, the rooms just flowed, which we liked as we wanted our guests to be on the dancefloor or at the bar! The grounds are amazing which made us decide that this is where we wanted to get married.
Becky – I wasn’t hugely looking forward to going dress shopping, in fact I put it off for some time, due to wanting to lose some weight before the big day. I was quite overwhelmed by all the dresses and had no clue on what I was looking for – which I think was a good approach for myself as had a completely open mind. So, I tried on all styles. I only visited 2 bridal shops, which were both on the same day, probably trying on around 11 dresses in a day! I only took my mum, my nan and my sister. I didn’t secure a dress on that day, however there was one that was sticking in my mind so I thought that must be the one!
‘I went back to Le Sposi 2 weeks later, tried on again and I knew that was the one!’
My dress was brought from Le Sposi in Wendover. It was an Enzoani gown called Lila.
Becky – We wanted to be a little different than your usual wedding. We wanted to keep things neutral in terms of colour as we felt that neutrals are timeless and don’t date. I didn’t want to look back in years to come and regret choosing a bright colour, that maybe we no longer liked. The bridesmaids wore fall length dresses, in 2 styles (one shoulder and v neck) and 2 colours, sand and warm grey and the groom’s team were in brown like tweed. We added a small amount of Ochre to the buttonholes, however, went different with our flowers by using leaves and pampas, we used very little flowers, they were only used in my bouquet.
Scott – The Grooms team were kitted out by Slaters in Reading. We wanted to be a bit different and go for more of a brown tweed colour rather than something more traditional. The suits were Harry Brown. A few trips to Reading were needed to make sure everything was on point and of course making sure my Groomswoman was comfortable. A few beers certainly helped make these days enjoyable for all!
Becky – We didn’t really have flowers, just a few roses in the bridal bouquet. We went a bit different and had leaves, grasses and pampas which in the Abbey was so affective! We went for tall centrepieces in the marquee. Along with a flower arch in the Garden Room, which was used for the ceremony and then moved in the evening as an arch our guests could walk through to get to the bar. We then had a stair piece to compliment the arch. Everyone commented how lovely they were including the Missenden Abbey staff – who gave the most heart warming compliments towards our decoration. We used Polly and Petal for our floristry.
Becky – We did pretty much everything ourselves. After we had decided we were getting married at the Abbey we then brought our parents along. As this was our day we both agreed that it 100% had to be our decision and not influenced in anyway. Natasha our wedding coordinator was extremely helpful and lovely so between us we had everything sorted.
‘I almost forgot everyone was behind me and felt like it was just Scott and I in the room’
Becky – I was incredibly calm the day before and even the morning. I think it finally hit me, when I was at the top of the stairs with my bridesmaids, (a few tears were shed) but I knew I had to get it together to walk down. As soon as our song came on, I knew this was it. I tried not to focus on anyone, as I knew if I saw anyone crying that would set me off. So, I took deep breaths and walked with a smile on my face! It was probably the most nerve-racking thing I have ever done. I’m normally someone who blends into the background so to be centre of attention and having all those eyes on me was just mind blowing. I was very nervous during the ceremony, but I almost forgot everyone was behind me and felt like it was just Scott and I in the room. Then when they pronounced us as husband and wife, I came back into the room as everyone was cheering and clapping, a moment I will never forget.
Scott – My morning was as I expected, I had one of the groomsman, Jack, stay with me the night before to try and keep my mind off things as I get very nervous! This did seem to work. We had my groomswoman, Holly, come and pick us up to head to my sisters and brother in laws to get ready. The whole team were there. I said previously that it was how I expected, I was very quiet and couldn’t eat through nerves. Even though I was feeling like this I really enjoyed the morning, my 2 best men Ryan and Rob were helping keep the spirits up. I couldn’t and wouldn’t have picked a better team!
We got to the venue in the camper van and my nerves had gone, I was feeling ready. People were piling in and the whole experience was great. Being stood up there at the front didn’t really phase me, I didn’t know if I was going to cry or not as anyone who knows me would tell you that I’m not a very emotional person. As soon as the song started playing and the bridesmaids started coming down, that was me gone – floodgates opened!
Becky – I was overwhelmed when all our evening guests started to arrive – I think you are in a bubble for the day and almost forget you have other guests arriving. I made sure I got around to everyone.
Scott – My only real worry for the day was my speech! Not a great talker or showman at all, this was what I was most nervous about. I wrote the speech on the Thursday before the Saturday wedding sat in a quiet pub near the venue. I felt that on the day once I got going, the speech went down well and got everything in I wanted to.
The videographer and photographer really were excellent. We barely noticed they were there all day but they managed to both capture images and videos we could only dream of.
‘Something that I will never forget’
Becky – Our first dance was Ed Sheeran – Tenerife Sea and the song I walked down the aisle to was Cascada – Everytime We Touch (Acoustic Version)
We had a DJ and disco in the evening. We also had a firework display, which no one knew about, so that was amazing to see everyone’s reactions and was just incredibly special. Something that I will never forget.
Top Tips for other couples:
Becky – Relax and embrace every moment on your special day, it honestly is the best day of your life.
Funny story:
Becky – I had missed placed the body tape (boobie tape) which I needed to help secure my dress as it was strapless, so the girls had to run to the storage room to retrieve it for me!
The service from Missenden Abbey was second to none. We had the best experience leading up to our day and had the best wedding we could have wished for!
Becky – All the staff are so friendly and accommodating, nothing was ever too much and we hardly knew they were there. I would recommend The Abbey to anyone. As we were setting up the night before, staff were complimenting everything regarding the décor, one even said, ‘it’s the best dressed wedding they had seen at the Abbey’. At that point I was so humbled and wanted to cry as I knew that all the hard work had paid off and meant so much to me, that someone said such lovely words. Then I just couldn’t wait for all our guests to arrive the next day!
I think my whole wedding experience with Missenden Abbey was amazing, I never stressed and nothing I suggested was a no, we almost had free rain.
Videography by Gaetano Di-Giacomo Media Production
A few suppliers we used –
Videographer
Gaetano Di-Giacomo Media Production