Hannah and Karim
So tell us about how you met and all about the proposal…
We met in 2014 at a pub quiz in the Cayman Islands, where Karim grew up and Hannah was working as a teacher. Fast forward 8 years and we are attempting to climb Ben Lomond in Scotland on the hottest day of the year when Karim got down on one knee and proposed. Fortunately knowing Hannah well, he decided to pop the question towards the start of the 7 hour hike…..a journey that we both promised each other we will never do again!
What were your hopes for your big day? i.e. things that you really wanted to happen
We initially wanted to get married somewhere with a 1920s speak-easy/ Hollywood Glamour vibe. However as we began the planning process we soon realised there were a few other items on our wish list that were a priority for our big day. These included main meal of burgers and fries, a signature cocktail (as Hannah has a bar in our home that she loves making cocktails in) and space host some of our guests overnight, particularly those travelling from the Cayman Islands.
Why did you choose The Granary as your venue?
Charlotte and the team bent over backwards to help accommodate all of our unusual requests and the beautiful tented barn provided the perfect blank canvas for us to create the perfect Hollywood glamour theme. The exclusive use venue with 10 rooms on site was perfect for our out of town guests and we were able to book the rooms for two nights to turn it into the perfect wedding mini-break. The catering team at the venue worked hard to create the menu of our dreams, including accepting the challenge of bringing all of the burger buns with our own custom stamp. Hannah came up with her own cocktail and the staff were able to reproduce it for the guests.
The Bride & her Maids…Tell us about the dress, shoes, accessories, how many bridesmaids etc. (everyone always wants to know this!)
Hannah had three bridesmaids who all wore navy dresses of their own choosing. Hannah wore a white a-line dress from Wed2Be with princess sleeves and a crown made of zip ties made by the amazing Carbickova Crowns.
The Groom and his Groomsmen…. What did the groom wear, who was Best Man?
Karim had a custom made tuxedo, burgundy jacket with black satin trim, black trousers, pocket square and tie made by Hockerty. He wore white Nike court trainers as a contrast to the very formal suit.
Tell us about the theme for the day…
1920s/30s Hollywood glamour with a Hannah and Karim spin on it. We love art-deco design and as Karim is a graphic designer he was able to make our own monogram which featured throughout. Navy blue, white and gold were the key colours.
Flowers, who supplied them and what arrangements did you have?
Local florist the Garden of Weedon created the beautiful all white bouquets for the bride and bridesmaids, as well as the button holes for the men. Hannah made the floral center pieces herself out of artificial flowers which matched the bouquets.
Photography – who did you choose and why?
We chose Chris from Context Photography as we fell in love with his candid style. As photography is part of Karim’s job it was important that we chose someone who got his seal of approval. Chris was fantastic on the day and many of our guests commented on how relaxed he made them feel.
The ceremony – tell us about it.
Civil ceremony in the Fawsley suite followed by a short religious blessing conducted by Hannah’s dad…who managed to incorporate Karim’s love of Manchester United!
The Food – what did you eat?!
Burgers/vegan cheese burgers with branded buns and chips. On the side we had salad, onion rings, chicken strips and mac and cheese bites…all of which were fantastic! For pudding we had Eton mess, chocolate brownies, oreo cheese cake as well as krispy kreme doughnuts from our wedding cake. In the evening we had chicken/vegan gyros which were very special as Karim’s family is Greek.
Entertainment….disco, band, fire-eater, singing waiters? Tell us all about it!
Our DJ was provided by the venue and was exactly our vibe playing all the songs we love. We provided some fun tat including glow sticks, flashing wrist bands and leis to get the party started. Guests were also invited to build themselves out of Lego to form our Lego guest book, which turned out to be a huge hit. We also had a cinema tent which showed episodes of all our favourite TV shows, as well as a customized table football and basketball games.
What was the highlight of your day?
Seeing all the people that we love from all over the world come together…..and the branded burgers! So many people commented that the wedding was very ‘us’ which is exactly what we wanted.
What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to anyone planning a wedding?
You only get to do this once (hopefully) so do it exactly the way you want, don’t be afraid to have unusual/non-traditional requests….that’s what will make your wedding memorable!