Holly & Ben

So tell us about how you met and all about the proposal…
We met via one of Ben’s friends. It was a little awkward actually – I (Holly) matched with his friend on Tinder and proceeded to ignore him after a short conversation. Months later, Ben swapped numbers with the friend of girls they liked the look of and I was the one Ben messaged! We actually met for the first time at a pub in Nuneaton and ended up staying until 4am just chatting.

He proposed at Ansty Hall near where we live now under a beautiful tree archway in the gardens of the hotel. We were there for a minibreak as our planned holiday to Tenerife had been cancelled! I’m glad we didn’t go as he said he probably wouldn’t have plucked up the courage to propose if we’d gone.

What were your hopes for your big day? i.e. things that you really wanted to happen
We wanted to have our nearest and dearest – all the people who matter – with us and just have a relaxed, enjoyable daytime with a good party in the evening! We were pretty easy going about most of it (especially Ben).

Why did you choose The Granary as your venue?
We first saw the Granary when we were looking at wedding venues online. We both loved the photos and simply had to visit. When we saw the venue in person, it couldn’t have been any better. It gave us the intimate setting we wanted but still provided a wow factor for photos. The fact we got exclusive use was even better! Kaci made us completely at ease as she showed us round and we just knew we would be well looked-after on the run up to and during our big day.

The Bride & her Maids…Tell us about the dress, shoes, accessories, how many bridesmaids etc.
The wedding dress was from the Warwickshire Bridal Outlet at the Bridal Gallery in Brinklow. The ladies in there customised the gown with lace cap sleeves and extra lace detail on the back for me. I fell in love with the beading on the back and once I tried it on, that was it! I wore a flower crown from Etsy and shoes from Joe Brown. The earrings were a gift from my late Gran and the necklace and matching bracelet are my mum’s.

The bridesmaids all sourced their own dresses and clothing – they were asked to make it pastel to some degree. Other than that, they pretty much had free choice! I wanted them all to be comfortable in what they were wearing so that they were free to enjoy the day.

The Groom and his Groomsmen…. What did the groom wear, who was Best Man?
The suit was the one thing (apart from the food) which I was fussy with regarding the wedding; it had to be pink. I didn’t want to be boring and wear a black or grey one. Holly spent hours trawling the internet for the perfect one and eventually found the dusty rose suit by Twisted Tailor. I matched it with the pale blue waistcoat from the same brand and a Burton’s pale blue tie. The groomsmen were all in pastel too.

My best man was my brother, Blake. Holly and I agreed that he was the right man for the job and he really helped me on the day.

Tell us about the theme for the day…Flowers, who supplied them and what arrangements did you have?
The theme was loosely rustic/pastel. The chair drops were by Beaulicious and had lovely aqua bows to tie them. The flowers were all artificial (just as well really since we were organising around the pandemic and had to delay). They were all from JJs House. The bridal bouquet was a sunflower and daisy spray with added pale pink roses (by Holly) to tie into the pastel theme. The centre pieces were simple with a single stem of pink hydrangea on most tables.

Photography, who did you choose and why?
Darren from Reality Photography took our photos on the day. He was such a perfect match for us with his docu-style photography and laid back, friendly attitude. We met Darren when we were first deciding and he filled us with confidence in his abilities, as well as just being an all round lovely person. We’ve just got our professional shots back and it’s just proven to us we made the perfect choice.

The ceremony, tell us about it.
The ceremony was short and sweet – a civil ceremony with no readings, just vows, added chosen vows and sealed with a kiss. It worked well and everyone seemed to think it was a good length. No one had time to get bored!

The Food, what did you eat?!
The food was a big sticking point for Ben. He wanted it to be amazing. So when he saw the BBQ option, that was it. We had buttermilk chicken, lamb burgers and grilled halloumi along with potato salad, feta cheese salad and the most amazingly delicious, scorching hot fries. It was all mouthwateringly good and we only wish we could eat it all over again. We know everyone else liked it as much as we did since most people went up for seconds!

We went for a dessert board which meant every person got three miniature, individual desserts. We were extremely impressed with our choices of cheesecake, brownie and apple crumble. Each was so beautifully made and super tasty! We also had a sweet and savoury table – obviously very popular because who doesn’t love a bit of pic n mix? And, later in the evening, we even got hog rolls with stuffing and apple sauce. They were just what we needed and Kaci suggested the perfect time to bring them out!

Entertainment….disco, band, fire eater, singing waiters? Tell us all about it!
We went simple for entertainment – the DJ. Ace Entertainment (complimentary through our Granary package) provided music and lighting all evening long. They allowed us to fill a form out before the day. We sent over a spotify playlist of the kind of songs we liked to dance to (well, Holly – Ben doesn’t dance), and he didn’t let us down. In fact, it was difficult to find the right moment to take a breather because every song was as good as the last!

What was the highlight of your day?
Obviously, actually getting married and being able to call each other husband and wife was incredible. But we also enjoyed seeing all the people we love in one place, having a wonderful time and sharing in our happiness.

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to anyone planning a wedding.
Firstly, have it at the Granary – Kaci was a dream and we didn’t have to worry about a thing for the entire day. Secondly, enjoy every second of it because it’s over in a flash. We didn’t believe it when others told us, but it really is true. It’s a long day but it’ll be done before you know it and you’ll be left wondering if it ever really happened (until you see the photos the next day)!