“We were fairly nervous and you made us feel completely at ease making us laugh at ourselves”

Emma and james the proposal

Firstly, before all the weddingness, a little background on these guys. Here it is in Emma’s words:

James and I met in a crappy nightclub in Bromley where we live, we then didn’t see each other for a while then we met again in another nightclub in the same area, I started chatting him up and he was like “you don’t remember me do you?” which I was slightly embarrassed about.

James proposed after 7 years of being together on my 30th bday and also coincidently the same date we moved into our new house. I thought we were going to get a takeaway and just chill after a day of cleaning but he insisted we went to a local pub so I assumed he had arranged for all of my friends to be there as a surprise. When we arrived and no one was there I was a bit pissed off as I was totally knackered and hungry, he then suggested we go to a posh restaurant and I’m not joking I looked an absolute mess but as it was a Wednesday I didn’t think it would be too busy so no one would care. When we got there turned out James had booked a table and when we went to the table they offered to take our coats and as he was taking his off I noticed him taking this big box out of his pocket and put it in his jeans…. I didn’t want to say anything to ruin it for him so had dinner feeling nervous the whole time wondering when he was going to do it he went to the toilet (ordered champagne) but when he got back they were literally following him with it, knowing he didn’t have any time he practically threw the box at me. I of course said yes!

St nicholas church Chislehurst followed by reception at the Bickley

Emma and James got married on 31st of July 2015 at St Nicholas’ Church in Chislehurst followed by a reception at The Bickley, just down the road. I asked them a few questions post-wedding:

What was your wedding inspiration?

I don’t really like regimented themes so was keen to just have it colourful it was summer so the more colour the better. It annoyed my bridesmaids a bit as I choose their skirts and just told them to choose their own tops to go with it. They all got black tops and the night before i was like “nooooo… you have to choose fun and different colours” i didn’t necessarily want the tops to match the skirts in the end the night before the wedding they all did a little fashion show for me and they wore all nice pastel colour tops. I just wanted them to be happy with what they were wearing

Describe some of your favourite wedding details and how you came up with them.

My absolute favourite wedding details were the presents I got for my bridesmaids and maid of honour. Having been in a wedding party before i knew I wanted a gift that was from the heart from me to them so I got them each a charm bracelet with a charm that reminded me of our relationship. For my MOH I got her a really nice pair of earrings which she still wears when we go out

I also loved my Lego Movie inspired cake, it was kind of a last minute decision but its one of our favourite movies and was so amazing and really got a lot of attention from the guests

Why choose your venue?

James and I are not really stately manor/castle type people we enjoy going to the pub so it was important to me to have a nice chilled environment everyone felt comfortable in

What advice would you give to future brides for their wedding day?

Read wedding blogs.. I found them so helpful not just for inspiration for the day but also to engage with other brides and discuss details with them instead of boring your mates about it. My favourite was rock my wedding as it also features real brides going through the same things as you. Also, make sure the people in your wedding party are people that you know will be in your life forever, I know people who felt obligated to have certain people as bridesmaids and don’t even like them anymore, you don’t want to look back on your pics and see people you don’t like anymore in them.

Any advice for those planning their wedding now?

I was always thinking I must have forgotten something because I wasn’t stressed about it but I hadn’t and the things I had didn’t even get noticed on the day

Were you nervous? If so, how did you tame your wedding day nerves?

I was nervous a couple of months before the wedding but then I had an issue with my job about 3 weeks before the wedding and James was just so amazing I knew that he was the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with. He loves and supports me in whatever I do, he’s the best man I have ever known and I’m so lucky to be married to him. On the day I just couldn’t wait to be married it wasn’t until i was driving to the church with my ladies that it actually hit me and they were all singing various wedding songs and I just came over all teary eyed (really not like me at all) but as soon as i saw him at the end of the aisle I just smiled for the rest of the day and ever since.

What was your biggest surprise on your wedding day?

The grooms speech. James only ever really expresses his emotions in cards so to hear him say those lovely things about me in front of all those people was a wonderful surprise

What was the most anticipated part of the day?

Bit difficult to say as i was really looking forward to some girl time in the morning and looking really pretty, then getting into my dress. I just couldn’t wait for the day to be over to go on my honeymoon the next day and spend 2 and a half weeks with my hubby.

What did you want from your Chislehurst wedding photographer?

I really wanted photography that lasted forever style-wise, I hate posed formal shots, I find them a bit cringe. Most of our shots are of personal moments with our nearest and dearest which is what I wanted, to look back on the album and smile at each picture. As we are not used to having our pictures taken we were fairly nervous and you made us feel completely at ease making us laugh at ourselves. The pre-wedding shoot was amazing as it gave us that extra practice before the big day. We are happy we chose with you!

What are you most looking forward to as a married couple?

Erm… more holidays like our honeymoon.

Thinking of getting married at The Bickley in Kent?  If you like the look of these documentary wedding photos then please get in touch with Jonny – I’d love to hear more about you, your wedding day plans and what you want from your Chislehurst wedding photographer.