A closer look at Lucy & Ollie’s stunning Shustoke Barn Wedding.
Scroll down to read all about Lucy & Ollie’s day…
Tell us about your proposal
I’d been obsessed with this little gateway overlooking Lake Como for years, only ever having seen photos of it before. It was so stunning and looking at photos from all different seasons as the leaves and weather changed around it was magical.
Fast forward to September 2022 and me and my partner are in Lake Como but for some weird reason I didn’t even put two and two together. Never in a million years did I think I’d get proposed to in front of this little gateway with just the two of us and a beautiful view on a sunny day, but it happened!
We got together on the school field when we were 14 years old and 10 years later we got engaged in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I still cry when I think about it.
How did you feel on your big day?
I was surprisingly calm and completely stress-free. I think my bridesmaid and my mum, as well as my amazing suppliers, just really kept it really nice and relaxed. We just had music on, the doors open and the sun beaming in. No rushing, no drama, no upset.
From morning to evening our entire day was perfect. I don’t know if many people can say this but there wasn’t a thing out of place ALL DAY! Not a single thing we look back on and think could have been better or different.
Our venue was to die for and the staff were incredible, our guests kept on complementing it all and saying what a great time they were having. To this day many of our suppliers have told us that it was one of the best weddings they’ve been a part of because of how relaxed and love-filled it was and for that we’re so proud!
What’s your special memory of your wedding day?
We had an amazing pianist there for our ceremony and drinks reception and he told us that our suggested list of songs to be played was really unique and some of them he’d never played in his whole career and had to learn specially for our wedding – which is madness!
When all our guests were taken back inside to be seated for the meal, our pianist told us he wanted to play us some of the songs he hadn’t got round to playing yet. At that point it was just me and my husband left in the outdoor courtyard and the lovely pianist played some of our favourite songs to just us two and we had the most amazing, special moment just dancing in the courtyard without any interference. It was literally like something from a film.
Tell us about your Dress Me Pretty experience
I was so unfamiliar with the wedding dress shopping experience, having never done it before as DMP was the first shop I visited. I had followed DMP on instagram for years and was adamant I’d find ‘the one’ there, so didn’t even consider looking at other shops. I filled in the pre-appointment form about my taste, my venue, theme of the wedding etc and when I turned up for my appointment Amy had chosen four dresses for me to try. This made the experience so simple and calm because I didn’t have to spend hours looking through railings for the perfect dress – because Amy had already picked it out for me! I tried on all four dresses, knowing that number two was the one from the second I put it on. Amy was so knowledgable and made me feel like a complete pro. She was understanding but clear with her opinion on what looked good and didn’t and all the pros and cons of each dress. I left my appointment feeling a complete wedding dress pro and was so confident in my choice without ever having looked in another shop. My guests were in awe of the dress and to this day it still makes me emotional to look at, it’s the most beautiful dress ever! Thank you DMP ladies for making the entire process seamless and genuinely making me feel like I was living in a real life fairytale.
What’s your advice to future bride-to-be’s
Give yourself plenty of time (if you can) and research your suppliers like a mad person! I truly believe if we’d made even one slight difference to our choice of suppliers our day could have been completely different. Taking time to research your suppliers is key. Also, make a list of a few ‘non-negotiables’ for your day but don’t be too ridged, lean on your suppliers for their advice because if you over-plan you’re going to worry about things being out of place on the day.
Supplier Shout Out:
Venue: @shustokebarn, Hair: @thehairbookweddingstylist, Makeup: @makeupby_harper, Photography: @bekiharephotography, Videography: @peakperformance.media, Flowers: @penny_johnson_flowers, Photo Booth: @theburbageboothco, DJ: @bennysmythdj, Pianist: @timsweddingpiano
