Jodie + Grant

How did you meet?

We met in 2013 through a mutual friend. We chatted a little bit on social media but it fizzled out initially. (It turns out we both thought the other one wouldn’t be interested)! Then we met accidentally at a house warming party, I had no idea he would be there. We got on so well in real life and after this the messaging continued! Things really took off when I went to meet him after his brothers wedding on 14/09/2013 and a month later we were official!

When did you know they were the one?

I find this really hard to pinpoint, after a few weeks we had told each other we love each other, after 6 months we moved in together and after two years, we had given birth to the first of our two beautiful children. Seeing him become the most amazing father, solidified how I felt about him and I knew we were going to have such a beautiful, bright future.

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner?

His ambition to be successful in his career.
He is the most incredible father. The best.
He makes me a cup of tea and brings it up every single morning without fail.

Who proposed and how?

Well this reminds me of a funny story! About 12 months into our relationship, we took an amazing trip to Morocco. We went out one night, drank many many mojitos and I asked him to marry me! He of course said no because he wanted to be the one to ask, which he did 8 years, two children and a beautiful home later. It was a very sunny Sunday afternoon and we were off to our local beach for a family walk with our children and our dog. There was nothing out of the ordinary about this. In fact we had done the exact same thing the Sunday before. We were walking along the shore and my husband and kids were looking for treasure. My eldest son came running over to me to say he’d found some treasure so I bent down to have a look and he’d ‘found’ a ring box with a stunning Princess Diana style ring inside it. Initially I was like, oh my goodness, someone must have lost this! And I look over at my husband and see the biggest grin on his face, then with both our or children with us, he asked me to marry him. It was so completely unexpected that I cried a lot! It was perfect.

Where did you fall in love with your dress and why?

I have been following MWL Bridal for some time! (I waited 9 years to get married but I had everything planned out and I knew I’d be tying the knot in a MWL dress). I loved every single dress I was seeing on social media and when we finally got engaged, I booked an appointment with the amazing Kelly at Kiva & Zen Bridal in Topsham, Devon, UK. I tried on every single MWL dress and loved them all so it was such a hard decision in the end, but there was something about the Louie Flowy that made me feel amazing. It sat beautifully on the smallest part of my waist and the details on the fabric were just stunning. I just loved everything about it, especially the fact that it has pockets! I opted for one of the layers of lace to be pebble coloured and this was the best decision I could have made because the top layer of the dress just stood out beautifully. I also had a custom thigh split and Elsie bows added to the dress to make it feel a little bit more ‘me’. All of our guests kept telling me that it was one of the most beautiful wedding dresses they had ever seen.

What was the best moment for you at your wedding? 

The best moment for me was getting to the top of the aisle and seeing him standing there with the biggest smile on his face. In that moment, all of my nerves disappeared and I knew that we had not only a beautiful day ahead of us, but a beautiful life.

What were your favourite details? 

Our venue was a beautiful vineyard set in a Devon forest. So we went for boho / chic vibes with lots of dried flowers and black and neutral colour tones. My bridesmaids wore beautiful black dresses and held fluffy pampas grass. We had fairy lights installed in both sections of the venue to create a very sparkly, autumnal, romantic feel to the day. The men wore tuxedos and everything came together just as I had pictured, if not, better! Another of of my favourite details is that we had the most fun, energetic saxophonist play us out of the ceremony and he set the vibe for the day by playing for us as we drank Pimm’s and ate canapés on the terrace, overlooking the vineyards.

What advice would you tell other brides?

My advice is to just absorb every moment of the day because it goes so fast. Find a photographer who is comfortable taking candid shots so you don’t spend the whole day in front of the camera!

Any standout vendors?

Our caterers, Titley Green, who not only cooked an amazing meal for us and our guests, but who decorated our tables beautifully and brought my vision to life.

Daniel Costin – Saxophonist (@danielcostinonsax)

Natalie Nichols – Bridal Hair

C V Visual Films – Videographer

 

MWL DESIGN:

Louie Flowy

PHOTOGRAPHER:

Gina Bentley Wedding Photographer

RETAILER:

Kiva & Zen Bridal