Disclaimer: Belle and Rhys’ wedding was shot by the talented @bethanyvaseyphotography. We do not own the above header image but permission was kindly given to use it for the purpose of this interview. Thanks Beth!!
Wedding Location: Rochford
Tell us how you met!
We knew of eachother but had never really met properly and it’s quite a funny story. My best friend was texting one of my friends, Jake (they’re now married too!!) ,and she wanted a chance to get to chat to him more in person. So I arranged a little beach bbq so they could chat. Jake asked if he could bring his friend Rhys and I said the more the merrier... the rest is history!
When were you originally supposed to get married, and did your date change?
We actually got engaged in lockdown on July 4th so we booked our wedding for the 22nd October.
Tell us a little bit about what you initially imagined your wedding day to be like:
When me and Rhys were dating and spoke about our wedding (pre-covid) we spoke about hiring a big village hall and a pizza van and having 200 people (we both have big families) and we just wanted all our friends to be there. We always wanted there to be everyone up on the dance floor boogying away and laughing there heads off !
How did the covid restrictions change that? How did you feel initially about the changes?
Well when we initially booked our wedding there were 30 people allowed and that was really hard to decide between all of our loved ones and who could be there to share our day with us. It initially felt really hard as our day would be so different to what both of us imagined but once we got our heads around it we were both actually really excited as we knew it was going to be so intimate and special. We’ve spoke about throwing a big wedding “reception” of sorts whenever we can and I’m sure everyone will be on the dance floor then!
Were there any moments in particular that were particularly emotional or stressful? How did you overcome those periods?
Well the restrictions were tightened a few weeks before the wedding and guests went down from 30 to 15. This was so so hard because we had to choose between our closest friends and family and tell some of them that they couldn’t come anymore.... We really prayed about it. Everyone was so so lovely about it, but it was still so hard.
On the big day itself, how were you feeling?
Sooo excited. On the lead up to the wedding I hadn’t really been allowing myself to get excited because there was constant talk of a second lockdown and we knew it could shut down weddings. So when it came to the wedding I woke up and was like this is it! It’s today and Boris can’t stop us! So I just felt so happy and a little bit overwhelmed that all that stress was over.
In the end, what was your day like? (Describe it in detail if possible!)
It was so magical. It was clear blue sky and the sun was shining.We got married at a venue called The Lawn and they had a brides room so my mum, sister (bridesmaid) and myself all got ready there. I remember getting a little bit more nervous when I found out Rhys was downstairs and then actually shaking before I walked down the aisle. Funny story, we had candles (fake thank goodness) and foliage on the stairs. I walked down, and they all got caught in my dress as I walked down! So I had to stop half way to sort it out which made everyone chuckle.
Rhys said he felt like he was having a heart attack which made me laugh!
We had a simple ceremony and then a Bible talk by Rhys' dad which was so lovely and emotional.
After that we had cake and prosecco and speeches followed by pictures! And then we all went onto a local cosy pub for some dinner. It was just super relaxed and intimate which made it feel really special.
Here's a few images shot by @bethanyvaseyphotography of Belle & Rhys' wedding.
