Holly & Sophie's July wedding day was a glorious one, surrounded by friends and family and joined by their Chinese crested, Sonny (we LOVE dogs at Ceremonies!). Holly & Sophie were married on our terrace with the hanging baskets, planters and gardens in full colourful bloom. We asked what made them choose The Sun Pavilion...

"We visited Valley Gardens for the day, as Sophie has grown up visiting and wanted to show me round. The Sun Pavilion was actually shut that day but we ended up peeking in the windows after seeing a sign advertising it as a wedding venue and immediately decided that was where we’d get married!"

For their wedding breakfast, Holly & Sophie chose our warm roasted butternut squash and gruyere tart followed by a carvery main course with roast loin of pork and turkey breast, loads of seasonal veg, Yorkshire puddings and gravy. All rounded off with a crowd pleasing sticky toffee pudding!

We asked Holly & Sophie what made their day really special

"It was lovely to be able to have the outside area so all of our friends and family could relax. We were really lucky with the weather which made the ceremony absolutely glorious! The food was amazing! Especially the pizzas in the evening!"

After the wedding breakfast Holly's mum gave the first speech, warning Sophie about Holly's stubborn tendencies! Sophie’s family friend gave a hilarious A to Z of Sophie and Holly’s bridesmaid, Rebekah also gave a lovely heartfelt speech. Holly’s dad was in charge of thank yous for the big day.

Any advice for couples currently planning their own day?

"We planned our wedding in the midst of COVID and had to really think about what was important to us on our big day. When it actually came down to it, the thing we were most grateful for was all of the people we loved being there and having time to spend with them without the constraints of a jam packed timetable of activities and traditions for the day."

‍"For us, the first dance was a carefully planned 30 seconds of focus on us before our friends joined us to make it less awkward. But apparently it was everyone’s favourite part of the day and led to a fair few tears being shed! However, the photo of us dancing surrounded by all of our favourite people is easily the best photo from the whole day."

Holly & Sophie's suppliers

Holly's dress - Wed2B
‍Holly's cape - Handmade at Joanna Bridal
‍Holly's shoes - Converse
Sophie's trousers - Suits Direct
Sophie's shirt and shoes - M&S
‍Sophie's buttonhole - Thistle and Moss
‍Photographer - Laura Beasley
‍Wedding cake - Made by a friend, Sammy Hudson
Decor - All decorations were done by a team of family and friends. Holly’s mum Alison, brother Natty and sister in law Emily. Caroline, Rebekah, and ourselves!
Stationery - Holly designed the wedding invitations and hand made the stationery for the day.
Transport - Shout out to Holly’s dad for driving the wedding car!
Entertainment - A handcrafted playlist we perfected ourselves

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