Eleanor and Chris Nicholls Steed – 14th August 2023

Tell Us How You Met and All About Your Proposal …

Online during the pandemic. All of our early dates were via WhatsApp video call or in drive thrus or parks as they were the only things that were open!

Chris proposed to me on a bridge across the River Avon in the grounds of Stoneleigh Abbey after taking me for afternoon tea (I love afternoon teas!). We’re music lovers so he’d prerecorded a voice clip of a poem he’d written for me created from the lyrics from titles of our favourite songs. The poem ended with “will you marry me?” He sent the clip to me in a WhatsApp message and then asked me to check my phone. He did get down on one knee!

Let’s Talk About The Dress And Your Journey …

I loved how inclusive the shop was. I’m a plus sized girl but never once felt I had to settle for a dress I wasn’t in love with but at least fit at SCB as I had felt at other bridal shops as there were an abundance of dresses for all shapes, sizes and styles. The assistants were incredibly kind and listened very carefully. I never felt pushed into trying something I’d expressed wasn’t my taste or that I wouldn’t feel my best self in. The dresses were all beautiful quality and I loved that there were so many options with the elegant sleeves I so wanted!

I wanted to look elegant and classy but as a younger bride I still wanted the opportunity to show some of my skin and look youthful. Kerrie found the perfect dress for me!

How Did Your Partner React When They Saw You In Your Dress …

A few happy tears

Where Was Your Venue And What Made You Choose The Venue …

We said ‘I Do’ at the beautiful Wroxeter Hotel. We loved the idea of an outdoor wedding as we are nature lovers. The relaxed and unique feel seemed to fit our personalities and couple style. We also said I love you to each other for the first time at the top of the Wrekin, so we loved the idea of getting married in front of it. Staff were amazing!

Are There Any Special Memories You Would Like To Share From Your Special Day …

Our first dance was a very special, peaceful moment for us. We did it outdoors with smoke bombs which created some amazing photos too.

Tell Us About Your Wedding Colour And Theme …

Our wedding colour was lavender purple. I wanted peach roses in my bouquet as they were the first flowers Chris ever bought for me. We wanted a nice pastel tone to match with this and also the grey coloured suit Chris had chosen. We also had lavender in the flowers as I love the relaxing scent of it. It all blended together perfectly. We had a loose woodland theme and rustic style to fit with our outdoorsy personalities.

How Did You Make Your Day Unique To Your Love Story …

Our music choices were unusual but reflected our taste. Our flowers were chosen as they reminded us of our first date and the beginning of our story. The location allowed us to get married looking out at a place that was very special to us.

First Dance …

Nothing Else Matters by Metallica. We’re metal fans and were determined that we wouldn’t have an Ed Sheeran first dance!

Honeymoon Heaven – Where Did You Go …

We decided on a mini-moon to keep costs down. We started in Brussels, Belgium were we enjoyed all the local food of (French quality in German quantities!), and visited the Comic Art Museum. We then moved onto romantic Brugge before travelling into Luxembourg which was breathtakingly beautiful. We finished in Dinant before returning to Brussels for the flight home. We certainly crammed a lot into a four night trip! Part 2 is still to be planned but we are hoping to spend our first anniversary in Dubrovnik, Croatia as a delayed longer honeymoon.

Perfect Planning – Can You Give Future Brides Any Tips For Planning The Big Day …

Include your partner in the planning – it is his day too!

Not everything will go exactly to plan on the day, but lean into it if you can or shrug and move on if you can’t. It’s all part of the memories and as long as you’re married at the end of it all, it won’t matter all that much in the long term.

Make arrangements for what to do with your flowers afterwards before the wedding. Not preserving my flowers is the one and only wedding regret I have!

Make up a bridal emergency kit with scissors, safety pins, make up, tissues, mints, cotton wool pads, painkillers and Plasters and give it to a bridesmaid on the day to look after. It helped me on so many occasions!

Steam your dress the night before if you’re doing it yourself, it takes longer than you think it will!

Try to spend a bit of time just you and your new husband on your own after the ceremony, photos and drinks reception. It was one of my favourite parts of the day and we both felt so much more relaxed ready for the next part of the day after taking a moment for ourselves.

Suppliers …

The staff at our venue were incredible throughout and did not stop all day to make sure the day was perfect for us. Our photographer (White Apple Photography by Abi Boyle) was more than just a photographer to us and helped with so much on the day. She was basically a 4th bridesmaid to us! Not to mention that our wedding photos are STUNNING. Our florist (Shelly’s Florist Ltd in Telford) did an amazing job of creating the exact semi-wild look we wanted for our flowers and their communication was top notch throughout. Our musicians The Dreamers Duo were beyond brilliant. They were so flexible and went with the flow on the day to accommodate everything we wanted and performed our first dance song so perfectly. Our cake baker Julie Ann Bakes created the perfect cake for us that tasted just as good as it looked. My make up artist Helena Restall and my hairdresser Bridal Hair by Jayde Elizabeth did such a great job of keeping things relaxed and fun on the morning of the wedding and also did such an amazing job of styling my sister on the day (she was maid of honour) that I almost cried when I saw her!

Photographer: @whiteappleabi

Venue: @wroxeterweddings

Hair Stylists: @bridalhairbyjaydeelizabeth

MUA: @helena.restall.makeup.artist

Florist: @shellysfloristtelford

Cake: @julieannbakes