This gorgeous Yorkshire-based couple met in New Zealand back in 2014 while Sam was living there and Amber was travelling. It turned out that they were both from Leeds, UK and even had mutual friends - a true fate fairytale! By 2018, Sam surprised Amber by proposing to her in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. Amber describes the proposal as being so personal and Sam even played one of her favourite songs, Holocene by Bon Iver, which she then walked down the aisle too - awww!
How did you decide on the theme/ colourscheme of your wedding?
We loved the festoon lights and exposed brickin the venueso we chose colours that would complement that. I also spent a lot of time on Pinterest!
What was the most fun to organize?
Personally, my favourite thing was planning the things Sam didn’t know about. I loved thinking about how he’d react to my dress –it was so hard not to slip up beforehand!
Did you have a wedding planner or on the day help?
We didn’t have a wedding planner but the guys at ourvenue wereso supportive, they really helped us understand where to start. Our photographer was also amazing! We spoke for the full year leading up to the wedding and she has so much wedding knowledge, she was like my wedding guru!
What was the hardest part of the planning process?
Budgeting! Trying to stick to a specific cost requiresso much more research and planning.
What was the easiest part of the planning process?
Knowing what we liked and what we didn’t was easy. We were 100% certain of every choice we made.
How did you personalize your wedding to reflect who you are as a couple?
We designed pretty much everything ourselves and personalised everything we could. I had written a poem which my friend read during the ceremony and one of Sam’s friends read something he had written. We also both have quite a lot of tattoos so we had some made into transfers as favours for guests –it was so much fun seeing everyone covered by the end of the night!
What was your vision for the wedding?
We both wanted something fun and laid-back, so we chose to have a city-centre wedding in the summer that reflected the things we love.We had pizza, popcorn and beer pong. It was such a personal day -I could feel the love from everyone from start to finish. It was exactly what we wanted.
How did you know it was THE dress?
I just knew. I couldn’t picture myself in anything else and I wouldn’t have been able to stop thinking about it if I’d gone for anything else. It just felt like mine straight away.
Wedding dress designer: Charlie Brear
Fabric / description: Slip dress, backless, simple, elegant, amazing!
Where did you find your wedding dress? Dotty Bridal
What was your experience in searching for your dress? Really easy! It was the first dress I tried on and I just knew it was the one.
What did your husband wear?
He looked so cool. He wore a brown suit with a pink shirt! The colours just worked, especially with my bridesmaid’s dresses.
What advice would you give to brides in search of their dress?
Don’t rush. And stick to what you want –not what others want.
Thoughts from your husband when he first saw you in the dress?
He said it was perfect and that he wouldn’t have wanted me to change a thing about how I looked.
What did the bridesmaids wear? How and why did you choose what you did?
I mixed and matched their dresses with different styles and autumnal colours. They’re all so different I wanted them to wear something they liked –they all looked amazing.
If you had a flower girl / ring bearer what did they wear? Any special details/stories?
Our two nieces were our flower girls and they wore gorgeous white dresses. Our nephew was our ring boy and he wore a mini version of what Sam wore.
Did you write your own vows?
No, but I did write a poem and we had another reading by a close friend that he wrote himself.
Who walked you down the aisle?
My dad.
What are your three most memorable memories of the day?
Walking down the aisle, the ceremony itself and the speeches. These were the moments we really got to stand/sit back and reflect on how much we loved each other and how happy we were.
What was your menu like? Any specialities? How did you choose the menu?
We had wood fired pizza –it was amazing!
Any signature drinks?
There was A LOT of complimentary red wine, prosecco and Asahi beer (a nod to one of our favourite countries, Japan).
What entertainment did you have?
We had an acoustic singer following the ceremony and a DJ for the evening.
First dance?
Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez.
Wedding cake details (including flavor).
We had a four-tier cake made up of four different flavours –chocolate peanut butter, white chocolate, chocolate orange and salted caramel.
Where did you / will you decide to go on honeymoon?
We took a month off straight after the wedding to travel around Thailand, Sri Lanka and Singapore. It was incredible!
Wedding dress: Charlie Brear, Payton - Dotty Bridal
Grooms attire: Next + Charles Tyrwhitt
Hair: Jodie Robinson - @jodie.r321
Make-up: Elizabeth Amy - @elizabethamymakeupartist
Jewelry: Howling moon
Engagement ring: Bespoke
Wedding ring: Etsy
Ceremony location: New Craven Hall - @newcravenhall
Reception venue: New Craven Hall - @newcravenhall
Catering: Wood Fired Pizza Co + The Gravy Train Poutine - @thegtpoutine
Cake: Jessie's Cakes
Photographer: Epic Love Story - @emma_epiclovestory
Florist: Leafy Couture - @leafycouture
