Proposal's to Promises
Venue: Hayne House
Your first names: Sally & Steve
Your ages: 29 & 31
Wedding date: 20/11/2021
How did you meet and who made the first move?
Sally was friends with Steve’s younger sister, Emma, in school. Steve’s mum, Mel saw Sally at work a few years later and planted the seed in Steve’s head that he needed a nice girl in his life like Sally. Steve then contacted Sally over Facebook after Christmas and the message was sadly not received. A uni friend of Sally’s named Aimee who was also a bridesmaid changed her middle name on Facebook, as a joke to Sally ‘carbonara’ Floyd (inside joke) and he messaged her again once he saw and said ‘I had no idea you were Italian’ which made Sally laugh a lot! They got together that month and since then they have laughed every single day! Safe to say the groom made the first move with a terrible yet effective joke!
Tell us about your engagement?
The first Christmas together in our new house. We’d had Christmas lunch and there were a couple more presents left under the tree. Steve said he’d hidden a present under the sofa where she was sitting as it wasn’t wrapped (much to Sally’s disappointment), and pulled out a ring and popped the question.
What made you choose your wedding venue?
We loved the bright, open and modern feel of the orangery as well as the period features within Hayne house and the warm feel it had. The beautifully presented gardens were a bonus and most importantly one of the coordinators Sam Lloyd was so lovely and welcoming and was the first venue we had spoken to that actually took an interest in us as a couple and asked us the question, how did you guys get together and how long have you been together? They were the first place that seemed interested in us as a couple and not the money we would be spending. They were always so flexible and accommodating every step of the way.
Did you have a theme or inspiration for your wedding?
Ever since Sally began training to become a veterinary nurse, the end goal was to qualify and ‘get her greens’. The uniform you wear when you qualify is deep forest green and literally suits every and any skin tone. It’s been a favourite colour ever since and of course our beloved cats Nugget and Mooncake had to be part of the big day in some way as we knew they couldn’t be there. Our table numbers were pictures of the cats being adorable with relevant web error codes as numbers as Steve is a web developer.
What’s your first dance song and why did you choose it?
Strangers by Seven Lions with Myon & Shane 54 ft. Tove Lo. Steve introduced Sally to the song in the first year of the relationship. The track has a slow and sweet start to it with a great vocalist and lyrics that resonated with both of us at the start of our fresh relationship. It has a brilliant beat drop to it around halfway and is a great upbeat dance track. We saw them live and they were so good and the song just became ‘our’ song, and we would sing/shout it at the top of our lungs during many a road trip and would always put us in great spirits.
What would be your top tip to other couples planning their own wedding?
Just do you! Do exactly what you want and what you can afford. If it needs to be a small and intimate day then go for it, if you want to spend some money and make it big, go for it. Don’t let anyone judge or sway you into making any decisions that benefit them and try not to be people pleasers. It’s your day and if it makes you happy then go for it.
Would you recommend me to your family & friends and if so, why?
We met Steve at the Detling showground wedding fair in Maidstone while in the early stages of planning our day. There was a lot of good photographers there but Steve’s photos really sparked an emotional response in both me and steve. The colours were so vivid and he captured the special moments so so well. We were so in awe of some of the images of the couples in the evening, nighttime/dusk shots and shots in the rain. Using a simple spotlight, he really captures the colours and the surroundings and just makes the most stunning images to cherish for a lifetime! My husband is really into photography and recognises good image quality and styles and steve really stood out as an exceptional talent for him. When speaking to Steve Barber, it just felt like he’d been a friend of ours for years, so approachable and easy to chat to and have a laugh. He wasn’t rigid and worked with us well. We didn’t feel awkward when we were with him and while he was capturing our images on the day, and we are a generally awkward couple, haha, and we had a great chat and banter with him too which was quite relaxing! Turn around was exceptionally quick too and we couldn’t be happier with his work.
