Victoria & Sean

OUR STORY 
 Couple’s Names: 
Victoria & Sean
  Wedding date:
11th November 2023
Our love story:
I walked into a room and there he was. It was love at first sight! We met through work, and when my boss introduced me to the extended team on my second day of the job, I couldn't believe it! It was like something out of a movie: I looked at him, time went slow-mo with wind in my hair. I asked him out two weeks later. I knew this English gentleman would take his time, and my Eastern European - Swiss disposition came out on top. I didn't want to lose a single second and if he thought I was too forward, I could always blame it on Christmas, as this was in December. We had one date at the local pub, drank ciders until it closed, kissed - and that was it. When covid lockdown hit three months later, we decided to spend it together. Now here we are!

  Our engagement story:
We broke into a National Trust property! It was our three-year anniversary and Sean made me pancakes (my favourite!) and had a giant bouquet of flowers waiting for me. He then told me to wrap up warm because we were going out and it had snowed in the countryside. We drove through a winter wonderland of a landscape, and arrived at Scotney Castle to find it, closed. As the park around it is quite big, we decided to go for a walk in the snow anyway. It was really beautiful, snow glistening gently in the sun, rolling hills, crisp December air. We then got to the outskirts of the castle - and he jumped the fence! I followed, with less grace and more difficulty but we were in. It was completely magical. We made our way through the fresh snow, trees and came to a beautiful slender bridge thrown across the frozen lake surrounding the dramatic gothic fairytale castle. We were the only people there, and the sun was setting. We kept looking at each other in disbelief - it felt so unreal! He knelt in the snow, and that was it! In the evening, he had booked dinner at our favourite restaurant - the Folkestone wine company. Its owner was the first to know of our engagement, as I couldn't contain the excitement!
THE BRIDE WORE:
Falling in love with my Catherine Deane outfit:
I did a lot of research before finding Catherine Deane. I love her combination of timeless yet modern style made with organic fabrics. It was really important to me to be as conscious as possible in planning the wedding, so coming to try out Catherine Deane dresses was an easy decision.
I tried out the dress that caught my eye first but - as usual I am told - ended up with something quite different but that actually really felt like 'me.' I'm so glad I ended up going for separates! It means I'll be able to re-wear the beautiful pieces. I had so many compliments on my outfit, both during the day and through pictures after. And very importantly - I felt so comfortable! Sean loved it too, it was the perfect combination of beautiful, playful, sparkly and chic. Throughout the evening, I kept twirling my skirt and telling everyone 'It's organic silk!' All my girlfriends loved it.
 Did you go to the CD boutique or purchase your gown online? 

The London Boutique and its staff immediately made me, and my two childhood friends feel welcome and relaxed. They were also really understanding of my best woman joining in on a video call!

Tell us about your Wedding Venue: 

The Bell in Ticehurst is a wonderful in the middle of the East Sussex countryside. It was a wonderful and magical wedding venue. We fell in love with its quirky details and its fantastic spaces - the main room that hosted the ceremony, dinner and party is dark wood with chandeliers and this amazing wallpaper representing a magical birch tree forest. Being from Eastern Europe, this detail really appealed to me. The other deciding factor was the food - it was simply amazing! All the staff were incredibly friendly, too - the waiter from our tasting menu even changed his shift to be with us at our wedding!
 
Wedding style:
We wanted something that portrayed us and that's what we had!

Our most memorable moment:
We had an as-much-as-possible bilingual wedding, as some of my family does not speak English at all. We decided that we would do our personal vows to each other in each other's language, so the 'other side' would be witnessing our promises. During the ceremony, Sean was the first to go. When he started speaking in French, there was a loud collective female GASP immediately followed by an OOOHHH. This was, of course, received with loving laughter from the rest of the assembly. It was a fantastic moment.
 Our funniest moment:
My best woman translated the ceremony in French. At some point, the officiant read out her speech about commitment in a couple too quickly for Noémy to follow. She translated it as: 'Faut bosser dur. C'est dur.' Meaning: 'You've got to work hard. It's though.' It's one of those things that is very funny if you were there! The best man's speech was incredibly hilarious. My dad, who is a tee-total, proudly drank some prosecco! We had a 'Shakespeare Flash Mob' at the wedding. As a theatre director, I couldn't help myself - I had to use all the actors at my disposal. We staged a small event where Roisin, the groom's sister, started a speech that included 'Sean and Victoria's favourite Shakespeare quote.' My friend Jack Spencer would interrupt her to correct the quote. They would fight a bit over it - enough for the audience to get tense - before more people throughout the crowd started to intervene with what they thought was our favourite Shakespeare quote. To be honest, my usually shy brother stole the show when he interrupted everyone (as part of the script) with: 'Can we please translate? Some people here don't speak English!' My dad almost jumped out of his skin.
VENDOR LOVING 
Photographer: Jacqui McSweeney
Wedding Venue and Caterer: The Bell in Ticehurst
Florist: The Art Bunch
Wedding Rings: Aimee Craddock Jewelry
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