Lucy and Yousef have been inseparable since the age of 17. On the day the couple got the keys to their first home together, Yousef made the occasion doubly exciting by popping the question! “As I unlocked the door, I turned around to see Yousef on one knee and my parents and our pup Oscar in the background watching on,” says Lucy. “It was so sweet.”
When it came to choosing their wedding venue, there was one location that stood out. “The moment we walked into Upton Barn, we both knew it was where we wanted to get married,” she says. Settling on a calming colour scheme of “neutrals with peachy splashes”, the floral arrangements carried the palette beautifully, with a foliage garland around the ceremony arbor and stem flowers throughout the venue.
The couple also incorporated personal little details throughout the day. “As we weren’t allowed dogs at the venue, we made a photo frame with our family dogs for drinks signs,” says Lucy. “I also made a photobook of mine and Yousef’s pictures through the years and – as our last name was going to be Walker – we made a crisps wall of Walkers crisps with a sign reading ‘We know you’re here for the Walkers.’”
The couple’s most treasured moment took place as their ceremony began. “We have the same favourite moment of the day: seeing each other for the first time when we met again at the end of the aisle,” says Lucy, who reminisces that “every second of the ceremony was perfect”.
The newlyweds enjoyed welcome drinks, canapés and garden games with their guests, with a highlight being “cornhole on the lawn and meeting the horses around the grounds”, before a wedding breakfast of cheddar and leek crumble tart and ‘build-your-own beef burger’ sharing boards. “My mum and sister made our wedding cake, which was dessert,” says Lucy. “It was so special and tasted amazing.”
As the guests enjoyed the sunset, Lucy and Yousef took some timeout for photographs before their first dance to an acoustic cover of Iris by Goo Goo Dolls. “Yousef had wanted this song as his first dance for years, and it was such a lovely moment to share together,” she says. “Although my grandma’s mobile rang during the first dance – and she took the call! It definitely made us all chuckle.”
An evening full of dancing, toasting marshmallows on the fire and woodfired pizza followed. “We danced the night away,” says Lucy. “Memories of the wedding day will stay with us forever, especially spending time with our amazing families and close friends.”
And when it comes to planning, she recommends a sweet way to memorialise the day. “My cousin took pictures of all our guests in the evening on a Polaroid camera and got them to write us a personal message, which we read the day after,” she says. “This was such a lovely memory for us to keep forever.”
Their top tip for couples is to try not to overthink a decision. “The first choice was probably already perfect so don’t stress yourselves!” says Lucy. “And don’t forget that at the end of the day you get to marry your best friend – don’t lose sight of that.”
Photography Grace Elizabeth grace-elizabeth.co.uk
Videography Union Video unionvideo.co.uk
Venue Upton Barn uptonbarn.com
Flowers Lucy Charlotte Floral Design lucycharlottefloraldesign.co.uk
Catering Mulberry Catering Co mulberrycatering.co.uk
Seamstress Gwen Lloyd-Edwards instagram.com/Gwenlloydedwardsdesigner
Dress Brides at Waterfields bridesatwaterfields.co.uk
Men’s outfits Burton burton.co.uk
Tailoring Sharif Mirzad shariftailoring.co.uk
Make-up Michelle Lopez lopezbeauty.com
Hair Jade Conibere instagram.com/jadeconibere_hair
Stationery Zazzle zazzle.co.uk
Entertainment Sadie Horler instagram.com/SadieHorler
DJ & magic mirror Bespoke Disco instagram.com/bespokediscocompany
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