Real Wedding | Fiona and Joe

April 24, 2020 | Weddings and celebrations | 6 minute read

Joe and Fiona met at The Royal Norfolk Show in 2014, where Joe, who was working at the Windsor Bishop stand, sold her sister a ring. Nearly 5 years to the date of this chance meeting, Joe and Fiona married in the Marble Hall at Holkham for a midsummer wedding.

In contrast to the scorching summer where they became man and wife, Joe proposed at Gullfoss waterfall in Iceland, surrounded by snow, ice and water.

Fiona says…

It was so beautiful that moment; the sun made an appearance even though it was snowing. I thought that Joe was acting a little odd on the holiday, and it was no wonder why- usually very calm, I was surprised at how agitated he got when the airline made him check in his hand luggage on the way to Iceland- turns out my engagement ring was inside! It was made worse for him when his bag was one of the last ones to come off the flight!

At our wedding, we had 74 day guests and 20 evening guests. I grew up in Norfolk, and with many happy summers on the north Norfolk coastline, Joe needed no convincing that this area was a lovely place to get married. For us, no place could rival Holkham; it has impressive grounds complete with a lake and roaming deer. We clicked with the staff from the get go, and it felt right and special.

From choosing the wedding dress to the florist and musicians, it is so important to surround yourselves with supportive and positive people who will give you honest advice. My dress was designed by Pronovias, and I bought it from La Crème in Norwich with my mum and sister. The ladies in this shop were brilliant and knew which dress would suit me. My shoes were from Aquazurra, and all my jewellery was from Windsor Bishop, except for my ‘something old’- my grandma’s diamond ring. Joe’s suit was bespoke tailored by David Goddard, his shoes, Hugo Boss, and all his accessories were from Jarrolds.

My hairdresser, Tanya Woollacott, and my makeup artist, Paris Cressy, were such good fun on the morning of the wedding, and made me feel like every bride should do on their wedding day. As a midsummer wedding, I wanted our flowers and colours to reflect the season’s vibrancy. With Jo from Constance Rose, I described what colours we wanted, and that we wanted something very pretty, and left her to work her magic. She didn’t disappoint.

The bridal party stayed at The Crown in Wells. We had our own annexe of 5 rooms, separate from the hotel, which was fantastic as it felt like a home from home getting ready. The rooms were large and beautifully decorated, and the full English breakfast was just what I needed to start my day. I had such a fabulous morning surrounded by my family and bridesmaids, getting pampered and drinking Prosecco, and my dad acting as my personal waiter so I could stay in my PJs all morning. Joe and his brother (our bestman) stayed at The Hero in Burnham Overy Staithe, which was also where we spent our wedding night.

I was really excited on the day of the wedding, and was so relieved when I entered the Marble Hall as it was so cool on one of the hottest days of the year. I entered the hall to “Symphony” by Clean Bandit and left to “Marry You” by Bruno Mars. The string quartet Kavolini played beautifully. I was 25 minutes late, apparently, but that didn’t matter!

The things people remember about a wedding are the venue, food, and entertainment, so we wanted to make sure all these things were unforgettable. Every moment exceeded our expectations from beginning to end. Andy Parle’s food was delicious, made from locally sourced food, and our cake, resembling the Leaning Tower of Pisa at this point because of the hot weather, was still really tasty. Mark, our photographer, really captured the happiness of the day in the photos. We wanted the day to finish on a high, which it certainly did with the Joe Ringer Band and a packed dance floor. Mission accomplished!

Enjoy every moment of your wedding day, if you are having an amazing day your guests will be having an amazing day as well. Take your time with the photographer after the ceremony, too. For us, it was our only opportunity to be with each other, as the rest of the day is being with your nearest and dearest, drinking alcohol and waiting yummy canapes.

Suppliers

Mark Nortcliffe Photograhy | Andy Parle Catering | Constance Rose | Kavolini String Quartet | The Joe Ringer Band | Constance Rose Cakes

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