Heather and Lewis were determined to get married on 4th December 2020, not even a global pandemic could stop them, so in true Peaky Blinders style they tied the knot at Hogarths, Stone Manor. Here's their story in Heathers words....

Where did you meet?

Lewis and I met in October 2010 at school. He had decided to stay on for a further year at 6th form, whilst I was beginning my first year. He used to do  'door duty' in one of the school buildings, which was where I first met him. Soon after he added me on Facebook asking if we went to the same primary school ( I hadn't, but it was a good conversation starter). He picked up the courage to say hello and his first word to me was 'Yo' something we still joke about today. Now 10 years later, here we are!

How long were you planning your wedding?

After getting engaged in January 2018, we decided that we wanted to wait a couple of years before getting married. Not long after that my Brother proposed to his now wife and shortly after my Sister became engaged too. They both began planning their weddings for 2020, so we thought why not, lets make it a third

Deciding we wanted a Winter Wedding and having looked at a few venues that didn't feel quite right, we saw Hogarths, Stone Manor, on a friend Instagram post and thought we would have a look there. After browsing there website and planning a viewing, we knew as soon as we walked through the door and saw the Christmas lights, the open fires and the cosy furniture,that this was the perfect place for our us. The planning followed from there. Throw in a world pandemic and everything got organised just in the nick of time.

Which suppliers did you use?

I found my wedding dress at Dream Days in Dudley. I couldn't recommend the Dream Days Team more! I felt so comfortable choosing my gown and never felt pressured. Tracey went over and above, trying to track my gown before the November lockdown and managed to fit me in for a last minute fitting, the day before the shop had to close.

The men's suits were from Duncan James Menswear Walsall. We had our mind set on a Peaky Blinders look and that's is exactly what they provided. The service was fabulous and all the men had to provide were pants and socks.

We chose Bluebell Photo Studio to capture our big day. Karolina and Mario were wonderful and we couldn't have chosen anyone better. We felt a real connection with both of them, which made us feel at ease and relaxed throughout the day.

When it came to the cake, it had got to be Cakeland, Great Bridge, Tipton. We have used this company for years and had no hesitation to use them again. We chose 3 tiers of Victoria sponge, Lemon drizzle and cherry Bakewell flavours, which were all delicious.

I had rather a strange request for my wedding bouquet, I wanted cabbages also known as brassica and Clare at Clare's Weddings in Halesowen got it just right. I put all my faith in Clare, to produce my amazing cabbage bouquet and she did not disappoint.

The venue décor was provided by The Wedding House, Droitwich who supplied us with table clothes overlays, charger plates and napkins, we also had a red carpet with scattered petals to go down the aisle. Their wonderful service was the perfect little touch to our amazing day.

Do you have any advice for future brides?

Stay Calm, even the most organised of days will have their little issues. I thought I had planned our wedding down to every last detail, thinking I was the most organised bride ever! But some things still didn't go to plan. I refused to let those things ruin my day as they were out of my control and anyway, if everything went to plan we wouldn't have a wedding story and remember, its only you that knows what your wedding should look like or what should be happening, your guests are none the wiser.

What was the highlight of your day?

Seeing Lewis's face as I rounded the corner to walk down the aisle. I will never forget the look he gave me when he saw me for the first time. I had to look away from him to stop myself from crying, as his bottom lip was trembling and tears filled his eyes. A truly magical moment that I will remember forever.

Is there anything else that you would like to mention?

With the power of optimism and positivity, we were determined to not let Covid-19 be at the forefront of our wedding. We had 15 of the most important members of our family and we celebrated the most amazing day of our lives.

We have such a unique story to tell, where our guests wore facemasks and singing and dancing were not allowed. For us we wanted to remember the true meaning of marriage and to show that you can still have a magical fairy-tale wedding in the midst of a world pandemic.❤

‍

‍

‍