Bethany and Thomas’s stunning mill wedding

This couple’s picturesque venue had minimal decor and plenty of natural beauty. Our WED2B Real Weddings feature reveals more…

Bethany and Thomas met at work in 2015. “For our first date we went to see Hairspray at the theatre in Newcastle,” says Bethany. “Thomas proposed after we moved into our first house together when my parents and his parents were round for Christmas."

"I was playing Monopoly with his sister and he bought me a box filled with pictures of us and a poem. Thomas asked me to read the poem out and down the left hand side it spelt out 'Will you marry me?’ He then played me a video of him buying the ring, climbing on a roof to ask my dad for his permission and calling all my best friends to let them know about the proposal. It was perfect."

Wedding dresses Southampton

Bethany wore WED2B’s Kennedy dress. “I had seen it advertised online for years and loved it,” she says. “When searching for wedding dresses in Southampton I visited WED2B but I found out they didn’t have the Kennedy dress in stock. So I bought it from the Bournemouth store without ever seeing it in real life and had it shipped to Southampton! It was definitely ‘The One’ and I fell in love with it. The train was just a dream.”

A beautiful mill venue

The couple married at Sopley Mill in Dorset. “The venue was so classic, rustic and gorgeous,” says Bethany. “It needed minimal decor and just oozed natural beauty. It has a river running through it and there was tons of outdoor space for our guests to enjoy cocktails.”

The big day

“We had a harpist for the ceremony and my two little sisters were flowers girls,” says Bethany. “My other sister and my husband’s two sisters were bridesmaids and my best friend was my maid of honour."

"After the ceremony there was a drinks reception and lawn games for the kids and we also had a caricaturist. The weather was lovely and sunny, so everyone enjoyed being outside in the grounds of Sopley Mill.” 

Canapés and cocktails

Peroni and Prosecco were served at the drinks reception, along with a variety of canapés, such as leek and potato soup shots. “Our wedding breakfast was magical and our dessert was served with dry ice, so it was a real show,” says Bethany.

“For our toasts we had tequila shots. Later, after the wedding breakfast, everyone went back outside for more cocktails before a live band came on in the evening.”

Classic style

The theme was very classic with a lot of white and greenery, plus notes of blush pink. “We also had a lot of touches for our little pug, Narla,” says Bethany.

“We had a wooden silhouette of her on our cake, as part of our topper, and there was a biscuit bar with packets of dog treats for people to take home to their dogs. Narla was mentioned on our Order of Service too, where it said that she was celebrating at home!”

The little things…

”In the toilets there were little baskets with freshen-up items for all our guests, including deodorant, hair grips, etc,” says Bethany. “Our wedding cake was a two-tier buttercream cake, finished with flowers from our florist."

"The caricaturist's pictures, which had been done during the drinks reception, made the perfect favours. There were also little bags for the kids to keep them entertained during the meal. Lastly, when guests arrived at the wedding hotel, they received an itinerary and welcome biscuits.” 

Party time!

“In the evening there was a live band, which was amazing after not being able to dance for so long,” says Bethany. “The dance floor was full all night. We also had a dry ice display for our first dance. The whole day was perfect and we finished the night with a sparkler send off."

My top tips…

“Definitely book a live band,” says Bethany. “It is 100% worth the money. Secondly, get a bustle added to your dress if you have a long train, so you can dance the night away. Spend money on the food and drink (it’s what people remember). Finally, just have the best day. Some little things might not go to plan, but on the day it really doesn’t matter!”

Bethany’s Dream Team 

Photography: Tom Langford at Weddings by Tom

Venue: Sopley Mill, Dorset

Wedding dresses Southampton: WED2B 

Videographer: Video 4 A Day 

Florist: Micah at Mrs Bouquet Weddings

Caterer: Molecular Magic 

Caricaturist: Vix Caricatures 

Cake: Dotti Cakes 

Band: Booked through Tailored Entertainment

Makeup and Hair: Georgina Chambers in Portsmouth

If you would like your big day to be one of our real weddings please click here to share your story and photos with us and we’ll be in touch. Or click here for more details about WED2B’s wedding dresses Southampton