Real Weddings Bristol: Kerrie and Nicholas' peaceful celebration

A cute picnic proposal led to a beautiful church wedding for this happy couple. Our WED2B Real Weddings Bristol feature reveals more:

Co-worker romance

Nicholas and Kerrie met as young adults when they both worked at WHSmith. "When Nicholas first asked me out, I wasn't even sure if it was a date!" Kerrie says. They spent their time together by going out for food and drinks at a local pub. "Ever the gentlemen, Nicholas walked me to the bus stop afterwards to make sure I got the bus OK," Kerrie says, "we parted with a hug and a casual 'see you tomorrow."

Sat on the bus home, Kerrie was confused by what the evening spent together meant. "I instantly text him to ask him if we had just had our first date, and he replied 'yes!'"

Picnic proposal

Nicholas planned to propose over a romantic picnic at Fernworthy Reservoir on Dartmoor, but his plan was ruined by the rain. "He packed up a hamper with sparkling rose, strawberries and chocolate mousse," Kerrie says, "I had no idea whatsoever that he was going to propose, I just thought we were going for a nice picnic and a walk!"

When they arrived, the heavens opened, so they had to stay in the car. Nicholas couldn't keep his excitement from bubbling over, and in the end, popped the question while they were still sat in the car. "It was very romantic! We instantly drove home to tell everyone the news!"

Picking the perfect dress

Kerrie wore Arielle by Heidi Hudson. She knew what she was looking for in her wedding dress, something elegant and floaty, so when she tried on the bohemian Arielle, she knew it was the one! "I truly felt like a princess on my wedding day!"

Kerrie bought her beautiful dress in WED2B Bristol. "The staff were extremely friendly and helpful!" she says, "I only tried on around 5 dresses before I found 'The One'".

Beautiful church venue

The couple were married in Pinhoe Church in Exeter, which is only a 5-minute journey from their house. "We chose it because it was the church closest to us and our first house." Kerrie says, "But, also, it's a very pretty church on top of a hill!"

For their reception, the venue of choice was St Katherine's Priory, also in Exeter. The venue isn't a place that many people are aware of, and the couple themselves stumbled upon it by chance. They knew it was a perfect place for them. "The grounds include a huge lawn area with picnic tables and flowerbeds which were ideal for drinks and mingling." Even though the venue was close to the city centre, everyone commented on how "pretty and peaceful" the venue was.

On the day, Kerrie's dad walked her down the aisle to Bruno Mars' Just the Way You Are, "I remember my legs shaking uncontrollably, luckily no-one could see them under my dress!" says Kerrie. As the church is a small space, Kerrie didn't have a long walk down the aisle. She remembers "smiling at everyone and looking at all the faces and telling my mother-in-law not to cry when she saw me!"

The couple had 2 readings during their ceremony. One religious, and the other a poem called "On Your Wedding Day", read by their bridesmaid Lily. "She was so emotional and overwhelmed that she choked up and had to hold her tears back after just two lines in!" Kerrie says.

The reception

Arriving at the ceremony everyone was treated to Pimms and cloudy lemonade. These were served in jam jars which Kerrie and Nicholas had been collecting for 12 months! Acoustic music played in the background whilst the guests mingled, photos were taken, and canapes were eaten.

The wedding breakfast was a cold buffet rather than a sit-down meal, however, they still had a table plan and favours for each guest. A disco and BBQ kept the party going through the evening.

Homemade vintage 

Tables were decorated with wooden centrepieces and jam jars filled with gypsophila, and inside the marquee, the couple hung bunting. Kerrie says, "a lot of the decorations we made ourselves! Including the table names, table plan, name places and even activity books for the children".

Kerrie's top tips

Kerrie's advice for marrying couples is "make the day as true to yourselves as you can and enjoy every moment because it goes far too quickly! Don’t stress about the small stuff because, at the end of the day, the most important part is the two of you making your vows to each other. As long as that happens, who cares if the napkins aren’t the right colour?!"

A few more to inspire you...

If you love the floaty, bohemian Arielle just like Kerrie, we think you'll also love Effie and Hope! Both dresses feature soft tulle skirts perfect for any bohemian bride!

Did your wedding have the wow factor like our Real Weddings Bristol feature? If you would like to be a part of our real weddings feature send your favourite photo to info@wed2b.co.uk and we’ll be in touch!