Tom and Emma first met in October 2017, at the school where Emma used to work. “I was a teaching assistant and Tom was a sports coach who visited lots of schools,” she says. “We didn’t start talking until January 2018, then our first date was breakfast at an American diner a month later.”

The happy couple at their Norfolk wedding Wedding dress featured: Amore by Anna Sorrano

Popping the question

Tom proposed on a beach in Norfolk. “When we first started dating he took me there to see the lighthouse,” says Emma. “Tom proposed late in the evening on the same beach, after we’d enjoyed fish and chips while watching the sunset on our six-month anniversary.”

Beautiful couple photos at this Norfolk wedding Wedding dress featured: Amore by Anna Sorrano styled with the London veil from Amixi

Shopping for the dress

Emma bought her dream dress at WED2B’s Norwich store. “I loved the experience,” she says. “There were so many gorgeous dresses to choose from and the staff were amazing. I’m quite petite, so I was amazed to find plenty of dresses in sizes four to six. The dress I got didn’t even need any alterations to fit me. I went for the Amore dress, which one of my bridesmaids picked out. In my mind, I wanted a lace dress with straps but I ended up with was a strapless dress in beautiful satin! I loved how well it fitted me and I adored the buttons all the way down the back, the mermaid skirt and the long train. I also chose the London veil in a cathedral length. It really added the wow factor to what I can only describe as a stunning and timeless wedding dress.”

Emma in Amore by Anna Sorrano at her Norfolk wedding Wedding dress featured: Amore by Anna Sorrano styled with the London veil from Amixi

A rustic Norfolk wedding venue

The couple married in their local church. “It’s a beautiful church building with a modern interior,” says Emma. “Our reception was held at a nearby Glebe Farm Barn, which I fell in love with as soon as I saw it. The barn is suitable for DIY weddings, which meant that we could transform it into my dream wedding venue. It was exactly what I wanted and I enjoyed making all the decorations.”

The big day

The couple’s Norfolk wedding was held on 5th October 2019. “We had a church service that we put together ourselves,” says Emma. “We choose all the songs and readings and got friends from church to play in a band and to read for us. The vicar at our church married us and gave a short message on the meaning of love. I walked down the aisle with my dad and bridesmaids to an instrumental version of ‘Beauty and the Beast' and our mums were our witnesses. We walked out of the church to ‘I’m a Believer’ by The Monkees before getting into a gorgeous, old-fashioned car, which took us to the venue.”

Getting married at this Norfolk wedding Wedding dress featured: Amore by Anna Sorrano styled with the London veil from Amixi

An autumnal theme

“We had an autumnal and rustic/woodland theme, as we were getting married in October and also our surname is Woods!” says Emma. “The main colour was burnt orange and tables were named after trees. We also used lots of log slices and pumpkins for decoration, as well as leaves and bunting that I’d made out of autumnal-coloured material. The semi-naked cake had three-tiers with flavours of salted caramel, carrot and chocolate orange.”

Speeches and surprises

“One of the biggest highlights was when one of my husband’s best men arrived unexpectedly,” says Emma. “We thought he was working overseas, as he’s in the military, so it was a brilliant surprise for Tom. Secondly, my sister, who was Maid of Honour, gave the most incredible speech. It ended up as a comedy show and musical!”

My top tips…

“My top tip would be to make your day as personal to you as you can, so people will remember it,” says Emma. “ So many people came up to me on the day to tell me how beautiful the place looked and how everything in it was so me. Even if you’re not creative, get someone who is to make it about you because, at the end of the day, it’s your wedding and you’ll want to remember the special details forever!” 

Celebrating with sparklers at this Norfolk wedding Wedding dress featured: Amore by Anna Sorrano styled with the London veil from Amixi

Emma’s Dream Team

Photographer: Thom Law Photography (thomlawphotography.com)

Norfolk Wedding Venue: Glebe Farm Barn (facebook.com/GlebeFarmWeddingBarn)

Florist: Fox and Fern Florist (foxandfernflorist.com)

Cake: Little Cakes Co

Hair and makeup: Teigan Will Beauty (facebook.com/TeiganWillBeauty)

Catering: The Flying Cockerel (theflyingcockerel.co.uk)

Bar:The Globe Trotter

Hire Equipment: Anglian Elite Banqueting Hire (angliaelite.co.uk)

DJ: DJ Sebina (djsebina.com)

Videographer: Hannah Brodie (hannahbrodie.co.uk)

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.