Hayley and Craig’s lovely day full of village hall wedding ideas

 A traditional church ceremony followed by plenty of delightful village hall wedding ideas was the dream day for these newlyweds Our WED2B Real Weddings feature reveals more…

Hayley and Craig met when they were at high school. “He’s my childhood sweetheart,” says Hayley. “Our first date was to see a scary movie at the cinema (Craig didn’t tell me at the time that he didn’t like horrors!)"

"I felt, and still feel, like the luckiest girl in the world.”

A sunset proposal

The couple had been together for five years when Craig proposed. “We were on a cruise in the Caribbean and it was Craig’s 21st birthday,” says Hayley. “He asked while we were up on the top deck, watching the sunset. I couldn’t believe Craig had picked the perfect ring himself and it had made it all the way to Colombia in his shoe, hidden in his suitcase! It was a moment I’ll never forget.”

Shopping for the dress

“I’d heard about WED2B through friends and from good reviews online and on Facebook,” says Hayley.

“I always knew I’d find my dress in WED2B. I’d seen a few dresses I liked on the website but one really stood out. When we got to the Norwich store I described myself and my style to my bridal consultant and she went off to pick three dresses. She came back with Marko and I knew it was fate.”

“My bridal consultant was so patient while I tried on a few styles,” says Hayley.

“I twirled around in each one, showing them off to my mum. I felt so confident in the store, they made me feel like a princess.

"In the end Marko stole my heart and got the all-important seal of approval from my mum. It was a lovely day for us and I would highly recommend WED2B to all my family and friends. My dress wowed my husband when I walked down the aisle, and there was a few tears from my family.”

The perfect dress

“I loved Marko because it has a statement back but also an amazing front,” says Hayley. “It’s got an all-over sparkle and a modern lace. The fit made me feel curvy and bridal and I loved the buttons down the back, too. I wore it without a veil, because the back was just too gorgeous to cover up. I also bought a Calli hair piece, a Solstice belt and a Mermaid underskirt.” (For similar styles try Fynn, Cruiz or Dillon)

 A classic church wedding

“We had a church wedding in our local village,” says Hayley. “I loved how traditional it was and it was all I ever imagined. The wedding was on 11th June 2022, a lovely bright day. We always commented, when we went past, that the church looked like a castle on a hill. It overlooks the meadows around and is so peaceful."

"The reception was in the local hall and we had lots of village hall wedding ideas to make it lovely.”

The big day

“We had a really chilled wedding, because we wanted to get married and have a party!” says Hayley. “Our wedding was at 4pm in our local church and then we went back to the village hall for our after party. I had all morning to get ready, so I went out for breakfast with my parents. Then my maid of honour arrived to get ready with us.” 

“My dad walked me down the aisle and he had a few tears,” says Hayley. “I walked in to ‘A Thousand Years’, a song I’ve always loved since watching Twilight when I was young. Our walk out song was my parents’ first dance song, ‘Looks Like We Made It’ by Barry Manilow. It's really sentimental and, after being together for ten years before getting married, we really did feel like we had finally made it.”

Lovely village hall wedding ideas

“The weather was great, we were so lucky to have the sun shining,” says Hayley. “We had the speeches when we got back to the hall and then went straight to the party. The chilled vibe really matched our personalities and the guests loved how informal it was."

"Our guests are smiling and laughing in all our photos, and that’s all we wanted.”

“There was no strict timetable, which worked really well for us and kept it stress free,” says Hayley. “We had a company who served wood-fired pizzas and also a donut and macaroon wall, both of which went down a storm with the kids."

"Our first dance song was ‘This Is It’, a country song my husband likes. I was pleased he chose the first dance song and I really loved it too, the lyrics really told our story. Our DJ played it again later in the night, which was a nice touch, as we could enjoy it when we were a little more chilled. Plus, the dance floor filled up again with our family and friends, joining us in the special moment.”

A pretty blue theme

The couple went for a blue theme (Craig’s favourite colour). “We had lots of village hall wedding ideas and the room was decorated with wall and ceiling drapes, so it looked traditional and sophisticated,” says Hayley. “We had real flowers on the tables and fairy lights for soft lighting. Our wedding cake was cupcakes in lemon, raspberry and caramel. We also had a small cake on top for cutting, decorated with real flowers which matched my bouquet.”

The best bits…

“The most memorable moments were the speeches,” says Hayley. “Our best man and my dad really pulled it out of the bag!”

My top tips…

“Don’t stress!” says Hayley. “Everything works out on the day, just enjoy it. I spent a lot of time worrying about how nervous I’d feel walking down the aisle. However, when you’re all ready and dressed, you just can’t wait to show your dress off."

"That feeling of being on top of the world really takes over.”

Hayley and Craig’s Dream Team 

Photographer: Bradley Didwell

Venue - Swanton Morley Church and Village Hall 

Wedding dress Norwich: WED2B

Flowers: Bright and Beautiful Flowers

Pizzas: Yellow Door Eats

DJ: Rumours Entertainment

Hair: Hidden Gem 

Makeup: Serena Aris

If you would like us to feature your big day, like this special day with its great village hall wedding ideas, then please click here to share your story and photos with us and we’ll be in touch. Your nearest WED2B is closer than you think, click here for your nearest store and here for what to expect when you visit.