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Early days…
For Ellen and Darren it was quite literally love at first sight. Ellen recalls: “I fell in love with Darren from the first moment I saw him… I used to get butterflies every time I saw him! As soon as we went on a date we hit it off straight away and I knew then that he was the one!”
For Darren his feelings were as immediate as his future wife-to-be: “I fell in love with Ellen the moment that I saw her. She had a bright red streak in her hair and a matching bright smile and when she looked round… our eyes locked and we smiled at each other. That was the moment I knew!”
The proposal…
At St Governs Head, Ellen and Darren walked through the tiny chapel before sitting on a rock together, looking out to sea. At that moment, Darren went to his bag and turned to Ellen with a diamond ring. “He attempted to ask me and the two of us were so emotional that we couldn’t stop crying," Ellen says. "It was a perfect moment and neither of us will ever forget it.”
Hen and stag parties…
Ellen’s hen party had a sixties inspired theme, full of timeless style and girlie fun. With a Breakfast at Tiffany’s inspired theme, 14 of her girlfriends headed out in Newcastle, dressed in black dresses and pearls – Audrey Hepburn style. As the bride-to-be, Ellen stood out in a pink dress and long black gloves for a Holly Golightly look with a twist. Ellem says: “I wanted something classy and a little bit different. It was fantastic, we had such a laugh and danced all night!”
Darren and 11 friends had an adrenaline-fuelled weekend full of surfing and coasteering, in Pembrokeshire. He says: “We all braved the chill of the sea, learnt to surf and got a little battered when the wind picked up. We decided to jump off the rocks into tidal surges, gullies and off an old slate quarry building into the blue lagoon… priceless!”
The venues…
For Ellen, St Mary’s Church in Merthyr Tydfil was the only place to marry, having been baptized there as well as receiving her first Holy communion and being confirmed there. Luckily, Darren shared her fondness for the church which she says is "beautiful inside and out!".
Morlais Castle Golf Club was their reception spot. With less than a year to plan, Ellen and Darren had originally set their hearts set on a city reception in Cardiff but after a chance recommendation by a friend, they found their "perfect spot" in the Merthyr Tydfil venue.
The attendants…
Ellen’s two bridesmaids were best friends, Justine Jones and Lynsey Pickett who carried on the fifties-inspired theme in fashionable silver puffball dresses and pink gerberas embossed into the material
Cutting a contemporary dash in black charcoal grey suits with skinny white ties and white converse boots were the groom, Darren alongwith the best man (friend Leigh Hansen-Clarke), his younger brother (Gareth Hutchings), Ellen’s three younger brothers (Joe, James and Mark), and their nephew (Iestyn Hutchings) as the page boy.
The dress…
Ellen wore a fifties inspired wedding dress - a white, three quarter length gown with a full pleated skirt and petticoats, made from a fine silk zibeline. The dress had a slash neck and a cute bow detail adorned one side. The back was finished with covered buttons. True to her love at first sight philosophy, it was the first and only dress Ellen tried! "I knew straight away it was the one. I didn’t look any further" she says.
Ellen completed the fifties pin-up look with a short white veil and white silk head band (complete with side bow) atop a beehive up-do.
The flowers…
Ellen chose modern and funky hot-pink gerberas for her bouquet and decorations.
The transport…
As Mr and Mrs Hutchings, Ellen and Darren travelled to their reception spot in a fun and funky old fashioned VW Beatle convertible.
The decorative touches…
The couple chose a colour theme of silver, white and hot-pink to complement their funky fifties style. Inside the reception venue, white chair covers were tied with silver bows, white linen tables were scattered with hot pink petals and each table was adorned with a thin vase holding one cerise pink gerbera – in keeping with Ellen’s contemporary bouquet.
For favours, the couple created an area for guests to help themselves to clove sweets, toffees, hard boiled sweets or raspberry ruffles; all irresistibly placed under a ‘tuck in’ sign and packaged inside pink cerise pink favour bags with silver ribbons.
The couple’s three-tier wedding cake began with a giant fruit cupcake in a silver icing cupcake case. Each layer was finished with pure white icing, little silver balls and hot pink gerberas.
The best bits…
Ellen says: “I loved seeing the look on Darren’s face as I walked down the aisle; he was absolutely beaming and it made me feel all tingly.”
And it seems even the Welsh rain couldn’t put a dampener on the newlyweds. Ellen recalls: “... Luckily we were still able to have photos outside and I really like some of the pictures with umbrellas: bonus!”
Top tips…
Ellen advises brides-to-be to be organised and not get stressed.
“I got a bit stressed over the little things, but everything came together in the end and then I wondered why I was worried!” She also says that you don't need a huge wedding budget for a beautiful day: "Don’t think you have to spend a fortune on everything," she says. "Things can look lovely without spending the earth.”
The honeymoon…
Ellen and Darren flew to Dubrovnik Riviera in Croatia where a combination of The Old City, boat trips to neighbouring islands like Island Lockrum and historical sites proved the perfect place for modern romantics with a thirst for life. Their hotel, the Grande Villa Argentina is somewhere they recommend to other loved-up couples: “The pools were on a terrace that looked out to sea with beautiful views… you could even jump from the hotel terrace straight into the sea; it was pure bliss!”
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