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| Images courtesy of Nic Cleave Photography |
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Early days…
Although they grew up just a few streets away from each other and their brothers were good friends, Ellie and Jez didn't meet until 2005. Despite them both working at the same company and Jez working part time at a local greengrocer's, the pair had never even crossed paths. "One day a friend decided we would be a great match and convinced me to go to Cardiff to meet Jez," says Ellie. "We've been together ever since."
Almost a year later, when Ellie and Jez went away to New York to visit family, Jez proposed on a shopping trip near the diamond district. "He got down on one knee in the street in front of everybody outside Radio City," says Ellie. "Then, when I said 'yes', we walked to the diamond district to choose the band and stone for my ring before watching it being made."
The venues…
"We wanted to keep things as classic and traditional as possible," says Ellie. "But as the dresses were one of the first things to be chosen, the theme soon turned to pink butterflies!" The pair also wanted to keep a loose Welsh theme, so they hired the Cardiff Arms Male Voice Choir to sing at the ceremony, which was held at St Isan Church, Cardiff. "We chose to have the service there because it was my grandmother?s local church when she was in Cardiff, having moved from the valleys in the 1920s," says Ellie.
Miskin Manor Hotel was chosen as the venue for their reception because both Ellie and Jez felt that it kept in with their traditional theme and also because it was local to their families.
The attendants…
Ellie's sister-in-law Melissa was her maid of honour and she was joined by two more bridesmaids, Ellie's niece Kayla and her best friend Janet. The women wore cream evening dresses that Ellie bought from a high street store and bespoke sashes that were created from the same material as Ellie?s dress. They accessorised with cream beaded shoes and diamante bracelets with pink gerberas attached to them. Young bridesmaid Kayla wore a handmade pale pink dress with butterfly detailing on the skirt, ballet pumps and held a cute gerbera wand.
Jez's groomsmen were his best friend Barry as his best man and three ushers: Dafydd, who is a best pal of Ellie's, and Sean and Liam, Jez's sons. All three wore grey morning suits and waistcoats with pink embroidery from Dyfed Menswear, Cardiff.
The dress…
"I went for a 'Hollywood Dreams' style," says Ellie. "A real princess dress." Her dress was pink with matching bolero jacket and it was handmade by a dressmaker. She finished the look with a pretty tiara with a cubic zirconium butterfly, her grandmother?s silver locket and a sixpence in her shoe.
The decorative touches…
On the day, the couple stayed true to their roots and enjoyed a delicious wedding breakfast of mainly locally sourced food: Welsh goat's cheese tart, rack of Welsh roast lamb, and strawberry and Champagne brulee, while their favours were mini Welshcakes from Fabulous Welshcakes, Sully.
Ellie and Jez also kept with their pink butterfly theme in their beautiful flower arrangements. "I held pink and multi-coloured roses and gerberas in a teardrop bouquet while Jez had a bright rose button hole," says Ellie. "At the reception we also placed hibiscus flowers in the bottom of the Champagne flutes for the toast, to ensure everyone had pink Champagne!"
The best bits…
Looking back at their big day, both Ellie and Jez have some wonderful memories; "My favourite moment has to be in the church, walking down the aisle with my mum and seeing all my family and friends," says Ellie. "I also enjoyed spending time with my new husband in the grounds of Miskin Manor, having our personal photos taken."
"My favourite moment was listening to my sons perform a reading during the ceremony," says Jez. "Not to mention arriving at Miskin Manor in the horse and carriage - I felt like a celebrity!"
Top tips…
1) Spend as much as you can afford to on photography: "Your photos are going to be the one thing that you can look back on in years to come and so you want them to be fantastic," says Ellie. "It's also important that you have a good relationship with your photographer, our photographer Nic Cleave was very professional and put everyone at ease."
2) Try and get some 'alone time': "Have your photographer whisk you away for private photos together to have a breather," she says.
3) Never stop planning: "Always have a notebook on you to jot down any ideas that you might have while out and about," says Ellie.
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