Congratulations to the new Mr & Mrs Hawkins! Kelly & Sam, engaged in Dec 2021 planned their special day in just over a year! Read all about it in their own words below from the engagement to the honeymoon plans and everything inbetween!

Tell us about your proposal?

We got engaged at Fingle Bridge on Dartmoor. This place means a lot to us as its where we went on New Year’s Day 2018 when we made our relationship “official”. On the day Sam proposed, it rained, we got on to the wrong path on our walk, we had to climb a near vertical hill to get back on track, so by the time he proposed I was wet, profusely sweating and ready to go home. But then he fell behind slightly, called me, I looked round, he was on one knee holding a box with a beautiful sapphire ring.

Tell us about your bridal party and how you came to choose them?

My bridal party are made up of my best friends, my rocks, my soul sisters. My maid of honour is my wonderful sister Dani. She is my absolute sidekick and karaoke partner. Stef, Emily and Louella make up the remainder of the bride tribe and they have all been my closest friends for as long as I can remember. Sam had 2 best men, who are Andy, his childhood friend and Luke, the best friend he spends most time with. The remainder of the patty were his close friends Finton, James, and Danny. They all did such a good job helping us plan, especially the girls enduring the hundreds of inspiration pictures I sent every day for a year! And of course on the day making sure we always had a drink in hand, the rings were safe my dress was sufficiently pouffed.

What made you choose your venue and tell us about your theme?

We thought we wanted a completely DIY, rustic barn wedding. However after visiting some barns which just didn’t do it for us at all, we decided to visit a manor/stately home venue just to see if maybe it might be a bit of us. Well we drove through the gates of Rockbeare Manor and just looked at each other with huge grins… we both fell completely in love with the look and feel of everything about the place and the staff and 2 hours later we left with a wedding date and a venue. The theme for our winter wedding was white and gold as we wanted it to feel wintery without feeling Christmassy. I went back and forth on an accent colours and I just love neutrals so I chose nude / taupe. I love the French elegant feel of gilt gold frames and gold leaf italic stationery. I honestly worried the whole planning process if it would all actually come together ok, but both Sam and I couldn’t have been more overjoyed with the final look.

What was your favourite part of planning?

I am a PA by profession so any kind of planning and organisation is right up my street. I loved the whole process but I think the decor and overall “look” was definitely my favourite as I do love a good aesthetic. I did also love picking dresses, not just for me, but for the bridesmaids, the flower girls and helping the boys coordinate with their suits. It meant we got to spend more time with our friends and family and getting their input which meant a lot to us.

What was the hardest part of planning?

I’m sure every couple will tell you this but for us it was people not using the website to RSVP or not RSVP’ing at all, and the table plan. It’s definitely easy to overthink the latter and get overwhelmed! With a wedding website we did have to accept that technology isn’t for everybody and some of the older generation would have loved to been able to write a good old fashioned RSVP to pop in the post.

Bride’s favourite moment on the day?

Favourite moment was walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing all the people I love in one room, with Sam at the end of the aisle with our daughter.

Groom’s favourite moment of the day?

The moment I heard Kel’s favourite Fleetwood Mac song start and I knew she was on her way.

Tips for future couples?

We highly recommend a sweetheart table for your wedding breakfast. It was the first time we actually had a conversation all day! All the ladies loved the basket of essentials I placed in the ladies rest room, plasters and safety pins were a godsend apparently! I hired a kids celebration corner - it had teepees and dress up and games to keep the littles entertained and happy. It was a hit! And don’t sweat the small stuff, remember it’s a day of love and happiness.

Anything either of you would do differently?

I really wish I’d managed to eat some of the delicious looking canapés! Note to all couples… don’t forget to eat!

Honeymoon plans if any?

We are off to Rome for 5 days in April. We are both huge history nerds and Italian food lovers so it’s definitely one we are looking forward to!