Warble absolutely loves to see or hear about our customers weddings so when Francesca and Martyn kindly agreed to share their wedding with us we were thrilled. The lovely couple married at Otham Court in Polegate, East Sussex and chose to book one of Warble’s favourite Sussex wedding bands, ‘The MP3s’. Francesca tells us just what went into the planning of their big day and considering we weren’t there ourselves, their photographer Roberta Matis has managed to shoot some special moments that have made us fall in love with this gorgeous day of celebration… Not to mention the cutest little flower girl you may ever see.
Roberta Matis – Wedding Photographer
Tell us a little bit about yourselves…
Martyn is a science teacher and I am a learning support coordinator at a college. We met at the University of Chichester in the first few weeks of our final year and practically moved in together straight away. After completing our degrees, we didn’t want to live apart and we fancied an adventure so moved to South Korea to teach English where we lived in an apartment, as Martyn put it at the wedding, as big as the dance floor (12ft x 12ft!). We returned after a year and moved in together in a caravan on my grandparents farm where we lived for 3 years, saving up for our first home. We finally got the keys to our lovely little Cackle Cottage in January 2013 and from then on I wondered when he might propose!
Roberta Matis – Wedding Photographer
How did he propose?
Martyn proposed on the day after we had finished work for the Christmas holidays (my favorite holiday!) We were just settling down to watch Home Alone in our pyjamas with the log fire on and a nice cup of tea. Martyn popped outside (I thought to feed our chickens) and came back with something in his hand. He got down on the floor in front of the sofa and said he had an early Christmas gift. It was so unexpected! He said he wanted to propose in our favorite place at a happy moment so he got that just right!
So you said yes… What happened next?
I actually said ‘yes’ and then said, ‘Oh God, now I’ve got to plan a wedding!’ It was such an overwhelming feeling and we didn’t really know where to start! We knew we wanted a small wedding with our closest friends and family and to keep it as comfortable and informal as possible. As we got into wedding planning, we knew we didn’t want a theme or colour schemes which we would have to rigidly stick to. We just chose everything that we liked and it all seemed to just work well together. We were certainly going for a ‘look’ but I’m not sure what you’d call it – I tend to describe it as a mixture of British India, The Secret Garden and Game of Thrones – so quite a blend!
Roberta Matis – Wedding Photographer
We chose our venue, Otham Court, as we loved that we could get married in the tiny chapel. We wanted the tradition of a church wedding but without the formality. Plus with our numbers, we only needed a tiny church so Otham Court fitted the bill! We had an Indian cream and blue hand printed tent from the Arabian Tent Company as our after ceremony venue on the lawn by the chapel. We really wanted the day to flow and be easy for our guests so the venue and tent combo was perfect.
What was your plan for entertainment?
Our two key priorities were the food and the band so we put a lot of research into these! We really wanted our closest friends and family to have a good time as they have really supported us – it was a thank you party really!
For the catering, we were so lucky to find the Secret Restaurant, their food is to die for. We chose to have a fresh barbecue with legs of lamb, rare steaks, portobello mushrooms and fresh greek salads. All the food was brought to our tables on slate platters and huge banoffee pies and bowls of whipped cream and strawberries circulated the tent for pudding. They really helped run the day and even let my little 2 year old niece announce dinner with a gong I had borrowed!
Roberta Matis – Wedding Photographer
We knew we had to have a live band as we absolutely love live music so we spent a lot of time searching for the right band with the right set list! The MP3s had the perfect mixture of old and new songs and just looked cool! The MP3s’ guitarist played ‘First Day of My Life’ by Bright Eyes as I walked down the aisle which was really special and they learnt our first dance, ‘We Can Be Strong’ by Willy Mason which was an amazing moment. The party was just incredible, we didn’t leave the dance floor and even my grandmother got up to dance!
Roberta Matis – Wedding Photographer
We also wanted to have a beautiful venue and something different, so the Arabian Tents Company were perfect. They even set up a bar lounge area with low level Indian seating and it gave the venue such a fun feel. The tent was really cosy and intimate and just helped with the relaxed vibe we really wanted for our wedding.
I wanted everything to be beautiful so the flowers were really important. Tamsin French was our florist and made the most beautiful displays I’ve ever seen. I really wanted a confetti line and she made an amazing door arch for the chapel door which looks amazing in those pictures. I was planning to throw the bouquet but mine was so gorgeous I couldn’t bring myself to!
Roberta Matis – Wedding Photographer
When we got engaged, my grandmother gave me her engagement ring. It’s a beautiful art deco blue sapphire and diamond ring and I loved how it felt to wear something so precious to her. When we got married, my mother gave me her wedding ring and Martyn’s father gave him his too. It felt really special exchanging our parents’ wedding rings as they have had such long and happy marriages.
I’m telling everyone we made our wedding cake as we really are proud of it! Tamsin even managed to make my ‘rustic’ icing look beautiful with olive leaves and rose buds all around it.
We had an amazing day and it was wonderful to share it with our closest friends and family, they absolutely made it.
The Dress: Monsoon
The Suits: ASOS Tweed
The Venue: Otham Court, Polegate and The Arabian Tents Company
The Decor: The Arabian Tent Company and us!
The Entertainment: The MP3s – Warble Entertainment
Hair & Makeup: Cherri Bennett – Stunning Occasion
The Food: The Secret Restaurant
Florist – Tamsin French
The photography: Roberta Matis Photography
Published by Warble Entertainment
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