Richard and Nadiya

The Venue

Q: Did you see many venues before deciding? 

Only this one! It was perfect.

Q: How did you choose your venue? 
-From prior visits with friends and each other, including a stay in Rhino Lodge! It is one of our favourite places.

Q: Why was it the perfect venue for your Kentish ceremony?

Beautiful safari venue with gorgeous views – one of a kind. And we both absolutely adore animals and love the conservation work that Port Lympne and the Aspinall Foundation do. In addition, we wanted an intimate elopement ceremony with just immediate family, and Port Lympne provided an amazing package for that. We added extras to it, like hiring the whole mansion house for our families to stay overnight, the INCREDIBLE Tiger Lodge for our wedding night, and an extra giraffe feeding safari with our families the next day.

The Outfits

Q: Tell us about your wedding dress/outfit - where did you buy it, and how did you know it was ‘the one’?

The dress was bought in a boutique bridal shop called ‘Fairytale London’ in Fulham and the dress designer was Ellis Bridals, a bridal atelier which began in London over a century ago in 1912, established by a woman Ada Ellis – so it was the perfect choice for a born-and-bred London girl. I knew it was ‘the one’ even before the final zip was done up – after trying on and pondering over many dresses, this one immediately felt right, and it got the all-important approval from my sister!

Q: Did you have any special accessories or shoes to complete your look?

I had a gold and pearl ear cuff designed in Greece, and a flower crown from a cute independent store called Elsie Rocks.

Q: How did you choose the suits?

I wanted a custom design with gold buttons! Moss Bros custom suits fitted the bill!

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Hair & Makeup

Q: Who did you use for your hair and/or makeup for your wedding? 
Sylwia Kunysz did my hair and makeup (working for Kristina Gasperas). Sylwia was absolutely amazing and is the kind of positive loving energy you want to have around on your wedding day. Like having another bridesmaid around really!

The Ceremony

Q: What was your favourite moment of the ceremony?

Rich: Seeing Nadiya’s beautiful beaming smile as she walked up the stairs/aisle in the Moroccan Courtyard! Nadiya looked beyond incredible!

Nadiya: The moment I came up the steps of the courtyard and locked eyes with Richard who was waiting for me at the end of the aisle. And all my nervousness just disappeared, and it felt like only two of us were in the room.

The Reception

Q: What food did you have, and how was it? 

We hired the caterers at Port Lympne for both post ceremony canapes and the main 3 course meal. All food was fantastic and served promptly in the beautiful courtyard and Spencer Roberts room.

Q: Tell us about your wedding cake. Who made and designed it for you?  

Patisserie Valerie event cake with fresh flowers for our Elopement – it was great value and tasted lovely.

Q: What were your speeches like? Any standout moments?

Our lovely 9-year-old niece surprised us with a beautiful and funny poem about us and our time together. It was very touching. And Richard’s brother, who was the Best Man, also made a wonderful speech and I (Nadiya) felt very welcomed into the family.

The Décor

Q: Who did your wedding flowers? 

Mimi Fleur, recommended florist through Port Lympne. They did an exquisite job. Nadiya’s mum kept commenting that “it looks like a Hollywood movie!” The table setting, complete with atmospheric tall candlesticks, felt luxurious, magical, and elegant. Mimi Fleur really knew how to complement the flowers/arrangements to the venue.

Q: What did you have in your flower arrangements/bouquets>  

Classic white and green colour scheme for the bridal bouquet and buttonholes. 

The Photography

Q: Who was your wedding photographer, and how did you choose them?  

Megan Donati, one of the recommended Port Lympne photographers, we chose Meg not only because of her excellent photography but also her love of animals! We chose Meg because of her full-of-life, vibrant style of photography.

Q: Do you have a favourite photo of the day?

No, there are too many favourites! Although if we had to pick, it would be the ones of our two flower girls, they brought such magic to our ceremony and day, and they looked like adorable little fairies!

Q: Did you have a videographer?

Yes, Film folk – our videographer was Eduardo Rodrigues, who had a lovely, calm energy about him and was very experienced.

And Finally...

Q: What was your absolute highlight of the day? 

Going on safari with our families!! Our wedding was an elopement, but it still took two safari trucks to fit us all in, and it was just so much fun going on safari in a wedding dress and three-piece suit!! Also, we stayed in the unbelievable Tiger Lodge for our wedding night and took our families on a giraffe-feeding safari the next day after breakfast, getting up close and personal with the beautiful giraffes. It all really felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, with wonderful photos, and incredible memories with loved ones to last a lifetime.

Q: Do you have any tips or advice for other couples having a Kentish Ceremony?

The venue will not disappoint, and the events team are second to none. They made everything run so smoothly on the day, and a very special thank you to Stephanie Betts, who made sure everything ran as precisely and perfectly as a military operation! Even helping to carry/arrange my long veil as I walked up the stairs to the Courtyard for the big moment. She made sure everything ran with precision-timing and perfection.

Suppliers

Hair and Make-up – Sylwia Kunysz (for Kristina Gasperas)  - skbridalmakeup.co.uk

Venue Flowers – Mimi Fleur (mimifleur.co.uk)

Bridal bouquet, flower crown, and buttonholes – Elsie Rocks (elsierocks.com)

Dress designer – Ellis Bridals

Dress Shop – Fairytale London (6 Fulham High Street, London, SW6 3LQ)

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