From a surprise proposal to a magical Christmas wedding!
Tell us about the proposal – how and where did it happen?
The proposal was very cute and perfect.
It was our anniversary (October 2024), Brad had just cooked dinner, and it was time to get our boys ready for bed. He said he needed to go upstairs with the boys for something, when they were coming downstairs, they shouted out, ‘close your eyes’. I had no idea what was going on. When I opened my eyes, Brad was on one knee with the ring and Parker & Brodie had matching t-shirts saying ‘Mummy, we want you to join the Kyslun Club so… will you marry our Daddy?’
What was your first step in planning your wedding?
We weren’t planning to get married in 2025 especially so quickly after the proposal, but Leez Priory had such a great deal for us and a date that we both loved that we decided to do it. We booked the wedding in April and got married in December.
I love a list (Excel), and Pinterest was my friend when planning our wedding.
What were your wedding ‘must-haves’?
We knew we wanted a black-tie event. With Brad having to wear suits for his job, he wanted something different and black-tie was perfect. We did, however, ask for everyone to wear black, including the women and children. Not everyone was ‘happy’ with this but on the day, and as you can see from the pictures, everyone looked amazing, and it went with the theme.
How did you organise your wedding budget?
We didn’t really decide on a budget, but we knew we didn’t want to spend more than a certain amount, and we were lucky with the package we got at Leez Priory as most things were included. It was just anything extra we wanted that needed to be paid for. I tracked everything on a spreadsheet, and we went slightly over budget.
How did you find your venue and what made you choose it?
Leez Priory was the first and only venue we looked at. When we pulled up in the car park, the building was extremely impressive, and we knew that we were in for something special.
After Gemma showed us around, we had a drink in the bar and both looked at each other and said think this is the place and the rest was history. We cancelled the other venues we were due to see.
I think when you know, you know!
How did you personalise your big day?
As it was a Christmas wedding, we decided to go for black tie. We wanted a classic, sophisticated look, and this carried on with the whole theme as invitations were black and white, cake was two-tiered white with a black ribbon around the middle. With it being Christmas, we had the bonus of having real Christmas trees due to the venue being dressed for the season, so we didn’t need too much extra for decorating the venue. We had upgraded to the indoor and outdoor candle packages, which carried the theme on as well.
Did the venue provide any memorable extras or nice personal touches that stood out?
The venue had provided Christmas crackers at the wedding breakfast, which was a lovely touch. One table I saw were playing charades where my sister was trying to mime out Peppa Pig.
Describe your wedding attire and favourite accessories
When I went to choose my dress, I initially thought I would have a dress with long sleeves, but the dress I chose was completely the opposite. It was a very fitted dress, with spaghetti straps and a low back, but there were pearls hanging on the back of the dress, which gave it a very elegant look. I had a veil which was very simple but pretty. As I had pearls on my dress, I decided to go with pearls in my accessories. I had pearl earrings and a pearl bracelet, but also my wedding shoes had pearl embellishment on the back of the shoes.
What did your partner wear?
Brad wore a three-piece black-tie suit with a bow tie and cufflinks that I had given him as a gift from the boys in the morning. He looked very handsome when I saw him.
Tell us about your wedding party and their outfits
Our wedding party consisted of my best friend and sister as bridesmaids, and Brad’s best friend as best man. Our nephew as page boy, our friend’s little girl as flower girl and our two boys as ring bearer and page boy.
I was very relaxed with my bridesmaid dresses, but my only request was that they had to be black; they didn’t have to be the same, I just wanted them to be comfortable for the day. They both looked stunning on the day.
Brad’s best man had the same brand of suit on as him.
My flower girl had the prettiest of dresses on which was a long-sleeved lace dress which I had got from Shein. I think with children, they are only going to wear the outfit once, so there is no point spending a lot.
All the little boys had tuxes on and looked adorable.
What was your ceremony like?
Our ceremony didn’t quite go to plan. We had our page boy, Billy, walk down the aisle, then my best friend, then our son Parker and our flower girl. My sister was due to walk down the aisle with our little boy Brodie, however, he had not seen me all morning and was quite upset. I ended up carrying him down the aisle with my dad in tow. It was a nice moment but it wasn’t what was planned.
We had a harpist for the ceremony who was amazing. She played Christina Ricci’s ‘A Thousand Years’ when I walked down the aisle.
During the ceremony, my sister-in-law did a reading, which was The Art of Marriage by Wilfred Arlan Peterson.
Because we had quite a few children at the wedding, we had some funny moments during the ceremony. At the part when the register says, ‘Does anyone see any reason for these not to marry?’ my friend’s little boy shouted out ‘hey’, then Parker decided he needed the toilet when we were exchanging our rings. However, we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. It made the day very memorable.
Tell us about your drinks reception and wedding breakfast
For the drinks, we kept to the Christmas theme of a winter mojito and a festive mocktail.
We had live illustrator, Scribble & Sparkle, who took photos of guests to draw and for them to take a keepsake away with them.
I am a huge Disney fan and as a treat for the kids (and myself), I had arranged for Mickey & Minnie Mouse to pay a visit for some photos. This went down well with all the guests.
I had arranged for the kids to complete a scavenger hunt during the wedding breakfast, and once they had completed it, Leanne, our Personal Wedding Manager, gave them their prize.
As a surprise for Brad, I had booked a singing waiter for after dessert. The singer made an announcement to say it was his first day and he had to sing us a song. Everyone was looking at each other to say, ‘what is going on’, but once he started singing, everyone was up on their feet, swinging napkins and having a great time.
Did you have a band or DJ for your evening reception? Did you have a first dance – what song did you choose?
Before our first dance and just in time for our evening guests, we got everyone outside the front of the building for some sparklers, which everyone enjoyed. We then came inside for our first dance, which was to James Arthur ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’. Brad and I felt quite awkward during the first dance as everyone is looking at you, but Parker and his friends wanted to join in, and it ended up with us all holding hands in a circle dancing, which was a lovely moment.
We had the venue’s DJ for our evening reception, but also, we had a saxophonist for two sets during the evening which the kids loved and got everyone on the dance floor.
Based on your own experience, give us some top tips
The day is about you and your partner, do what makes you both happy. Try not to listen to other people’s opinions. Don’t be scared of arranging a wedding last minute, it may seem daunting, but it probably helped me keep in line with budget, as if it were a year away, I would have probably got carried away.
Remember to enjoy the day and spend some time together, the day goes quickly and savour every single moment.
Did you go on a honeymoon or mini-moon?
We decided to keep the money that we got from our wedding gifts to put towards a honeymoon once our two little boys are a little older. Something to look forward to.
“If we could do it all again, we’d…”
If we could do it all again, the only thing we would change would have been the weather (which you never have control over), it rained in the afternoon when we wanted a group photo of us with all our guests, but apart from that, we wouldn’t have changed anything.
Leez Priory as a venue is very impressive, and Leanne was fantastic with nothing being too much trouble for her. She was there the whole time during the day and made sure Brad and I were happy. Even the next morning, she was extremely accommodating.
Tell us about your suppliers:
Wedding attire: Dress, Web2be and Suits, Charles Tyrwhitt
Wedding rings: H M Samuel and Jewellers Hatton Garden
Wedding cake: Hello Cake @hellocake01
Invitations: Loom Wedding
Photographer: Vision of View Photography
