Mr + Mrs Griffiths
Friday 26th July 2019 │ Ludlow Castle│ Instagram: @littlegriffithswedding
Sam and Fliss wed at a gorgeous castle last summer with heaps of foliage, an all-greenery bridal bouquet and a silent disco. Their wedding must-have is "a lot of food and alcohol, and people you truly want there!" Bride Fliss tells us all about their day and DIYs...
We met when we were 18 in a nightclub called Reflex, I’m sure you’ve heard of it! We then went on our first date to the Cinema to watch Saw VI. We’ve never been terribly romantic!
How did Sam propose?
Sam took me to Cornwall for Valentines day and waited until the last day to propose. We were wandering around the Lost Gardens of Heligan when he found the perfect spot to get down on one knee.
How did you choose the time of year to get married?
I knew wanted the majority of the wedding to be outdoors and once we’d found our venue I knew we needed to make the most of the beautiful surroundings! As I work in a school, we wanted the wedding during the school holidays and summer made the most sense.
Tell us about your wedding colour scheme...
I started off with a secret garden theme, as I knew I only wanted greenery instead of flowers. The green theme developed from there as I didn’t really want any colour! I fell in love with the look of the silver eucalyptus and based most things, including the invitation envelopes and men’s ties, off that.
We were both really nervous about the ceremony. We’re quite shy people who don’t like to be center of attention, so we chose the shortest ceremony we could! We had a civil ceremony without any readings or songs. Just a pianist and violinist to play the aisle songs and whilst we went off the sign the register.
Did you have any surprises on the day?
Gift boxes for the bridal party, our first dance and silent disco.
Any wedding DIYs?
I LOVED doing all the DIY for our wedding, it was my favourite part of the planning, I miss it! Here are all of my favorite DIY projects, I did most things myself but some with a little help from friends and small businesses:
- Bridesmaid Proposal Boxes
- Hen Do Sunhats
- Save the Dates and Invitations
- All signs; Welcome sign, timings, table plan, directions, activities/features of the day and reserved seat signs.
- Family Tree Door
- Centre pieces; candles, candlesticks and greenery
- Flower hoops
- Drinks trolley; Shots!
- Decorations
- Confetti tubes
- Wedding favors: Cookies
- Gift boxes for the Bridal Party
- Toy boxes for the children
What was your Wedding Budget?
I didn’t start with a wedding budget because I had no idea how much everything cost. Once I started planning it was very daunting, but we were lucky enough to have help from parents and saved a lot ourselves. We ended up spending about £20,000, which was much more than I had anticipated but looking back I wouldn’t change a thing!
Top money saving tip: Get as many people to help as possible. I am lucky enough to have VERY talented friends but everyone was so lovely and willing to help in any way they could.
Funniest wedding photograph: Bridesmaids searching for flies in the many layers of my dress!
Did you have anything unusual at your wedding?
We tried to make our day a little bit different to others, which is really difficult to do these days! We wanted a relaxed feel to the day so we decided to have a BBQ with a help yourself service for the guests; this worked really well and everyone seemed to love the food.
We also had a silent disco which was another surprise for the guests, this was BRILLIANT, and we were lucky enough to dance outside for most of the night! Lastly, I chose to leave a lot of unplanned time, this was a gamble that worked really well, it gave guests a chance to chat, drink, enjoy the weather and play with the garden games (including limbo – which was hilarious!).
Tell us about your wedding cake…
We got our wedding from Carrie Ann Bishop – Bridgenorth. We had Salted Caramel, Red Velvet and Raspberry & Prosecco. Wish I could have a slice now!
Who made up your bride and groom squad?
Our best friends and our niece and nephew.
My bridesmaids planned my hen do for me as a surprise. They took me to Ibiza for four days. I didn’t know where I was going until we got on the minibus to the airport. My girls did so good; it was a perfect mix of relaxation and partying!
Where did you find all of your inspiration?
Mainly Pinterest and Instagram. I couldn’t have imagined when I started my wedding Instagram account how helpful and lovely the wedding community on there would be. Plus it’s great way to record the planning and share it all with others.
What music did you choose for your wedding?
For the first dance we had House of Pain – Jump Around. This was a surprise for our guests. Like I said, we aren’t the most romantic people and we didn’t like the idea of everyone watching us sway to a slow, lovey-dovey song. This was a chance to have a bit of fun and laugh at ourselves. By the end of the song we had most of the guest list jumping around with us. I walked down the aisle to Greatest Showman – A Million Dreams, and walked back up as a married couple to The Beatles – All You Need is Love.
What was your favourite part of the day?
The end of the night when we were all dancing on the lawn with our silent disco headphones on! I’d had the most amazing day and I just didn’t want it to end. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and I remember being so happy that everyone we loved were getting on so well. The silent disco was our best wedding splurge!
Unfortunately the newlywed’s spring 2020 honeymoon to New York and Chicago was cancelled due to Covid-19. Fingers crossed they can reschedule it soon!
Watch Fliss + Sam's lovely wedding video here.
Venue: Ludlow CastlePhotographer: Sophie Bowes - Brightwing PhotographyVideographer: Dan BoyingtonCelebrant: Shropshire CouncilStationery: VistaprintWedding Rings: Woodings & Co and Moonsalt JewelleryHair + Makeup: Jane ForbesDress: Along Came EveShoes: Dorothy PerkinsBridesmaids dresses: Chi Chi LondonFlower girl dresses: JJS House OfficialSuits: H&M and House of FraserDecor: DIYPhotobooth: DIY: Instax CameraFlowers: DIY (Bride + Friend)
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