Real Life Weddings at South Lodge

How did you both meet and how did the proposal occur?

We met via Tinder, though our initial date was in a coffee shop in Hove.

I proposed to Sara on a skiing trip with friends. We were standing alone at the viewpoint of the resort’s glacier watching the tips of the mountains turn orange from the ‘alpenglow’ when I surprised her by getting down on one knee and pulling out a ring I’d had in my jacket pocket for the past week!

What did you love most about South Lodge?

We initially loved the arrival to South Lodge - the winding road that leads you to the grand entrance.
The interior met our intended theme of Beauty and the Beast meets Renaissance.
Additionally, the staff were really helpful and encouraging with all our ideas

Did you have a theme or particular style for your day?

Our style and theme were based on Beauty and the Beast, Disney and Medieval. Sara brought this to life spending hours working her creative magic with the centrepieces, individually making them a theme of each of her favourite Disney movies. Amongst other ideas we had our family crests painted on shields, and used a 14th century long sword replica to cut our cake. We also based our favours on the ‘Drink Me’ bottle from Alice in Wonderland. Ours contained a handmade gin that we had concocted.

Tell us all about the dress...

Well, this was a weird one, as when choosing my dress we had not long come out of lock down, so I didn’t have the usual experience of being able to go in with all my bridesmaids and family to enjoy bubbly and pick a dress, so I took my Dad and my Mother in Law shopping for HOURS, didn’t find anything.

We popped along to a boutique that was closing down and I found my dream dress which suited my theme: Disney Princess, it was perfect.

What do you remember most about the day itself?

The grounds and the outdoor areas were perfect. We were incredibly lucky to have picked the first sunny Saturday in March, and so the outdoor ceremony, the terraces, the backdrop of the building and of the South Downs really made for some special pictures. The food was incredible! Plus the axe throwing.

Were there any special moments or surprises?

There were a few things during the day that really made it feel unique, and personal to us. Music is very important to us and we managed to arrange a lovely guitarist for the ceremony as well as a great band to play throughout the day, initially as a jazz three-piece on the terrace, and then as your usual wedding band during the evening.
We have had a replica 14th century longsword in our possession for a while so used it for cutting the cake, and the faces of the flower girls were priceless!
Sara and I spent a long time on the table centrepieces and hand-made favours, and seeing the whole room set up for the wedding breakfast was pretty special. We also had a special drinks menu dedicated to those who couldn’t be with us on the day, which really touched a lot of people.
The biggest surprise was for everyone else, we had organised a choreographed first dance to Kiss from a Rose by Seal (giving a nod to the medieval feel!). The style was based on a Viennese waltz and we hadn’t told anyone we were doing it.
I think EVERYONE was in awe when we came off the dance floor, it was a great moment.

What tips or advice would you give to future couples?

Plan early and do research on big things like photographers as those photographs you keep forever. Don’t be scared to have crazy unique ideas, they are the bits you remember the most!

Invite who YOU want to be there, not who you think should be there… Also, plan it three times, you get pretty good at it haha!

Suppliers & products

Photographer @paulfletcherphoto
Flowers & Styling - Holly Harris
Will's Suits - Hand-tailored by Sara's Dad
Sara's Dress @proposalsbridalshop
DJ & Band @RHLive.com
Lighting & Dancefloor @JPCEvents
Cake @marplescakery