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Early days…
Sandy and Nadja met in Canada in a small town called Tofino on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Nadja says: "We were initially just good friends for a few years as I spent quite some time travelling and I also lived in Switzerland for a year (I am Swiss and British, Sandy is Canadian). In 2002 I moved back to Tofino and that's when we started our relationship and have been together ever since."
We hear how they fell in love. Nadja says: "It's funny because when I asked Sandy about this he said pretty much the same thing as I thought which was that when we saw each other again after two years it was love at second sight."
The proposal…
Sandy popped the question in St Moritz, Switzerland, on a snowboarding holiday in January, 2008. Nadja recalls: "We were riding off-piste and he popped the question when we sat down on the side of the hill to appreciate the view. He proposed with a ring made out of snow- although I did get another more heat resistant one later."
Hen and stag parties…
Nadja's hen weekend was celebrated with a small group of six friends. They went to the Isle of Wight and stayed in a Tipi, Nadja adds: "We went horseback riding and spent
time hanging out on the beach, cooking food on a barbecue and just enjoying the outdoor life. On the last day our car broke down. Luckily we were only going about 10 miles an hour when the brake cable split. We had to be recovered twice as the first mechanic only fixed one cable and then we realised the other one was about to blow as well. So we waited for the second recovery and because all the shops were closed and there were no parts available, we ended up getting towed back to London from Southampton. It was actually quite a lot of fun, and we got some funny pictures with the car mechanics."
The groom-to-be went to Bristol for an action-packed stag weekend with eight friends. They went go-karting, clay pigeon shooting, quad bike riding and paintballing. In the evening the group went out to a comedy night with the usual stag night antics.
The venues…
The ceremony took place at St Andrew's Church in Ham, Richmond. Nadja tells us why they chose this church: "The church was on the road that I grew up on my parents still live there, so I could walk to the church from their house. The church is a beautiful, listed building within a small forest."
The reception venue was Great Fosters, Egham. The couple wanted a historical English building as they had so many guests coming from overseas who would really appreciate it. Nadja adds: "Great Fosters is immaculate, the attention to detail in the restoration of the building is incredible. The history of the place makes it even more special - it was the hunting lodge for Henry VIII. The orangery, our function room, has so much light with a great atmosphere, we immediately knew it was the perfect place."
The attendants…
The bridal party included two bridesmaids, sister Corinne and friend Natasha Bliss and maid-of-honour Beth Liddle. They each wore a chocolate-brown knee-length Dessy dress,
accompanied by sandals from Bhs, and shawls from Accessorize.
Sandy's two best men were his brother, Chris, and his good friend Iain Lennon. The groom-to-be also had two ushers, Markus Hostmann, his sister's fiancée, and Eric Bliss, his friend. The groomsmen wore Edwardian style suits hired from Suits You in Kingston with a single rose for the buttonhole.
The dress…
Nadja tells us about the special dress she found for her big day: "My dress was by Eternity Brides which I bought from Silhouettes in Richmond. It had a full A-line skirt, was
off the shoulder with see-through sleeves and had pewter-colour detailing all over it - the overall look was medieval/vintage. I wore a rose gold necklace and earrings from my grandmother, which have great sentimental value. My wedding band was also made from rose gold, which came from my grandmother's ring - the diamond from the original ring was used in my engagement ring."
The flowers…
The bridal bouquet was made up of off-white roses, anemones, strands of jasmine and rosemary. The bridesmaids had bouquets of red and white roses and anemones. Nadja wanted very natural looking, seasonal flowers, and loved the herbs and jasmine which were weaved into the bouquet.
The transport…
Keeping with the English theme, Sandy and Nadja hired a double decker bus to get from the church to the venue: "Going by bus was great as it meant people could chat on their way to Great Fosters and get to know each other a bit." Nadja adds, "Our overseas guests got a true London experience. Everyone loved it. It's also much more eco-friendly than everyone driving by car. The company we chose was friendly and professional, and I thoroughly recommend them."
The decorative touches…
The reception took place in the orangery at Great Fosters which had eight round tables and Nadja hired gold banqueting chairs instead of using chair covers. Flowers featured heavily in the venue decoration, both in the table centrepieces and in small glass vases.
The best bits…
Nadja tells us about the memorable day: "Everything went perfectly, although the plan allowed for some flexibility so that probably helped. We loved the church ceremony; it
was absolutely the best part of the day.
"In my sister's speech she included an email that I'd written to her just after I started going out with Sandy. I had no idea she was going to do that and it was such a funny email and everyone was laughing - in the email I was going on about how amazing Sandy was, how intelligent, good looking etc.
"Also, Sandy's best friend who lives in New Zealand and couldn't make it to the wedding sent a prerecorded message that we watched on a projector. It was very moving and funny.
"Finally, my friend Asti from Switzerland played a piece on the musical saw, it was amazing and hilarious. She also played some Russian babushka music on the sound system at the end of the night which people loved and got everyone dancing."
Top tips…
"I think the most important thing to do is focus on the big stuff and not worry too much about the little details. Remember that even if something goes wrong, things can usually be sorted out quickly. Guests do help out on the day.
"I also recommend getting a wedding website. I designed my own and it was invaluable at the planning stage and also after the wedding. It took the stress out of having to inform people of all the logistics individually; we could receive RSVPs online, discreetly inform people of our guest list etc. It was amazing how much information people needed before the wedding. After the event I could just upload all the images and a slideshow for our guests and friends overseas to view."
The honeymoon…
The newlyweds jetted off to Panama and Costa Rica for three weeks. Nadja says: "It was amazing. We could spend time by the Caribbean and Pacific in one trip. It was a good mix between off the beaten track and luxury. We've travelled a lot and needed something with a bit of excitement. We could surf, kayak, swim, hike, zip-line through the forest and go quad biking - all with relative ease. The food was great too. The people are lovely and it wasn't too commercial, particularly as we were there out of season and didn't stay in a big resort. The weather was also fantastic."
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