REAL BRIDES - Kirsty Harvey

Kirsty and Rich Harvey said 'I Do' on 18th February 2020. The couple tied the knot at the beautiful Bickley Mill, Ipplepen and Kirsty explains why; "I wanted an intimate and barn style wedding with rustic and original features. Rich wanted a country hotel feel. This venue had all of this and more; beautiful grounds, and a country hotel feel with open log fires, hotel and a stunning intimate barn".

The beautiful bride absolutely shone in her Ronald Joyce 'Alix' wedding dress; a stunning tulle, organza and satin fishtail gown with intricate beaded detail which she personally customised by adjusting the back fastening and neckline.

Kirsty fondly remembers her dress experience; "This dress was selected by Amy (from Amica) and my mum - I was hesitant to try it on at first but I knew it was ‘the one’, the second i stepped into it!"

She goes on, "Amica Bridal Boutique made my whole experience magical, memorable and enjoyable. The complete care, love, passion and sincere thoughtfulness of Amica, made our special day the BEST day of our lives! From the moment I walked into their beautiful shop, I knew it was going to be my place to ‘say yes to the dress’. All members of staff made me and my bridal party feel at ease and welcome and they genuinely cared and shared our excitement. They accommodated all my dreams/alterations and the whole team - including the seamstress, worked so hard and effortlessly to make my dress perfect for me". Wow what a glowing review, thanks Kirsty!

The wedding bouquet was made up of romantic blush pink roses and gypsophila. It was created by the talented team at Petals Florist in Plymouth. Kirsty's hair and make-up was done by Jade and Lauren at Star Cuts Salon in Exeter and the The incredible and unbelievably delicious cake was created by one of Kirsty's beautiful bridesmaids, Danielle Hart. Josh Iskander was the talented and patient wedding photographer who created a beautiful memoir of the couples' special day. The bridesmaids wore blush pink full-length gowns with jewels and sequins across their neckline, torso and sleeves to give a little extra sparkle!

When asked about any comedy moments from their wedding day, Kirsty says, "I can always trust my husband to make me laugh - he is left handed and the way he holds a pen is questionable! I found out (on the day) he can not write with a fountain pen - why? I have no idea. The pen of choice when signing the marriage certificate was a fountain pen… therefore he had trouble and difficulties making the marriage legal!" 

There are a few things that Kirsty advises brides-to-be when planning their own special days: 

1. When purchasing accessories, decorations, stationary etc do not search ‘wedding’. As soon as you put the word wedding in front/with anything, it will double in price.
2. All the smaller details and finishing touches do make the difference and are worth it.
3. When holding your bouquet (in photographs), relax and lower your hands and arms so you don’t hide your dress and neckline.
4. Do a ‘mock-up’ of your table decorations, centrepiece, favours and flowers and take a photograph, for your venue/wedding planner. This will allow you to relax and enjoy your day without having to check and oversee the setting up.
5. If you can stay the night before at your venue - do it! You can set up and visualise your much anticipated/planned special day, the night before - leaving you feeling more relaxed and able to enjoy the morning getting ready to marry your ‘dream forever after’.
6. As you think of things and/or questions write them down in your wedding planner. If you can get all your questions answered (no matter how small) in the run up to your wedding, you will be in a better and happier head space.

She says that they really wouldn’t have done anything differently as it really was the best and most perfect day of their lives. Which is just what a wedding should be!

Kirsty remembers, "My favourite part/s of our wedding day has got to be getting ready with all my favorite people - sharing small, intimate and heartfelt moments with them all and walking down the aisle to my future husband and love of my life - all our wonderful friends and family present, as I took my first look into his eyes! All the emotion, the music and love..." Ahhh!

Finally, Kirsty has these words of advice, "Do as much as you can before the big day. All the planning and preparation and the stress is worth it! Do it all…. Then when the day comes, sit back and relax - enjoy every moment of your day. Do not be guilted into inviting guests - invite who you want to invite and stick by it. TIP: Ask someone to record just the groom. Film him waiting at the aisle, watching as the bridesmaids enter and then keep the camera on him when the bride enters and walks down the aisle. This is my favourite video and something I would never have seen. His nerves, smiles and emotion melted my heart".

That is incredible and we have to say, that watching the groom as he spots his bride walking down the aisle is one of our favourite bits of a wedding too.

We wish this gorgeous couple a lifetime of happiness, laughter and love and thank them for sharing their story. Huge love, all of us at Amica xxx