Despite tying the knot with just 12 hours' notice, Joe and Sophie's day couldn't have been more perfect. With an intimate ceremony and photos taken by Sophie's Mum, their day was truly personal.
How did you meet?
We met online and enjoyed a long time of chatting via WhatsApp and phone calls, before meeting up. I was based in Colchester and Sophie Guildford, so we made the trips down to see each other every weekend!
What's your favourite thing to do together?
We love to go on adventures, which can be walks in the countryside, kayaking or climbing Mountains (Snowdonia has been our favourite so far!) We also love to cook... well we say cook - Sophie is the master chef, Joe being the master taste tester!
What was the best thing about your wedding day?
That we actually could have it! We had our wedding planned for a few weeks later in April but brought it forward as soon as there was talk of weddings being banned, and ended up getting married at 12 hours notice! Despite all the worry and uncertainty, we were just so relieved that we could get married before everything was imposed. We had Sophie's parents with us as witnesses and we were able to record the service which was great for other family and friends to watch. It wasn't what we'd planned but was a really special day!
What one tip would you give other couples planning their wedding?
Plan lots of fun... although we had a wedding day even during lockdown, we plan to have the celebration reception with friends and family when we can - but one thing we are looking forward to is all the fun and food! To anyone getting married in lockdown as we did, be creative and do lots of little things to make it still feel special, rather than just a 'second-best' version of what you might have planned.
What has surprised you most about being married?
Enjoying the little things which make you both enjoy the time together - breakfast in bed, walks after work, moments to share time together - anything you can do to give time to each other. Having lunch together in the middle of our 'working from home' day has been great!
Were you always planning to have a gift list?
We were, but weren't keen to just use one shop, and hadn't found many good alternatives before. Prezola allowed us to make our list both personal and easy for guests to use.
What's your favourite feature on Prezola?
The range of gifts is excellent, but we loved being able to add in cash funds and the ability for people to give 'social gifts' like cooking a meal or helping us move house - it meant there was something for everyone.
What are your favourite brands on Prezola?
The White Company as Sophie loves our new matching dressing gowns! The Virgin Experience days are good to choose from as well, as they are items that we can look forward to later!
Tell us about your Prezola delivery day
We were awoken very early from the lovely Parcel Force man who confirmed after the first big box he had another 3! It was great to see all the presents wrapped and the excitement of being able to open each and remind ourselves who they were from.
Tell us all about your honeymoon!
Due to lockdown restrictions we haven't been able to go on our honeymoon just yet - we planned a getaway to Bali, but we will hopefully squeeze in a mini-moon to Devon fingers crossed!
