Kamron and Ami first met in 2011 during a placement working for Xerox in Greater London. She says, "I was attracted to Kam's cool hair, his wit and intelligence. We just clicked as soon as we met and I think we've always known we'd found the one." In September 2019 at Dancing Ledge in Swanage, Dorset, Kamron asked Ami to marry him. She says, "I came back from a half-day at work and Kam had made us a fancy picnic to take down to the coast – I should have guessed something was up at that point! During the picnic, he asked me to look over the cliff's edge (slightly concerning) and took the ring out of his backpack and popped the question!"
Kamron knew the exact ring he wanted for Ami, one the couple had picked out as a ‘joke’ eight years previously. His plans were thwarted when he finally came to buy it and found it had been discontinued. After searching numerous retailers for it, Ernest Jones came to the rescue and had its factory in Germany make one especially – how romantic!
When it came to planning the wedding, the couple wanted to make sure that everyone enjoyed themselves and that it was a weekend to remember. What venue would be better to hold such a special day than Ellingham Hall? The bride says, "Walking into the venue for the first time felt like a warm hug on a dark, rainy afternoon. The roaring fires, ambient lighting and the amazing staff did not compare to any other venue we had visited." Everything about the hall just felt so right for their day; even the red leaves outside would be perfect for their autumn wedding.
One week before the wedding day, the government announced that the country was going into another lockdown. Ami says, "We were gutted that the day couldn't go ahead after already replanning our wedding three times to meet the various restrictions. But then we thought to ourselves, could we move the entire wedding to take place in just three days times before the lockdown started?" The couple raced against time to call guests, suppliers, the venue and registrars and managed to bring the whole wedding forward just in time.
She adds, "All of our suppliers were so flexible, every single one wanted to make the day happen. We're so grateful to everyone involved for rallying together and giving us the best day of our lives."The decorations on the day looked marvellous! A massive floral arrangement consisting of white hydrangea, roses and a mix of foliage looked perfect in front of the fireplace in The Chapel. The couple also placed a similar arrangement at the bottom of the hall's main stairwell.
The table plan changed last minute to one long banquet table because of the dramatically reduced guest list. This set up was more appropriate for the intimate day and represented two families coming together. The centrepieces consisted of three tall gold stands with fresh white flowers and foliage plus an assortment of pillar candles beneath.
Each guest was given two favours; the first was Iranian-style sugared almonds paired with pale blue English ones to represent the couple's cultures. These were placed in boxes with wrap-around labels to double up as place names. The second favour was also given to all the guests who were unable to attend the wedding; this was a golden bee pin badge purchased from Macmillan Cancer Support – a cause very close to Kamron and Ami's hearts.
The bride opted for a natural loose hand-tied bouquet with white roses, lisianthus, hydrangea and eucalyptus. She also wore a flower crown of foliage and spray roses.
As the couple are both vegetarians, they picked mushroom and shallot skewers with pineapple salsa to start, a Thai green curry for main and a vegan saffron cheesecake for dessert. A Spanish grazing board-style buffet with cheeses, nuts, olives, bread and crackers was served in the evening and guests could help themselves to sweets, chocolates, popcorn and not forgetting the cake! Ami says, "Our cakes had triple chocolate, lemon and raspberry ripple layers with the most divine white chocolate flavoured icing. My nana poked it because she didn't believe it was real as it was decorated so perfectly by Dawn at The Master Cakesmith. We topped it off with a custom-made silhouette topper from Tilly Bean Bespoke on Etsy which featured a groom, bride and our much-adored cat, Pepper."
When it came to finding the perfect dress, the bride-to-be tried an Elara dress by Pronovias and fell in love with the design. She says, "I wanted a dress with a low back while accentuating my waist and that's exactly what I found. I love that the gown was a bit different with the sheer top and intricate vine details instead of lace."
To finish off the look, a cathedral-length veil was added as well as diamond and opal earrings (both the couple's birthstones) and Ami's late grandma's Victorian-style ring as her something old. Ami says, "My something borrowed was my mum's perfume, Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche, that I always use when I stay with my parents. She adds, "When I saw myself on the day, I felt so relieved that everything had finally come together despite a global pandemic and the various hurdles thrown our way."
The groom looked dapper in a navy wool three-piece suit from Moss Bros which matched the groomsmen, he stood out with a different buttonhole. Initially, the best man couldn't attend due to the government limit of 15 people, but a late space opened up just before the wedding and he ended up wearing his own suit which was a close match to the others.
The bride ended up only having one bridesmaid (Kam's sister), but she looked beautiful in a dusty blue dress with a lace bodice, a pleated maxi skirt and white roses woven into her hair.
The couple decided on a fantastic string trio, Aurora Strings, who played in The Mezzanine which is just above The Chapel. The bride says, "When the bridesmaid started walking down the aisle, everyone was so surprised to turn around and find out it was live strings playing! They played throughout the signing of the register and then moved into the entrance hall for the drink's reception. We could not rave about their music more – it was so enchanting!"
The day was full of so many beautiful moments and the first dance stands out to the couple who danced outside surrounded by loved ones to Night Drive by Jimmy Eat World. Halfway through the music switched to Toploader's Dancing in the Moonlight. During this special moment, the venue's staff were sneakily whipping up some hot chocolates with marshmallows in the kitchen for everyone!
The couple surprised their parents with a Mr & Mrs game which ended up being hilarious. Ami says, “My parents won the tie-breaker and we still can’t live it down – their victory dance was a sight to behold and was caught on camera!”
She adds, "Our photographer and videographer had never worked together before, but they formed the perfect duo.
Even when we thought our photographer was taking a well-deserved five-minute break, he set up a surprise photo shoot in another amazing spot. We couldn't have been more delighted with the outcome in the form of the most stunning photographs and tear-jerking video."
