We met Sarah and Nick (way back before all this covid malarkey) in a little Costa in Norfolk. They were a dream, loved our photos and said they trusted us to do whatever. Woohoo! Oh, and they’re also funny ? They told us all about their plans to get married at Fishley Hall. We’d been dying to photograph a wedding there ever since we moved to Norfolk. Sarah and Nick – thank you for answering the blog questions!

What was your vision for your Fishley Hall wedding day?

Rustic, relaxed and fun.

Tell us a little bit about yourselves

(Sarah) I’m a Mum to ten month old Bodhi and part time sales consultant at Next. I love to travel so the past year has been tough, I love learning new cultures and exploring different places. I also love Indiana Jones and always wanted to name my child after him. However my new surname is Soanes so Nick wouldn’t let me name her Indiana Soanes!! Haha I did manage to get it into a middle name though.
(Nick) I’m an Executive Account manager for an insurance company. My main passion is sport, I was a keen footballer but getting older I’ve had to change to a more relaxed sport and have recently taken up golf. I just need more time to practice now.

The proposal

We had taken both our mums to New York to celebrate their 60th birthdays and had the whole weekend planned around them. We went up the Rockerfeller Centre and at the Top of the Rock he asked me what I thought of my surname and whether I wanted to change it. ? I told him to get on one knee and ask again properly and he did. Most perfect proposal.

The Ceremony at Fishley Hall

I am always early with everything I do so we were joking I would be at the ceremony 30mins early. However hair and make up took alot longer than expected, and as soon as I got my dress on I was chucked into a car and thrown down the aisle with no photos or anything. I completely forgot to walk with my dad down the aisle and the photos of him running behind me makes me laugh so much but from the moment we were married everything went smoothly.

Favourite photo?

The confetti photo as we leave the church with Nicks arm opened wide. It just made us smile so much when we saw it, we both look extremely happy!!

How did you meet?

We were both on a pub night out with friends (I was, Nick had come from a friends wedding alone, and very drunk) he tried chatting my friend up at the bar and after she asked how old he was so directed him to me. He then would not leave my side all night, I had thought I’d given him a wrong number but obv being drunk too I gave him the right number. Haha the rest is history as they say.

Tell us about the planning process

The main thing we struggled on was the food. We both wanted something relaxed but didn’t want people walking all around Fishley Hall getting their own food. We had agreed on a bbq and the end result was amazing, we had all different types of kebab so people helped themselves to what they wanted.

Any funny planning blunders?

Buying my dress I was six weeks pregnant and no one knew at all! Not even my mum. I knew I had to get my dress quick as I would soon be showing. Thankfully the first dress shop we went to I found my dream dress. As I was about to sign for payment the lady joked and said ‘I hope you’re not planning on losing or gaining weight anytime soon!’ I was so worried and slyly informed her I was six weeks pregnant. Luckily it was fine and she said the dress could easily be altered later on.

What made you laugh on the day?

During the Fishley Hall ceremony at the pivotal moment ‘does anyone here have any reason……’ Bodhi made a massive scream and cry. Don’t know if she was trying to tell us something!! Also during Nicks speech he was explaining how this girl had come into his life unexpectedly and how he wasn’t really ready for her etc, how amazing she was and how she has made his life so amazing, everyone was looking at me and smiling and he raised his glass to ‘Coco’ the dog!!!

Anything else you’d like to add?

We loved our photographs so bloody much!!!! And the fact we got them back so quickly, (during our mini-moon) was just perfect!!!

If you could plan and redo your Fishley Hall wedding again, is there anything you would do differently?

I would get the hair and make up ladies earlier so I could have photos with my mum and bridal party before the wedding. The day was perfect but it did stress us out and I’m just glad it’s all over now!!!

Suppliers

Venue: Fishley Hall

Hair: Tanya Gray Artistry

Florist: Wild Spirit Florist

Dress: Prima Donna

Makeup: Make up By Louise

Suit: Next

Band: Captain Atlantic

Caterer: A&M Events

Are you planning a Fishley Hall wedding?

If so, give us a shout here, we’d love to hear all about your plans. For more Fishley hall wedding fun, look here.