Last month, we were fortunate enough to witness the beautiful wedding of newlyweds, Kirsty & Aled.
Choosing to tie the knot at Fairyhill, Welsh Rugby star and his blushing bride shared the experience of their spectacular wedding day with us in a post-wedding interview. It was a pleasure to host their celebration, and an honour to catch up with them and hear how they felt about their experience at Fairyhill.
How did you first meet?
I first met Aled in our local gym in the Sauna. Shortly after that, I had a cheeky friend request, we started chatting and weâve been inseparable for 6 years.
How did he propose?
We went to Ibiza with the family (Myself, Aled and our two children) it rained for the whole week. When we got back, Aled was nagging for us to go away just the two of us, so we decided to go away to Palma for a quick getaway.
Aled popped the question in our hotel room, it was really unexpected. He had the engagement ring for a year, apparently he was waiting for me to behave!
Where did you get married?
Fairyhill by Oldwalls, which is based on Gower.
What attracted you to the venue?
The venue is so old but itâs kept so well. Itâs old with a modern twist which we loved.
The venue has lots of little cwtches and individual rooms which are so lovely and the grounds are just so beautiful. (24 acres)
What was your wedding theme?
We went for a classic theme. Nothing too bright, lots of neutral tones, something that would be timeless.
What stationary did you have?
Most of the stationary was made by myself and my sister in law. We created homemade place cards and a table plan which showed significant years in our lives, we had photos from each year that we were together.
For the favours, we went with Aledâs favourite⊠pic a mix!
What did you wear? Tell us about your gownâŠ
My dress was from Pronovias, I went to their flagship store in London.
I saw the dress online, and I just knew it was the one. When I went to the store, I tried on so many dresses, big sparkly ones, but I just felt lost in them all. Plain was key for me and I always went back to this one.
I knew I wanted sleeves, and the team added in some button detail down the back of the dress to make it more personal to me.
What was the cake like?
My cake was from Amelia Dream Cakes. We went for a textured timeless look with gold flakes around the edges.
One tier was lemon, one caramel, and the other was raspberry and white chocolate.
How did your dress make you feel?
I felt so comfortable. I knew I could dance and move around in my dress which was so important to me. I wanted to be able to lift the kids and dance with them. I felt really special â It was the perfect dress.
What did the groom wear and where were the suits from?
The groomsmen wore suits from Moss London, they each had a tailored tux. Aled had his own bespoke jacket so heâd stand out from the boys, which was a Velvet tux with satin. He had our initials and date embroidered inside the jacket.
How did you feel when you first saw him at the altar?
I wasnât nervous at all. Me and the girls had a chilled morning. I was emotional when I first got there. Our little girl Maggie walked down the aisle first and as I walked down I could see Aled was emotional and welling up.
What was your best memory of the ceremony?
After we signed our names – we were finally married! We turned around with the music on (dancing on the moonlight) and we were ready for the rest of the day.
How did you decorate your venue?Â
We went with Fairyhillâs signature look and centrepieces, which was white roses and green foliage.
Our Florist Jan Lima did a fabulous job too. We wanted something beautiful, simple and elegant.
What was your first dance song?
Carly Ray Jepson I really like you, the acoustic version by the band Coverland (@coverlandweddingpartyband)
How did you entertain your guests?
We had a band, Coverland and also a sax player, Oli James, who played during the ceremony and stayed all day.
How did you feel on the day?
Aled was really nervous. The morning was really chilled for me and the girls.
The day goes by so quickly; It really was the perfect. We were both so happy, and didnât stop smiling all day, we enjoyed every minute.
Weâre so happy with the photos too â We canât wait to see more!
Whatâs your recommendation to future couples getting married ?Â
Enjoy the planning, and donât put too much pressure on yourself. Just keep on top of things and trust your venue. Fairyhill knew exactly what they were doing, and I had every faith in every person we booked for the wedding.
Stay relaxed and donât stress; Enjoy every moment.
What was it like getting married on freedom day?
Gosh, it was such a relief, and emotional! We didnât know the plan or what was going to happen until a day before our wedding. The wedding was on the Saturday, and the Government announcement was on the Friday.
We stayed in one of Fairyhills Rustic Retreat cottages, Cerrig Glan, and our wedding coordinator (At Fairyhill) Greg knocked on our door and said âYou are freedom dayâ. We had goosebumps, I just couldnât wait to hug everyone.
The staff working in Fairyhill were also emotional, our venue manager Jo and Mark were so good to us, they couldnât have done enough for us.
It was amazing watching the team put the dance floor down, and to watch everyone dance.
Rachel Lambert Photography