Tori and Tom met at Uni where they were in the same halls and friendship soon blossomed into romance. Having moved to London soon after, it was ten years later in the middle of yet another lockdown that this gorgeous couple were on one of their daily walks around Battersea Park – a place that had become somewhat of a haven for them thanks to its cute garden full of flowers and peaceful break from the city – when Tori could tell something was about to happen. Next thing she knew, Tom was down on one knee. Tom had picked the location because it was normally quiet, but there was one lady sitting drinking coffee nearby, a lady who was so taken back with having the opportunity to witness such a moment that she immediately went to buy them a celebratory coffee! As they got engaged at the end of November, they spent the next month celebrating both their engagement and Tori’s favourite time of year and, as Tori cheerfully recounts, “So many of our friends and family thanked us for bringing so much joy to the end of what was a really tough year.” Joy is definitely a theme with these two, and their amazing wedding was no exception.

“I’ll be honest and say I was super nervous before my appointment at Alice Rose as I started to feel all self-conscious and that I wasn’t going to like anything. However, I was immediately made to feel comfortable and reassured that lots of people feel that way. I loved how my feelings weren’t dismissed – I felt really listened to and this continued throughout my whole experience. You can tell that everyone who works at Alice Rose feels really passionate about what they do and their excitement for you and your big day feels totally genuine. It also helped that there were so many gorgeous dresses to choose from!”

“I went with just my Mum for the first appointment and we tried on so many dresses, then narrowed it down to three favourites. The upstairs boutique felt so private and even though I know you see lots of brides in one day I was made to feel like I was the most important person in the world. I was made to feel the same way when I returned with a larger group of my favourite people to decide which was going to be THE dress, and I felt so lucky to be able to say yes in front of the most important people in my life.”

“I’d always thought I’d go for a dress that was plain and classic in design, yet the detail and sparkle on my Jennifer Wren dress made me feel so different and special and I knew it was the one. I hadn’t seen that kind of dress before and it was so flattering, even before the alterations. Our venue was very rustic and my dress was easy to wear and comfortable. Yet it was the sparkle of the dress that I feel fit in most with the venue – Donnington Park Farmhouse is covered in fairy lights and so many people said how I looked like I was sparkling as I walked down the aisle and we danced our first dance.”

“My advice when looking for a dress is to acknowledge that you’re nervous but then to try and enjoy it. Everyone is on your side and it really is so much fun. The same goes with planning a wedding in general – enjoy it as you’ll miss it when it’s gone! Try to find joy in every part of it – and take a moment to squirrel away with your new husband and take everything in just the two of you.”

Tori’s sparkling JW 20315 by Jennifer Wren, accessories and shoes are all from our fabulous boutique. Book an appointment HERE or ring 01530 587210 to make your dream dress appointment. 

Credits:

All Photography by We are the Clarkes: wearetheclarkes.com

Flowers by Essentially Floral: essentiallyfloral.co.uk

Make Up by Hayley Thompson Bridal: instagram.com/hayleythompsonbridal

Hair by Tori’s Maid of Honour! (Wow!)

Venue Donnington Park Farm House: parkfarmhouse.co.uk