Wedding | Emily & Andrew

Tell us a little about yourselves! 

We met 10 years ago working at COS in London – Emily as Social Media Manager and Andrew as Digital Designer and were friends for a year before we started dating. We live in Crystal Palace, London with our cat Alma and still work in similar fields (but not at the same company!). We are very family oriented and like to spend our weekends going out for nice meals, going to the cinema or seeing friends.

Why did you decide to get married where you did? 

We visited Tillingham in May 2024 for Emily’s birthday and fell in love – possibly helped by the wine tour and glasses that we continued to sip on throughout our stay, alongside some the most amazing food, gorgeous grounds (there is a nice walk through the vineyards up to a viewing point where you can see the sea) and laughs over boardgames and cocktails in the bar. 

When we were thinking about where to get married, we knew food and atmosphere was really important to us and Tillingham instantly sprung into our minds. We couldn’t speak more highly of the staff, we had such a personable experience and adored every moment of it.

How many guests did you have? 

60 – which was the perfect number for us as we were able to spend time with our family and closest friends.

What was your budget? 

£40k.

Tell us about your outfits. 

Emily: My dress was from The Own Studio, a London-based brand that I had admired on Instagram and booked an appointment straight after we were engaged! The style I chose was one of the first I tried on – I went with one of my brothers who teared up when I was wearing it, so it was an obvious choice! I adore the pearl detailing, the backless style with the draped halter neck and the fact that I can dye it to re-wear in the future if I want to. 

Andrew: I had previously done some work for Winkreative, which is part of the same group as Trunk and Monocle magazine. The Winkreative & Monocle HQ is a stone's throw away from the Trunk Clothiers

and I would visit on my lunch breaks as I love the collection they carry. I learned through their newsletter they were offering a Made-To-Order service. It felt like a perfect moment to get a suit made whilst leaning on the Trunk staff for advice on creating something modern but with classic sensibilities.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding? 

Food, music, good wine and a photographer who could capture our day and crystalise the laughter and love (which Nina Gorshunova and her assistant Olga did flawlessly, every time we look at a picture it all comes flooding back).

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

We’ve sadly both lost our mothers in the last 5 years, so wanted to acknowledge them throughout the day – Emily’s bouquet had their favourite flowers (sweet peas and calla lilies) and she wore her mothers perfume, Both of our fathers gave speeches and spoke about them in a way that felt they were there with us too. 

Overall, we wanted the day to feel like a party with all of our closest friends and family, which is exactly how it felt. It was 26 degrees (rare for June in England) and Tillingham whipped out their beer pong tables which was so much fun. Overall the day felt relaxed and full of love, which was exactly how we wanted it to feel.

Any tips for couples getting married? 

Make a list of your must-haves and nice-to-haves so you don’t get caught up in what you think you should have (social media can definitely influence or make you feel like you are missing out!). Things might not go to plan on the day, but no one knows the plan except for you and we promise you won’t even notice either – you are on such a high, there is so much love and your adrenaline fuels you!

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Our cake was made by the wonderful Olivia at Francis Bakes who is a friend that we both worked with at COS and have known for over 10 years! We discussed the flavour of the cake and a general vibe, but were surprised with the final design on the day and it was stunning – we’ve had so many people ask who made our cake. 

Will Scott was our guitarist during the cocktail hour and played a mixture of wedding hits, pop music and Ibiza classics which was perfect as the sun was beating down on us and the wine was flowing! 

George Jonathan was our DJ who did a fantastic job getting everyone dancing. He really understood the vibe we were going for and many guests have since commented on how good he was.

And then lastly Nina Gorshunova, our wonderful photographer, who made us both feel so comfortable and it felt like we had known her forever. We had some amazing shots captured in different areas of the Tillingham grounds, the winery and at Rye Town Hall, alongside all of the candids that she captured from getting ready through to cutting the cake and all that was in between.

Photographer: Nina Gorshunova @tender_photographs | Flora: Café des Fleurs @cafedesfleurs1 | Ceremony Location: Rye Town Hall | Reception Location: Tillingham @tillingham_wines | HMUA:  Polkadot Hair & Makeup @charlottehairandmakeup | Cake: Francis Bakes @_francis_bakes | Guitarist:

Will Scott  @will.scott96 | DJ: George Jonathan | Hire: Empress Coaches @empress_coaches_1929 & Premier Wedding Cars @premiercarriage_wedding_cars | Dress & Veil: The Own Studio @theownstudio | Suit: Trunk Clothiers @trunkclothiers | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Jessie Harris  @jessieharrislondon | Shoes: Jimmy Choo @jimmychoo