Love is all around

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After a chance meeting, Kym and Paul tied the knot in a classic Sussex ceremony

The couple first met in May, 2011, when Kym was living in Sydney, Australia, and Paul was visiting the city for work. “We met by chance on his last night,” Kym tells us. “He was meant to be at a rugby game and decided to stop at the same pub I was in for a drink. We really hit it off but he had to fly back to the UK the next day. We stayed in touch though and became great friends.”

They didn't have their first date until 2013, when Paul's work transferred him to Australia. “He took me to Yoshii, a Japanese restaurant in the Rocks, followed by a drink at the Shangri La hotel,” recalls Kym. “The bar is on the 36th floor and overlooks Sydney harbour so it was a great date.”

However, that evening wasn't her best memory – Paul saved his most romantic gesture for the proposal. “We came back to the UK in December, 2013 for Christmas, having only been dating a few months,” Kym tells us. “I was meant to arrange it but he said he'd look after everything. We spent the day shopping in Covent Garden and eventually checked into our hotel.”

Paul had booked a room that overlooked Big Ben and arranged for it to be decorated with candles and flowers. “It was a very romantic, private proposal. After I said 'yes', he gave me my gorgeous ring and we shared a bottle of champagne. The entire day was amazing and a complete surprise.” Here Kym tells us more about their dream day…

Love is all around: Image 1
Kym Bonollo, married Paul Hamshere, at Buxted Park Hotel on 22nd August, 2014.

 

Love is all around: Image 2a
Danni Alders is a professional MAC make-up artist and gave me a soft, bridal glow on the big day.

Love is all around: Image 2
Tina Appleton from Toni & Guy created my bridal up do which really suited the classic style of my dress.

 

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We initially looked at venues in Sydney, but decided on a country wedding in the UK. Paul was working in London at the time and booked Buxted Park, so I saw it just before our wedding. I fell in love with the beautiful grounds and the gorgeous Orangery.

 

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I searched everywhere for my dress but struggled to find one that felt right. Finally a friend of Paul's suggested Suzanne Neville and I fell in love with two instantly. I dragged my sister back to make the final decision and opted for Gracie, a silk, strapless gown.

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I used lots of magazines and websites as inspiration for our wedding and created a look book of what I wanted. – Kym

 

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Shopping for dresses was hard, as everyone lived in various countries, so I decided to buy three pale pink Grecian gowns that caught my eye in a shop window.

 

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Pollen helped to decorate Buxted Park. They did an amazing job and the place looked spectacular.

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I went for a classic bouquet with roses that tied into our pale pink and silver colour scheme.

 

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The boys got their classic tail suits from Moss Bros and all looked very smart indeed.

 

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We chose a simple chocolate mud cake. It tasted delicious and was the perfect base for our Australianinspired cake topper – a little koala and baby for me and our daughter Milly, and a lion for Paul.

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The confetti was made from petals from all of the bunches of roses Paul had ever given me.

 

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We featured a lot of music during our day and even hired a string quartet that played Canon in D Major by Pachelbel as I walked down the aisle with my dad and saw Paul standing at the end. Words cannot express how I felt at that moment.

 

Love is all around: Image 10a
From our save-the-dates to the name cards, we had great fun designing everything and getting it printed.

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I'm half Italian and grew up eating sugared almonds when I visited my grandad. We decided to give pale pink and silver ones as favours.

 

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My maids were my two sisters Kate and Julie and my best friend Anthea.

 

Kym Bonollo and Paul Hamshere's contact book


Bride's dress
Suzanne Neville
www.suzanneneville.com

Bride's hair
Toni & Guy
www.toniandguy.com

Bride's make-up
Make-up By Danni
www.makeupbydanni.com

Bride's shrug
Antique Lace Heirlooms
www.antiquelaceheirlooms.com

Bridesmaids' dresses
Ted Baker
www.tedbaker.com

Cake
Cakes by Katie B
www.cakesbykatieb.co.uk

Children's entertainment
Fred in the Shed
www.fredintheshed.net

Entertainment
Hand Fulla Soul
www.handfullasoul.com

Entertainment
Brighton String Quartet
www.brightonstringquartet.co.uk

Flowers
Pollen
www.pollenflowers.co.uk

Groom's suit
Moss Bros
www.moss.co.uk

Photo booth
Coco Photo booths
www.cocophotobooths.co.uk

Photographer
Dennison Studios Photography
www.dennisonstudios.com

Venue and catering
Buxted Park Hotel
www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/buxtedpark

www.suzanneneville.com
My Glass Slipper
www.myglassslipper.com

 
 

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