Bright And Beautiful Paphos Wedding In Berta Gowns
❤️ The TWC Effect – Our brides, their way ❤️
Talisha and Daniel waited a while to meet but once the pair were together that was it! This love story has us heart-eyed and wanting to hear more, here is a little insight for you all…
How did you meet?
Short version
Unplanned, through a mutual friend.
Long version
From Jul 2009 to Sep 2020…
Talisha: It was the Summer of 2009, I was 14 and at a Christian youth camp for the week, when I met Dan’s best friend – Bert. We remained in touch on and off throughout the years (even when he was being a jerk!)
Over the course of our friendship, there was one mystery individual he always mentioned but never got around to introducing me to until Saturday 12 September 2020… “You’d really like my friend Dan.” Dan’s name was mentioned so often, I was starting to wonder if he was just a figment of the imagination… Actually, no, wait! I remember there was a time in Summer 2020 when Bert video called me and me and Dan waved at very pixelated versions of each other…The signal was terrible!
Daniel: I was 16, when Bert said he met this really cool girl at Summer camp and he spoke highly of her.
Years later and they remained as friends. Bert would mention when he had spoken with her and I would always offer up my well wishes to this mysterious Talisha. Though Bert was keen for all of us to meet and hang out, we just kept missing one another. She even told me she visited our Uni campus once in 2013… just wasn’t to be… not yet…
Fast forward to 2020, the mystery cool girl randomly happened to come over to Bert’s family home at the same time I was there. After all these years, I was finally about to get an answer to my question… is Talisha an actual human being?!
Talisha: “I hope you don’t mind, Dan’s upstairs.” said Bert. I was flabbergasted! THE famous Dan… Who I’ve BEEN hearing about since I was 14-years-old but only meeting in the flesh at 26… I can’t lie, I was excited!
Daniel: When Talisha walked in the room, two things ran through my mind: ‘She’s real!’
‘Erm… she looks gooood’
Talisha: It’s like I’d known him for AGESS! We talked effortlessly like two old friends catching up. I was learning how to trade at the time and Dan is a finance enthusiast who works in
finance, so we instantly sparked a common interest and the rest of our conversation flowed from there. Bert was right, Dan was easy to like.
Was it love at first sight?
It was intellectual chemistry at first conversation (but of course we find each other sexy).
Who proposed and how? Lovely details, please!
On Sun 3 Sep 2023, Dan planned a beautiful afternoon tea spectacle at the Buckland Manor hotel in the sunny backdrop of the Cotswolds which also featured 10 acres of breathtaking grounds.
We sat outside on the terrace for drinks before moving into the lounge where we enjoyed a sumptuous home-made feast of finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, a selection of delicious cakes and teas.
After tea, we went outside for a walk around the grounds whilst the sun was setting. I remember saying ‘This day is perfect!’, followed by Dan saying ‘You know what else is perfect, this moment.’, and when I turned around, he was on one knee, I was a gushing mess and the rest is history!
Did you have a theme for your wedding? How did it come about?
Our theme was white, burnt orange and gold accents. From the moment we started planning our wedding, I knew I wanted the bridesmaids to wear burnt orange. Dan wanted the groomsmen in forest / hunters green, so this is how the theme came about.
Location and how you found it?
The wedding ceremony and reception were held at the 5* Olympic Lagoon Resorts Paphos, Cyprus. It was spectacular and the perfect backdrop for our European destination wedding.
How did you find The Wedding Club? Tell us about that moment when you found and chose your dress – how did it make you feel when you put it on for the first time?
I found the Wedding Club on Google and then went on the Instagram page. I dm’d them to request the sample sale brochure and shortlisted two dresses I wanted to try on. I went to my first bridal appointment on 29/12/2023 and after trying on my second choice of dress – it was decided! I said yes to the dress.
As a first time bride going to my first ever bridal appointment, I was hoping for a hassle free and speedy wedding dress search. I had a strict budget and wanted to find two dresses. From the moment I arrived, Jess the sales assistant was welcoming and took initiative to take the dress of my desire to the DREAM. When she added the outer skirt I felt like a princess. I ended up leaving with a 2 in1 wedding dress for both the ceremony and reception and didn’t go a penny over budget including factoring in alterations.
Which designer did you wear?
Berta
Where is the suit from? Why was it the perfect fit?
Hockerty – they tailored it to the exact measurements of the groom, making it the perfect fit.
Did you have speeches? Who performed them?
Speeches were given by the Best Man – the groom’s elder brother, Father and Mother of the Bride, Father and Mother of the Groom and the groom’s younger cousin.
Did you have a first dance? What song did you choose and why? How was the performance?
We had a dance routine which was performed to a compilation of multi-genre songs. It was so much fun to perform and our family and friends really enjoyed watching and joining in. We had Jamaican flags placed on each of their chairs which they waved during the end song which was a celebratory nod to our Jamaican heritage.
How was the party?
Lots of fun which had an eclectic mix of genres. The best part was ending on a compilation of electric slide songs.
Wedding planning advice for brides to be?
Create a wedding inspiration deck – if you’re someone like me who plans to have an entire wedding season of events leading up to the wedding, having a wedding inspiration deck is really useful. As well as the wedding itself, for every event we had I planned out every detail in the wedding deck from gift ideas for bridal party proposals, to outfits I wanted to wear to theme and colour schemes. Having everything visually in one place just made life easier and stopped me from keeping everything in my head which can get overwhelming. I used Canva to create my wedding season deck (it’s free!)
The right bridal squad is your biggest asset – thankfully for me, I had the privilege of having my sisters and long time friend who is practically my sister as my bridesmaids and they are all incredibly gifted in different areas of creativity, organisation, planning, problem solving and general common sense. I didn’t worry about anything with them by my side. As a perfectionist and control freak it was hard for me to try and not take over, but they were so good at delegating between themselves, there was little to no room for me to stick my nose in. A lot of brides pick their best friends or a relative based on how close you are but practically it may not be the best choice if this person doesn’t have the skills or commitment to honour their bridesmaid duties. Being a part of a bridal squad isn’t just about taking great instagram photos – it’s a job! Who you pick can be the difference between you having a stress free or stressful wedding season. My bridal squad were over and above INCREDIBLE!
Respect the budget – Don’t get caught up in the hype of social media trends or what other people’s weddings look like. Comparison is the thief of joy. Respect the budget you agreed to and spend within your means. I used online retail shops to find unbelievable bargains for bridal accessories. For example my bridal robe was £80 and I saw another bride in the exact same one on TikTok and she paid £400. It was my most popular wedding season look and people wouldn’t know the difference, all they care is that it looks good!
One moment you’ll never forget:
Everything! The entire wedding season and wedding day was just perfect! Walking down the aisle with my Dad was definitely an emotional moment and also seeing the photo display of myself and my husband’s deceased loved ones on our wedding ceremony table was a moment I’ll never forget. It was great to have them all celebrating with us in spirit.
❤️
Dresses – Berta available at The Wedding Club Knightsbridge & Harvey Nichols
Hair & Makeup – MUV & Meleisha Simoneè
Wedding Abroad Specialist – Perfect Weddings Abroad
Photography – Vangelis Cyprus Photography
Venue – Olympic Lagoon Resort Paphos
Decor – Cyprus Wedding Touches
Cake – Love Island Cakes
