Amy and Martin went from slumming it in “grotty uni accommodation for four years” as friends, to getting wed at the beautiful and swanky Hampton Court Palace last August with a £13,000 budget. Their goal was to make the day as fun and stress-free as possible, and to wear pants that were in keeping with their surroundings. Yes, you read that correctly. More on that later.

Amy said, “We were our own inspiration. We wanted to make it as personal to us as possible. So having scratch cards as favours, a quiz at the reception, and rude wording on light boxes all helped to make it a fun, laid back day!”

They chose to have their ceremony and reception in The Garden Room for several reasons, said Amy. “Firstly, it’s where we got engaged. Well, sort of! Martin pulled up on a boat on the river in front of Hampton Court and proposed with a Haribo ring (sweet, right?!) Secondly, it’s stunning and I am a massive history geek, so it was a great backdrop to our big day. Thirdly, we live down the road and wanted somewhere local and relatively easy for the majority of our guests. We also wanted the venue and reception in one place to keep logistics simple and maximise drinking time (priorities!) Finally, I work there – some people might find it weird to get married where they work, but it’s a spectacular setting and certainly not your average office, so it made complete sense to us to have it there.”

Continue reading