This couple's worlds literally collided when Sara crashed her car into Mike's just before Christmas 2015. "His friends joke the only reason I married him is so he didn't put a claim in," Sara laughs. There was an instant attraction between them and they knew it was the start of something special when Mike drove all the way from Chester to South Wales on Christmas Day to see Sara, despite having met her only once.
Mike proposed on the very roundabout where they crashed. Sara describes it best: "It was the same date, at the same time we met – four years to the minute. He'd even kept the plastic breathalyzer tube the police used on us that night to hold the ring when he got down on one knee."
The pair chose Thornton Manor as the location for the big day and set the date for 28th March, 2019. Read on as the bride tells us more about their wedding…
Thornton Manor was the first venue we looked at. With its grandeur and gothic feel I knew it was the one for us.
If you can, opt for an earlier ceremony. We got married at 2pm and the day flew by. I felt as though I didn't have enough time to enjoy it and speak to everyone.
Our centrepieces were a combination of five-foot chandeliers that I’d picked up from a car boot sale and large gnarled branches, which we collected from the park opposite our house before spraying them gold. These were intertwined on each table with rose petals, foliage and handmade gold skulls
The table plan tied in with the gothic feel and the fact that I'm an ex-burlesque artist. I decided to have femme fatales as the table names on a board entitled "Place of Rest."
We opted for flowers in deep burgundy hues to complement the bridesmaids' dresses. I made their bouquets, which also comprised the handmade gold skulls topped with burgundy flowers and foliage, as well as matching buttonholes for the men.
Our cake was black with gold marbling. It was very opulent, fitting the theme perfectly.
Our cake was black with gold marbling. It was very opulent, fitting the theme perfectly.
Femme fatale table names included Dita Von Teese, Lily Munster, Elvira, Vampira, Poison Ivy, Medusa, Bride of Frankenstein and Maleficent. We had a picture of each along with their names in gold on every table.
I completedmy look with acustom made roseand gold spikedheaddress fromBatCakes Couture.I loved my hair andmake-up by EvkaModern Vintage,a lot of my friendscommented onhow much the stylesuited the venueand décor.
Mike rode to the venue on his Suzuki Intruder bike. His biker side was one of the things that attracted me to him in the first place!
I wore a custom-made gold beaded dress by Alex Wood Styling with matching cathedral veil. I wanted something uniqueto me and totally different that was a balance between the dramatic and old Hollywood starlet.
Mike wore a waistcoat and trousers made by his late father who was a well-established tailor in Chester. Mike worked for him before setting up his own tailoring company when the roles were reversed and his dad came to work for him.
The groomsmen wore navy suits, gold ties and handmade burgundy buttonholes.
My bridesmaid and good friend of over ten years isthe amazingly talented burlesque performer GingerLa Rouge. She performed her signature champagneglass act. A lot of the guests had never seen burlesquebefore, so it was a real treat for them and a great hit.
Mike was as horizontally relaxed as ever, but Iwas shaking like a leaf as I just wanted everythingto go perfectly.
I wanted my bridesmaids to wear something in a style they liked that flattered themand they felt comfortable in, which they did, all in shades of red.
We honeymooned in Sri Lanka for a week followed by a week in the Maldives. We went to Buckley Travel after seeing reviews and the team found us the perfect package. We didn't want to come back, they were the most beautiful places we'd ever experienced together.