Natalie: We first met when we were 17 at a birthday party but didn’t get together until 2015. We were both on dating apps and Maxx recognised my photo from facebook and slid into my DMs (before sliding into DMs was a thing). Our first official date was at Winter Wonderland and then the rest is history.

Tell me about the proposal?

Maxx: I had been thinking about it for a while before I actually popped the question, but I decided that the best time to do it was when we had our pre-Christmas holiday to Nuremberg. The Bavarian Christmas Market hometown gave a good backdrop to a proposal, given our first date took us around the Bavarian Markets at Winter Wonderland. I kept the actual proposal really private and intimate, asking her to marry me whilst we cuddled up in bed on our final night there. She laughed, she cried, she said yes, and then we spent our final morning in Nuremberg taking photos where Natalie could slyly show off her new addition.

What was the theme to your wedding?

Natalie: HALLOWEEN! However thinking more along the lines of pumpkins and Autumnal accents, rather than ghosts and spooky things (although there were a couple of skulls here and there). My favourite colour is green (obviously) so we snuck it where we could; the cake, the bridesmaid’s dresses, and Maxx’s pocket square.

How was it planning a wedding during lockdown?

Maxx: Our final wedding was nothing like we had originally planned, however looking back we would not have changed it for the world. It certainly took the pressure off planning when we were looking at numbers. Our original plan was a bit of a DIY Wedding (hiring and decorating a Village Hall for the weekend). A lot of the projects we had planned didn’t come to fruition, which gave us a lot more time. As the lockdown eased over the summer, our families came together to help us with some of the crafting, as well as raiding TK Maxx for halloween supplies. When we realised that we wouldn’t be able to have everyone there, we started to veer away from the Council Office ceremony we had originally planned and started looking for small, intimate lockdown wedding packages. We initially did not contact Kew Gardens as we didnt think it would be within our budget but when the quote came back, our minds were made up. The team at Kew Gardens made replanning a wedding in less than two months easy and exciting, despite the global pandemic! It was Ann, from Lodge Catering, who convinced us to go all out on the decorations and make the day as magical as possible.

Who were your wedding Suppliers?

Venue: Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew

Catering: Lodge Catering

Wedding Dress: Chislehurst Bridal (Brand: Essence of Australia)

Suit: House of Cavani

Natalie’s Amazing Cape/Maxx’s custom Pocket square: Adorn By Ashley

Cake Topper: True Funk Sculptures

Wedding Flowers/Bouquets: Forever Flowers by Em

Biscuits: JD Cookies

Cake: Natalie’s Sister

Photographer: The mighty FunkyPixel

What advice would you give other couples for their wedding day?

Natalie: Go easy on yourself and do what makes you happy, not what people would expect. If you are getting married in the middle of a pandemic, it’s worth seeing if any bigger venues are advertising any lockdown packages as you could get married at an incredible venue that you never dreamed you could. Don’t be afraid to go all out, even if it is just in front of 15 people. We feel incredibly lucky that we managed to get married and find something to celebrate in the middle of a pandemic, especially as it has gotten worse.

Here are my highlights from Natalie and Maxx’s big day at Kew Gardens, London.