OUR KENTISH CEREMONY
MARRIED AT CHILSTON PARK HOTEL
LENHAM SHANNEN GIRDLER-HUGGETT & RYAN HUGGETT HAD TO WAIT A LONG TIME TO FINALLY MAKE IT DOWN THE AISLE , BUT IN THE END IT WAS THIRD TIME LUCKY FOR THE COUPLE
Photography by : Louisa Dettmer Wedding Photography
THE VENUE We had seen Chilston Park Hotel a few times at some Kent wedding fairs , we then went to one of the venue ’ s wedding showcase days and fell in love with the place and staff instantly .
We got engaged in December 2017 and we spent a year looking at different types and styles of venues as we weren ’ t sure what we wanted , but we loved the fact you could have the hotel as exclusive use and that it has several different rooms you can opt to use for the ceremony , wedding breakfast and party . We fell in love with the beautiful Coach House to have as our ceremony room - the big windows on one side and mirrors on the other meant it was light and airy .
Unfortunately , due to Covid our wedding date had been pushed back a few times , but our wedding coordinator Molly was so helpful and supportive . We finally got married on our third rearranged date and the staff on the day could not have been more helpful , lovely and fun !
THE OUTFITS My dress came from Wed2b . I had initially tried on several different types in the Bromley store and there were different parts of each dress that I liked but didn ’ t find the ‘ one ’. Later the same weekend I spotted the Wed2b ‘ Brixton ’ dress online , a beautiful mermaid gown with the most amazing train , illusion back , buttons and a subtle chantilly lace underneath .
Unfortunately the Bromley store didn ’ t have my size , and the only place that did was Norwich ! So , just as the petrol shortage hit , my mum and I embarked on a four-and-a-half hour round trip ! Thankfully I loved the dress as soon as I saw it . Little did I know it would still be another two years before I could wear it !
Ryan wears a suit every day for work so knew he wanted something special , and opted for a morning suit . His best man is 6 foot 9 so they had to find something that worked for everyone - in the end they found what they were looking for at Well Suited in Dartford .
THE CEREMONY Having waited three years extra for our big day , seeing each other ’ s faces and emotions when I was walking down the aisle was really special ; we didn ’ t stop smiling at each other throughout the whole ceremony .
Something else that was really special , was having our dog Stanley as the ‘ dog of honour !’ He proudly walked down the aisle with my maid of honour in his matching blue bowtie and ‘ dog of honour ’ bandana , the look on our guests ’ faces was priceless . He was sadly diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago , we didn ’ t know if he would make it to our big day so the fact he did and he could be a part of it all was very special to all of us .
THE ENTERTAINMENT We had a violinist for the ceremony , who also played a great mixture of songs during drinks and canapes after .
We had the best DJ for the evening entertainment , Richard from Discologic . He played a great variety of music , and there were always people on the dancefloor . He also advised us on the best timings for the first dance etc - we weren ’ t sure at first but ultimately , he was right !
Unusually , we had the same song for our first dance as the song we had for when I walked down the aisle , The Script Never Seen Anything Quite Like You . We had always said this would be our first dance song from the first time we heard it 8 years ago on holiday . Since the beginning of our relationship 10 years ago , we have been to pretty much every The Script concert together .
THE PHOTOGRAPHY Louisa Dettmer and Duncan were our amazing photographers . We met them at a Kent wedding fair back in 2019 , and we instantly hit it off with them - they are so welcoming and personable . Having to re-arrange our date a few times , Louisa was always so supportive , and I am so pleased we could still have them on our big day . They didn ’ t just feel like our photographers , they were friends .
THE HIGHLIGHT The whole day was more than we imagined it to be , we had waited so long for it , it ’ s impossible to pick just one moment !
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