We all know from our favourite American movies that summer camp love stories can be life-changing. And that's certainly the case for the couple in today's real wedding, Zoe and Missy. This gorgeous pair, one from Somerset, the other from Las Vegas, brought their families together for a gorgeous rustic wedding at Haselbury Mill. Shot by Samuel Box Photography, their beautiful celebration is a lesson in having fun, blending cultures, and bringing a touch of Vegas to the English countryside!
So how did these two - from opposite sides of the world - first crossed paths and end up together in the Somerset village of Norton Fitzwarren? “Zoe, who is from Wellington in Somerset, was working at a summer camp in Pennsylvania for her third year. I'm from Las Vegas, and had only joined the summer camp staff for the first time that year. As soon as I saw Zoe, I knew I was going to marry her one day (but kept it a secret from Zoe for months!).” Missy explains.
Zoe continues to recap the couple's love story, “We grew closer together over the summer and became really good friends. A few months after camp finished, Missy visited me in England. Sparks flew and the rest is history! Missy continued to travel back and forth between England and the States and finally asked me to marry her. I ecstatically said yes, and the wedding planning began!”
Both sets of bridesmaids wore beautiful pink multiway dresses and carried fluffy pink and white posies with flowers in their hair.
The brides welcomed guests from seven different countries! "It meant so much to us to have people spend the money and travel so far just to celebrate us. Everyone mixed perfectly and people made friends from all around the world. We also had family and friends help us with setting up, makeup, and hair. The day was made possible because of the amazing people we have in our life.”
Missy tells us a little more about how the proposal went down, "While in the States, I bought Zoe’s engagement ring and planned to take her away on a weekend trip to ask for her hand in marriage. I couldn’t wait, though! I wanted to ask her as soon as her airplane landed. I contacted Zoe’s housemate and asked her to get a box of chocolates from the chocolate shop where I took Zoe on our first date. While in the bedroom, and after giving Zoe the box of chocolates, I pulled out the ring and asked Zoe to marry me. It was just the two of us and was a very sweet moment.” Missy explains.
The couple say that the atmosphere on their wedding day was full of love! "Our guests all mean so much to us and it was very beautiful having so many people we love surrounding us.”
The couple were looking for a venue that would fit their relaxed celebration, “The venue was a perfect place in every sense of the word. We felt so comfortable there from our very first visit, and the staff there are amazing. We also wanted to have a lot of open indoor space as well as places for our guests to go outdoors. The barn was a very beautiful place to have our ceremony and the lake and outdoor space was a great place for our guest to mingle and play games.”
Zoe and Missy were eager to create a day that would reflect them, "We are pretty low maintenance people and we wanted a calm, but fun day that everyone would enjoy. We also wanted to celebrate our two cultures. The food served throughout the day was a mix of English (afternoon tea and curry) and American (American diner during the evening do). We also had a roulette table since Missy comes from Vegas.” Now that's our kind of wedding menu!
And as for their advice for other couples? “Make the day about you. Really think about what you want and what is special to you as a couple. Who are you? Plan your day around that. Also, enjoy each other throughout the day. Take the time to stop and look around at how all of your hard work paid off!”
Big thanks to the couple for sharing their love story with us and to Samuel Box Photography for sending in these fab photos our way. Head over to our gallery to see even more from this special wedding day.
