Emma and Fabio’s Wedding Ceremony

Emma and Fabio’s August wedding at Millbridge Court in Frensham was a celebration of love, family, endurance, and friendship. This wonderful family held not one, but two ceremonies. Their legal marriage ceremony was in August 2020 was just immediate family present during Covid restrictions. Fast forward to August 2022 and on their second anniversary, Emma and Fabio once again gathered together, but this time surrounded by lots more family and friends to celebrate their marriage in style.

From the moment, I met Emma and Fabio and their gorgeous sons, I knew we were going to have lots of fun together. Emma and Fabio wanted a ceremony that was deeply personal, shared their love story, provided some fun moments for all, and included symbolic elements that reflected their love for each other. I really enjoyed bringing their ideal ceremony to life!

THE PREPARATION

Seeking a rare morning of relaxation and pampering, Emma and her wedding party spent the morning in the bridal suite. Meanwhile, Fabio looked after the children. It’s easy to see why he is such a fantastic and engaging father… Full of energy, just like his boys! For the busy family, Millbridge Court, offers the perfect wedding venue. Fully enclosed gardens and large hallways provided ample space for the children to run around and burn off all that wedding energy. 

Gill Pike created beautiful floral arrangements as backdrop for the ceremony, and a lovely table plan of succulent plants. The white, navy and green palette, beautifully blended with the chic design of a Millbridge Court. 

THE CEREMONY

As friends and family gathered in the ceremony room, Fabio and his best man corralled all the children ready to walk down the aisle. The boys looked adorable in blue flower shirts and shorts with braces and bow ties. There was just such a warm, loving energy in the room as everyone stood to greet stunning Emma and her proud father as he escorted her down the aisle. 

Emma and Fabio wanted the ceremony to reflect them as a couple and as a family, and it was important that all the children present felt like they could be just as much a part of the day as the adults. I love nothing more than creating the space for an inclusive ceremony for young and old. Some of the most lovely photographs from the day are of Emma and Fabio with their children just having lots of cuddles and being together as a family.

LOVE STORY

Emma and Fabio met at university in Portsmouth. They had many mutual friends and ran in to each other on nights out from time to time and had one or two drunken kisses! They really hit it off while supporting their friend at the Student Union elections where Emma approached Fabio and they bonded over a mutual love of chicken and Nando’s. That was the night that Emma realised there was a bit of a spark there beyond someone to have a dance and a kiss with on a night out. She then went home and made the first move by tweeting him to insist he take her out to Nando’s one day. Off to Nando’s they went and within a month they were inseparable! Emma said that it was only when Fabio grew a beard that she suddenly paid attention to him. It was at that point that Fabio decided never to shave off his beard!

Since then Emma and Fabio have been on quite the journey. In the nine years they have been together, they have never had a real argument. While they have sometimes disagreed on things, they have such a great love and respect for each other and agree to disagree while valuing each other’s opinion. Emma and Fabio have been through a lot together and been there for each other through thick and thin. Every single day they say ‘I love you’ many times and never go to bed angry. They know how to bring out the best in each other through support, encouragement, and unconditional love. 

There are fun times too. After a busy day looking after the boys, they love to curl up on the sofa and binge watch a show or two. Just to be able to relax, chat, and enjoy each other’s company uninterrupted is a gift. There is something to be said for a conversation when you can finish a sentence without being interrupted by a small child! Those conversations allow them to connect as husband and wife, not just Mama and Dada! 

THE KEEPER OF THE RINGS!

When Emma and Fabio completed the legal registration of their marriage two years ago they exchanged bargain rings from Etsy and these rings have carried them through the first years of their marriage. To mark their celebrant celebration they decided to ‘upgrade’ their rings to the real deal. 

But first, I invited them to remove their current rings and place them inside a cloche. The cloche is very special to Emma and Fabio as it contains the vows from their first ‘paper’ ceremony which Fabio – ever the romantic – had made into two origami elephants (Emma’s favourite animal) and placed inside the glass dome. 

Next, in the spirit of spontaneity, Emma and Fabio wanted to give one of their guests the opportunity to play a role in proceedings by being their surprise ring bearer! We hid Emma and Fabio’s new rings under one of the guest seats. Guests were invited to feel under their seat and if they were the ‘Keeper of the Rings’ they should feel a box taped to the underside. The lucky one turned out to be a uni friend of Emma and Fabio’s – in fact their matchmaker! Perfect!

Whilst their friend looked after the rings, Emma and Fabio shared beautiful vows that they had written to each other before each exchanging a ring. 

WINE BLENDING CEREMONY

This lovely pair do like to enjoy a glass of wine once in a while – preferably red, which is fitting as they chose to symbolise their union with a Wine Ceremony, signifying the blending of two lives as one. 

Each picked up a small individual vessel of wine to pour into a larger carafe. Fabio then poured some into a glass and shared sips with Emma. The wine served as a reminder of Emma and Fabio’s love – delicate, yet strong; filled with love and room for more. 

THE ANNIVERSARY BOX

As the ceremony drew to a close, I presented Emma and Fabio with an Anniversary Box containing a bottle of wine (the same wine they had just shared). They added letters they had written to each other together with their vow booklets. On their wedding anniversary, they will open the box, enjoy the wine together and read their letters and revisit their vows. They will then replace the bottle with a new one. The letters they added during the ceremony spoke of how they felt about each other on their wedding day, with the hopes and dreams they have for their future together. Every year, they will also add a new letter to the box so that over time, it will document their lives together, their love for each other and how it evolves over time. Over time they’ll be able to see how their love has grown and matured with each passing year.

Finally, Emma and Fabio sealed the vows with a kiss! 

After the ceremony everyone enjoyed bubbly, canapes and lawn games outside before gathering for dinner.

It was such an honour to support Emma and Fabio on their wedding journey. They are friends now and I look forward to seeing the sweet family grow over the years.

FEEDBACK FROM EMMA + FABIO

This lady is so lovely, welcoming, happy + vibrant. She guided us beautifully, made suggestions, + made us feel incredibly calm + excited. The way she was when our kids were running around confirmed to us just the kind of lovely person she was + just how perfect she was for the job + I stand by this after how she delivered everything on the big day. She’s a part of our lives now + we couldn’t think of a better person. Our youngest still mentions her name!

A HUGE shout out to Emmie who captured the day beautifully and Abigail for a stunning video – great team too!

SUPPLIERS

Venue – Millbridge Court

Photography – Emmie Scott Photography

Film – Abigail White Photo + Film

Flowers – Gill Pike Florist

Catering – Kalm Kitchen