Lily Anna Rose met up with Clare and Andy Hopper and asked them to share the inspiration behind their hopping fun wedding day which took place on Saturday 8th April 2017.
After meeting through friends nine years ago a bet as to who would win a game of badminton was made and we haven’t looked back since. After dating for 7 years and buying our first house Andy finally proposed! When we announced our engagement we used a hashtag #thehoppening so all of our planning and elements of the big day included this thread throughout.
We had a few special things made for the big day; wooden wording to match our hashtag and wooden names for the tables, all of which were spray painted gold. I also spray painted Ikea candle holders for the aisle along with flower pots which Andy’s mum planted with white tulips which looked beautiful.
It was difficult to think of table names but my new surname yet again provided inspiration and seemed the obvious choice, ending up with the tables named as follows: Space Hopper, Grasshopper, Dennis Hopper, USS Hopper, Rockhopper, Sandhopper, Paintball hopper (Andy use to play), Lindy hopper, Hip Hopper and Dinglehopper.
As I’m sure it is for many couples the thought of dancing in front of people when you aren’t great at dancing was not something we looked forward to so we had secret dance lessons in preparation. We went to a local Portsmouth studio and after about 6 lessons we felt confident that we had our upbeat dance to You Make My Dreams Come True by Hall and Oates, down. Our band, The Lionels, were fantastic and after seeing them at a friend’s wedding, we knew they were our first choice.
My biggest creative challenge and accomplishment was my paper flower wall. I’ve seen a lot of people use artificial flowers as backdrops but my love of paper crafts inspired me to create something a little different. If I had known the amount of paper, glue sticks (approx. 400) and time, I am not sure I would have started, but on the day when I walked in and saw it at the end of the aisle I was so pleased I had persevered with it. I absolutely loved it.
My dress is Istanbul by Enzoani Blue. I chose it because it was a little different with its lace detail in the train and the buttons down the back were a must. My hair was a simple up do inspired by Audrey Hepburn and for my makeup I wanted something simple, natural and me! The red lipstick was the perfect finishing touch. I wore my mum's pearl necklace and my own bracelets and 'jacket' earrings bought especially for the day.
Suppliers and details
Venue – Southend Barns, Chichester
Dress – Enzoani Blue, Istanbul
Shoes – Rachel Simpson
Bridal Shop – Proposals, Chichester
Band – The Lionels
Hair – Selina, The Salon Company, Hayling Island
Make Up – Gemma, The Beauty Retreat, Portsmouth
The Hoppening wording – Lasaris, Etsy
Props and Decorating – Amanda, Hire Your Day, Worthing
Flowers – Penelope’s Petals, Cosham
Eyebrows – Anni, Benefit in Debenhams, Portsmouth
Nails – Rachel Marr, Widley
Groom’s Suit – Moss Bros
Photographer – Kimberley Garrod, Southampton