REAL WEDDING Viva Las Vegas 8962 views

Alicia & Matthew
24th May 2008

They Met Alicia and Matthew met online in March 2004. Matthew was looking for a date to take to London Zoo and Alicia being new to London, wanted a friend. It turned out that they were working for the same company in offices across the road from each other! Romance flourished and Matthew popped the question one day over lunch in one of their favourite gastro-pubs from when they first started dating.

Wedding Venue Alicia had worked as a wedding co-ordinator for many years and so knew exactly what needed to be done! They chose Las Vegas as their venue, because it was a halfway point between England and Alicia’s home country, Australia. The Bellagio Hotel was booked for their ceremony and reception, they loved the elegance of the Terrazza and the total elegance of the venue - quite unusual in Vegas!

The Theme The couple chose not to have a theme as such, with the beautiful backdrop of Las Vegas, little decoration was needed for their reception! They chose all the flower arrangements to be pink, with scattered rose petals at the ceremony and the reception. With five circular tables for their guests and one sweetheart table for the happy couple, pink flower arrangements were also created as table centres.

What They Wore The bride looked fabulous in an assymetric dress by Valentino, with lace detail and ruffles down the skirt, bought from Bond Street, London. She accessorized with shoes from Pura Lopez called ‘Inara’ and chose minimal jewellery apart from her engagement and wedding rings. The groom wore a grey tailor-made suit from Italian designer, Pal Zileri with a shirt and pale blue tie from Thomas Pink, finished off with shoes from Pied A Terre and a white buttonhole. The bride had her best friend, Kristina as her bridesmaid, who wore a short, bright pink fringed dress and peep-toe shoes from Salon Kitty. The groom’s best man, Adrian, wore the same as Matthew.

The Cake Alicia designed the two-tier cake with the pastry chefs at the hotel. It had one square and one round layer of vanilla sponge with lemon cream and fresh raspberries, decorated with ivory ribbon and flowers as well as a sparkly cake topper of their initials, to add a touch of glamour.

The Flowers Setting the colour scheme for the wedding, the bride had a pink, hand-tied bouquet of stargazer lilies, orchids, roses and freesias, with the bridesmaid carrying a smaller version.

First Dance Although a keen ballroom dancer, Alicia was unable to convince Matthew, so the couple decided not have a first dance but lightened up the evening with jazz music instead.

A Moment To Remember Matthew was overwhelmed at the sight of Alicia coming down the stairs of the Terrazza with her father whilst Alicia loved the moment when they first kissed as husband and wife.

Honeymoon The couple spent their first night together at the Bellagio before jetting off to Jumby Bay Resort in Antigua for their honeymoon. Located on a private island off the mainland, they stayed in a luxurious 'rondavel' with an outdoor bathroom!

Any Advice Alicia advises, ‘Good planning is there so that you can forget about all the details on your wedding day and enjoy the day itself. It’s not something to get so involved in that you spend the day worrying about timing or whether it’s the right champagne.’ Matthew suggests, ‘Be as involved in the preparations as the bride wants you to be. They will probably have a much better idea of what they want than you will.’

Alicia & Matthew’s Contact Book:
Venue: Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas bellagio.com
Dress: Valentino valentino.com
Groomswear: Pal Zileri palzileri.com
Stationery: Gibson Doyle gibsondoyle.co.uk

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