Set within 125 acres of National Trust parkland, Tanya & Kobe got married at the charming Morden Hall, an 18th-century country house wedding venue in London. We caught up with Tanya a few months after their wedding and asked her a few questions:
The Proposal
It was on my birthday and I would usually be given all of my presents together – but on this occasion Kobe was annoyingly giving them to me one at a time! Just as I was getting ready to put our children Khari and Tyler to bed he says “oh, I almost forgot to give you your last gift” and asked me to sit down with my eyes closed. When I opened my eyes all three of them were on bended knee when Khari and Tyler said ‘mummy, we think it’s about time you became a Benjamin just like us” and Kobe clutching a ring box finished with “will you marry me?”
Did you have a vision for the wedding or was it something that just developed?
As we have been together for a long time (15 years) and already have children together I really wanted to showcase our little family unit.
What were the main reasons for choosing to have your wedding filmed?
Whenever I asked friends or family about tips for planning a wedding the most popular advice given to me was to have a wedding film and I am so glad that I did. The wedding film is a beautiful keepsake and it captured our day in such a way that photos & memories alone simply couldn’t!
Who was your photographer?
John Knight Photography, he was fantastic!
Where did you get your dress from?
The dress is called ‘Evangelina’ by Maggie Sottero. I found it in a lovely little bridal shop called ‘The Bridal House’ in Buckinghamshire.
Where did your wedding inspiration come from?
My inspiration came from the venue we picked. It is a beautiful venue and has a very romantic feel to it. I knew I wanted a soft pastel colour, but settled on mint green when I saw how gorgeous all of my bridesmaids looked in their dresses, which we got from David’s Bridal.
Who made your cake and how did you decide on how you wanted it to look?
My mother in law makes the tastiest cakes and made our wedding cake for us. I put together a cake board on Pinterest of the different styles that I liked and we worked together to create the final design.
Who provided the food and how did you choose the menu?
The food was provided by a catering company called Galloping Gourmet, who work with the venue. We were invited to a tasting event, which is set up like an actual wedding breakfast with other couples who are also due to get married at Morden Hall. This really helped us to decide on the menu for the day because there are so many different options and we got to see and taste a lot of the food first.
Did you have any entertainment?
We had a gospel singers at the church and a steel band at the reception. Check out their video below!!!
Do you have any particular memorable moments from the day?
Kobe is a massive Crystal Palace fan so I arranged for The Crystals (who are the official cheerleaders for the football club) to do a surprise dance routine where I joined in for an in sync finale!
Do you have any advice for couples who are at the start of the wedding planning process?
Once you have chosen an idea or theme, start planning as early as you possibly can because time is not your friend and it could save you some money! You really don’t need to spend a fortune to make your day special – focus on the little touches that will make your day personal to you. Also, make sure you book your wedding videographer well in advance, I didn’t realise how quickly they get booked up!
Now, enjoy watching Kobe & Tanya’s wedding film below!
