CHILSTON PARK HOTEL WEDDING
KENT, UK
Hannah and Luis enjoyed a gorgeous Chilston Park Hotel wedding, in the heart of the Kent countryside. From the elegant ceremony to the all-out party, this was such a great wedding day, surrounded by their closest friends and family. Check it all out below.
First names: Hannah and Luis
Ages: 32 & 38
Wedding date: 20th May 2023
Venue: Chilston Park Hotel
How did you guys meet, tell me all? Who would have thought that at the intersection of finance and technology they would find love 🙂 Hannah moved to New York looking for a new adventure, and boy did she find one! Luis and Hannah worked together for almost a year before they got together in the most romantic place you can imagine…. team drinks at a dive bar in the West Village! Then began a series of months of dating in secret, doing normal things like staggering their arrival times to work, taking extra vacation days to avoid suspicion, and making up excuses to share Ubers at night. By luck they officially moved in together just as COVID picked up in New York and they got to quarantine together (with their beloved dog Hendrix) where they continued in secret for a few more months in a studio with countless video calls where they pretended to not be in the same room. Eventually during a virtual happy hour at the end of 2020, having dialled in from “different apartments”, they surprised their team when Hannah left to grab a beer and then appeared in Luis’ video to join him!
How did you get engaged, is there a cool story? Whilst Hannah was living in England for 6 months, Luis hatched a secret plan to fly to England overnight, pick up the ring from London, and arrive in her hometown to surprise Hannah during her lunch break….. without wrinkling his suit! He dropped some red herrings to Hannah before he left, mentioning he was updating his phone and going out with a friend as decoys should Hannah decide to contact him mid-flight. Hannah’s mum and brother were in on the scheme, making sure she was available and would answer the door during lunch. She scared her mum several times by attempting to run errands, but it all went perfectly to plan when she opened the door to Luis with the ring and a bottle of champagne. Hannah was very confused for a few minutes…. and then she said yes!
What made you choose your wedding venue, did you look at many? We looked at lots of venues. Some had stunning gardens and impressive buildings, however Chilston Park Hotel had the perfect mix of a classic manor in the Kentish countryside with the flexibility for the evening to unfold exactly as we wanted. They had enough rooms for all our guests so that we could keep partying into the night.
Tell me about your dress? Who was it designed by and was there a particular style you were drawn too? I have a jacquard A-line dress from Amsale. I knew I wanted A-line but I was initially drawn to more floaty and lacy dresses, so this was not what I expected to choose, but in the end this is the one that really stood out!
What was the inspiration/theme/styling of your wedding? We wanted to recreate a night of live music and drinks in New York City against the backdrop of an old English manor house.
What is your first song and why? Everlasting Light by the Black Keys – the lyrics are really romantic and have spoken to us at times when we’ve been apart. It’s so special to us that we asked the band to play an acoustic version for our first dance.
What would be your number one tip to other couples planning their wedding? Focus on how you want the day to feel rather than what you want it to look like. We ended up choosing the venue that we could have the most fun at!
Check out Hannah and Luis’s gorgeous Chilston Park Hotel wedding below.
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The photography: All images were captured with two Canon R6 cameras.
Lenses: Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM, Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM, and the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM.
Other awesome suppliers from Hannah and Luis’s gorgeous Chilston Park Hotel wedding.
Wedding Planner: Laura Hillman Instagram: @laura_hillman_ Beauty: Jo Elizabeth Website: https:// Instagram: @joelizabethweddings Bridal dress designer: Amsale Website: https://www.amsale.com Instagram: @amsale Brides Shoes: Bella Belle Shoes Website: https://www.bellabelleshoes.com Instagram: @bellabelleshoes Groom’s tux: Suit Supply Website: https://www.suitsupply.com Instagram: @suitsupply Cake: All shapes & slices cake co Website: https:// Instagram: @allshapescake Venue styling and florist : Idyllic Days Website: https:// Instagram: @idyllicandcohire Stationary: Knock Knock Penny Studio Website: https:// Instagram: @knockknockpennystudio Videographer: Lightbox Weddings Website: https:// Instagram: @
