Happy Win-a-Wedding couple tie the knot

The Stratford Herald’s win-a-wedding competition winners Gemma Ricketts and Hefin Land finally tied the knot during a ceremony last week.

Gemma and Hefin scooped the £9,000 prize haul last October winning everything from a wedding cake and personalised rings to a spectacular wedding dress.

The couple got hitched in a humanist ceremony at Alveston Pastures Farm last Sunday, before heading to their wedding reception at the Stratford Hotel.

85 guests attended the ceremony with many coming back to enjoy the reception, which featured a live band and DJ.

As an added surprise for guests, Gemma organised an undercover team of singing waitresses to spring into song during the reception, putting smiles on everyone’s’ faces.

Gemma said: “It was just great to be able to share the day with our families and friends. We’re quite fun loving people and I think our wedding was quite unique.

“Our daughter Lily-Rose had a great time and with the other flower girl and our page boy, stole the show at times. Everyone commented on my dress, Chantelle from Shakespeare In Love and her seamstress did an incredible job. Caroline from Daisy Blue Bakehouse who made our cake did a sterling job too, I’m celiac, Lily has a nut allergy and Hefin is diabetic so they did different layers so we could all eat it.”

Hefin added: “It’s great to have married Gemma and it’s certainly a day I will always remember, despite how much we had to drink. I particularly enjoyed making the rings, I shouldn’t blow my own trumpet, but they looked really good.”

Gemma and Hefin are set to honeymoon on a canal barge during next year’s Stratford River Festival.

The Stratford Herald would like the thank The Stratford Hotel, Shakespeare in Love Wedding Boutique, Daisy Blue Bakehouse, Aneata Boot Design, Elizabeth Flowers, Matom, DJ Graham Luckhurst, Wedding Days to Amaze and Carrick Travel for supporting last year’s Win a Wedding competition.