This is a love story of a couple who broke the traditional timeline and did what was best for their future together. Starting with a meet and greet of the parents and an intimate wedding, Faryaal and Omeed’s story exudes a special love like none other. After over 6 months post their wedding, the groom proposed to his new bride to create another magical moment between them. And this is when the couple decided to renew their vows in the presence of their near and dear ones. “A few years later, we decided to renew our vows with all of our friends and family present. It was so special to finally have all of our loved ones in one place and to celebrate the joy of being married.”
Dive into this couple’s unique story leading up to a gorgeous vow renewal ceremony at The Orangery in Maidstone.
The Love Story
“We met at Exeter University through mutual friends and introduced each other to our families in London and Jersey after noticing an obvious spark between us. Both our parents share very similar values and this led to them quickly giving us their blessing to marry.” The couple wanted to tie the knot as soon as possible to conclude their long-distance relationship and begin their lives together. They hosted an intimate wedding ceremony in September 2020 during the lockdown at the bride’s house. “We rented a gazebo and our families decorated the space a few days before. We wanted to recreate the same feeling for our wedding at The Orangery for all our friends and family who attended our first one on zoom! We DIYed all of our decorations, with meaningful remembrance to our grandparents and the focus was simply on spending time together, which is why we didn’t have any kind of additional entertainment.”
The Planning
“I had been unwell for years and I was really nervous about the whole wedding planning process and the wedding itself. Wedding planning can be really stressful. When you’re a guest at someone else’s wedding you can take yourself off but there is a pressure on your own wedding day as all of the attention is on you. It was therefore important to me that we kept things simple and relaxed to reduce any unnecessary stress. We would go to the beach to talk all things wedding-related so that we could switch off from it all and keep our home as a space where we could relax. We also polished our negotiation skills with our families on both sides as they had very strict idea of what they deemed appropriate.”
The Venue
Following the gorgeous and intimate ceremony at the bride’s home, choosing the right venue for their vow renewal was very important for the bride. “I had a spreadsheet of 88 beautiful venues but soon whittled them down to 2 based on location and our specific requirements. We have lots of friends and family in London and abroad so we had to find somewhere they could easily get to.” This is where the conveniently-located The Orangery in Maidstone came into the picture. “After discovering The Orangery in Maidstone, which is just over an hour’s drive or train journey from London and Heathrow, we decided to book a viewing. We knew straight away it was the perfect place for us as we felt so relaxed there. The gardens and The Orangery itself are just unreal. We love being outdoors and although the venue is spacious, it still has a lovely intimate feel to it. The paths and lake are so beautiful for pictures and many of our guests went for a stroll around the venue during the day.”
“The team at The Orangery were also really accommodating when it came to our requests. Their in-house chefs were able to source Halal food and offered us a romantic, private tasting of our menu choice. On the day of our wedding the chefs absolutely delivered, not only were the dishes so flavourful, they were so filling too which is often not the case with weddings! Our guests gave us rave reviews of the wedding breakfast.” The couple and their guests enjoyed a delicious mocktails menu created especially for them. “We asked if it was possible to serve mocktails instead and the options they offered were delicious, a minty virgin mojito for me and a sweet fruity option for Omeed,” shared the bride.
The Details
“A favourite moment for me was our first look. We found a local Airbnb which had two cottages, one for Omeed and his groomsmen and one for me and my bridesmaids. On the morning of the wedding, we met in the gardens while the music from our first wedding was playing. It was really emotional because Omeed had seen me when I was really unwell and I wanted him to be the first to see me when I finally felt pretty again. Our groomsmen and bridesmaids had also been through the highs and lows with us and when we came out together all dressed up as a couple, proud that we had made it through such a difficult time, they all just burst into tears.”
The Memories
“I’m normally quite comfortable speaking in front of crowds but seeing Omeed at the end of the aisle made me super teary. It wasn’t usual to see me like this so it was a really special moment to capture. I got into my head about the vows as I just couldn’t figure out how to put into words how important Omeed is to me, and funnily enough, at 8am on the morning of the wedding I wrote my vows in bed! I took the first draft to the bridesmaids and it set them off crying.”
Moments before the ceremony, the bride’s plan to recite some verses from The Quran that were special to her was in trouble when she couldn’t find them. “Kate, my event manager at The Orangery was really kind and handled everything. She calmed my nerves by reminding me that on this one day as the bride I was allowed to be late which made me feel so much better. I was only half an hour late in the end and I found the chapters that I wanted to read.”
Words Of Advice
“Work together! It’s 2024, no groom should get to see all the hard work only on the wedding day. You also really have to make sure you have each other’s backs as it can get very tricky managing families and guests” shared the bride.
The Bride’s Checklist
The Venue: The Orangery, Maidstone
Wedding Decor: Creative Venue
The Photography: Joy by Ash
Videography: MAC Videography
Bride’s Wardrobe: Sana Safinaz
Groom’s Wardrobe: Sonas Couture
Jewellery: Red Dot Jewels
Hair: Hair By Jerna
Makeup: Makeup By Sai
Henna Artist: Henna By Preet
