Simeon is originally from Manchester and Kyron is from London. They met in London nine years ago and were good friends for four years before they got together in 2014. One day Kyron was chatting to another friend about the kind of person he wanted to settle down with and realised he was describing Simeon. Sounds like a pretty perfect match!
We chatted to the lovely Simeon to hear about how they planned their joyful family wedding and honeymoon of a lifetime…
So, Simeon, tell us about your engagement…
Kyron comes from a really big family and they (and all his friends) are really important to him. When we started talking about getting married he was sure that it was something he wanted but had two conditions! He didn’t want to be the one to do the asking; and he wanted to be proposed to with all his family and friends around. Amazingly we managed to get quite a few of his friends and family around to his mum’s in the evening on Christmas Day. We played a game that I’d made up (involving blindfolding Kyron!) which was lots of fun, and when Kyron removed the blindfold I was on one knee and presented him with an engagement ring.
What kind of wedding did you plan?
I am the planner in the relationship as Kyron is not at all organised (as anyone who knows us will tell you!) so Kyron was happy to leave the arrangements to me. I had actually booked the wedding venue before I proposed, with the help of a friend. I was looking for a country house, rather than a hotel – we had about 130 guests in total so it was pretty big! Kyron did get involved with choosing colour schemes but I did pretty much everything else! We had a choir – London Joy Singers – that I am the director of – it was pretty cool. We had what we call ‘Gospeloke’, in which family and friends choose a song to sing along with the choir. It was a really special touch.
What was your first dance?
Patti Labelle If Only You Knew. It was a bit of compromise as we both had different songs in mind initially, but we couldn’t agree. Then one day this song came on and we both looked at each other and said that’s the one!
What was your favourite part of the day?
Funnily enough, looking back now, the part that actually stands out for me the most was the pre-wedding bit. Kyron and I had spent the night before apart, and then on the day just before the ceremony I was with my best man and groomsmen and it was just really nice to be surrounded by my friends and relaxing and having a few laughs and they stopped me from getting too nervous.
Why did you choose Patchwork for your gift registry?
I had bought my own place a few years earlier so we didn’t need traditional wedding gifts like toasters and towels. However, we both felt that just asking for money towards a honeymoon was a bit cheeky. Patchwork offered the perfect solution and allowed people to contribute according to their budget.
What did you want to fund and why?
We love to travel; I used to be a travel agent and so had seen a lot of luxury holidays in my time! I’d always said that I wanted a really luxurious honeymoon with no holds barred! We planned an amazing trip, starting off in Bangkok, then on to the Maldives, then Kuala Lumpar and finally Bali. We created different patches to represent things we would love to do on our trip, so our friends and family could treat us to cocktails by the pool, a spa treatment or a contribution towards our flight upgrades.
What was the best bit about using Patchwork?
It literally was the difference between having a fantastic time and having the time of our lives. The money that was gifted through Patchwork meant that we never looked at prices – we had the freedom to really enjoy ourselves without worrying about the cost.
Our friends and family thought it was fantastic. In fact a few of our friends have stolen the idea for their upcoming weddings!
And finally would you recommend your trip to other honeymooners?
It was just amazing, superb. It was everything we could have hoped for and more. On the flight home I just wanted to go back and do it all again! Bangkok was fun, we visited the night markets, and had lots of really good Thai massages! Then in the Maldives, we were on a private island and it was pure relaxation. We then headed to Kuala Lumpar which is such a vibrant city, and we upped the pace again, visiting the twin towers and the Batu Caves. Finally we went to Bali, for more relaxation! We had a butler service and chilled by the pool. We did get out and about though, we had an amazing private car tour arranged by the hotel and visited the rice fields and temples. Naturally, I planned it all… Kyron just had to show up!
Thank you so much Simeon and Kyron for sharing your beautiful patchwork story and congratulations once again from all of us!
If this has inspired you to make your own patchwork, just customise one of our readymade patchworks or create one from scratch.
P.s Listen to Kyron and Simeon’s first dance song in our Spotify playlist, made up of lots of our Patchwork Couple’s first dances.
Here are a few of the amazing suppliers that helped make Simeon and Kyron’s day extra special:
Venue: Morden Hall
Cake: M.V.O Cakes
Choir: London Joy Singers