The winners of a charity competition to win a wedding have met with the suppliers that will look after them on their big day.
Lauren Sherwood, 30, and Jaimin Patel from 32, entered the St Elizabeth Hospice competition last year and, with the big day set for 19 May, meetings with the various suppliers that have donated their services to the charity are now well underway.
This week, the couple from Colchester headed to Glemham Hall, where they will marry this spring, to meet with a number of their suppliers and get an update on how their plans are progressing.
Joanne Rodger, Events and Challenges Manager at St Elizabeth Hospice, said: “We’re incredibly lucky to have all of these fantastic suppliers come together to make Lauren and Jaimin’s day even more special. It was lovely to get them all together to talk about their plans and see everything now moving forward for them.”
The couple met in 2011 when Lauren was working as a nurse and Jaimin as a doctor. Lauren remembers: “We often saw each other but did not actually speak until I found out it has Jaimin’s last day. I knew I had to go and speak to him. I plucked up the courage and found him. Instead of casually saying hello, I threw my arms around him, gave him a hug and said good luck. I was unaware he was actually in the middle of a ward round with a consultant until there was suddenly a lot of people staring at me. I went red in the face!”
Recalling their first date, Lauren recalls: “He picked me up in his flash car and whisked me off on our first date where we had a lovely dinner and he told me some terrible jokes. When Jaimin dropped me home, I got out of the flash car and, as I shut the door, his wing mirror fell off! I thought ‘I’m never going to see this guy again’.”
Thankfully, the couple did see each other again and in May 2017 a new chapter for the couple will begin when they marry.
Those who are kindly supplying their services for the big day are:
Venue Glemham Hall
Flowers Kay Souter Flowers
Dress The Bridal Lounge
Suits Coes
Rings Carats
Bridesmaid dresses Just a Day
Wedding breakfast and evening buffet Serendipity Street
Registrar Ipswich Borough Council
Photographer Patrick Stockley
Cake Amelie’s Kitchen
Make up Victoria Bradfield
Hair Hair Ministry
Invites Lemon Pie Stationary
Chair covers Table Angels
Aerial photography Echo Alfa
Ferrero Roche stand Polka-dotchaircoverhire.co.uk
The couple has pledged to raise thousands of pounds for the charity in return for their special day.
Lauren said: “We love the idea of raising money for the hospice as it is so close to our hearts. My Nan passes away in a hospice when I was 15 so I spent a lot of time at the hospice and saw first-hand the amazing care the hospice provides to patients and their families. It was this that made me want to become a nurse so I began my volunteering at the hospice as a care assistant before starting my nursing training.”