When Ruth and Andy Geggus were set up by a mutual friend, they realized it wasn’t the first time they’d encountered one another. “It turns out we’d actually met three years before that at a tour of the Greenwich Meantime Brewery!” Ruth exclaims.
After nearly four years together, Andy proposed at their favorite U.K. staycation spot, Beaverbrook in Surrey Hills. On their way to dinner one night, they headed to the gardens. “As we reached the bottom of the stairs that lead onto the main lawn, I saw the pergola covered in rose petals with Champagne, roses, and a photo of us taken in that exact same spot two years before, Ruth recalls. “Andy got down on one knee, and he’d organized a photographer to capture the special moment—which is just as well because the whole thing is a big blur!”
From the outset, the engaged couple wanted their wedding to have an English garden vibe with a marquee set on classic greenery. Emily of In Awe Weddings & Events found Findon Place, a stunning home a stones throw away from St Johns Church. And photographer Emma Wilder and videographer The Smiths & Co. lensed every special moment.
On August 31, 2024, Ruth—dressed in a Vivienne Westwood dress with the detachable Galaxy cape and Jimmy Choos—walked down the aisle to a live acoustic rendition of “Simply The Best” from Schitt’s Creek. A family friend of the couple, who is a retired vicar, delivered the sermon, surrounded by florals from Wizz & Wild. “It was surprisingly easy to block everyone else out while we were standing at the front together taking our vows,” Ruth says of the ceremony. “It really felt in those moments like it was just the two of us there.”
Once officially wed, the newlyweds recessed to “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You),” as the church bells rang and confetti shot out into the sky. The roaming band, Wandering Three, then surprised everyone with the couple’s favorite country song, “Wagon Wheel,” and led them through Findon Place to the pool area for the reception.
Ruth and Andy entered the Sail & Peg marquee, designed to emulate a garden-style restaurant, to the tune “Sweet Home Alabama.” The delicious meal by Kalm Kitchen followed. “Our guests were served with a three-course meal, and each dish was paired with a wine that holds a special meaning to us,” the bride explains. “From a pinot noir shared on our first date to an Assyrtiko we discovered in Santorini, each wine had a little blurb on the menu about what it means to us which was lovely to share with our guests.”
The six-piece band, The White Keys, provided the evening entertainment with a saxophonist and DJ. And Ruth made her outfit change and switched up her beauty look with makeup artists Gemma Peace and Ruby Rae and hairstylist Jay Pinder.
As time passed, thoughtful late-night bites were made available. “We take ‘drunk food’ very seriously, and our wedding was no different,” Ruth smiles. “Our wedding planner designed a ‘pop-up’ pizza restaurant for us.” The pizza van parked at the side of the marquee, and tables sported red and white checkered tablecloths and candlesticks in vintage chianti bottles.
Ruth’s favorite part of the reception was the speeches—especially the groom’s words. “I must have asked Andy to re-read his speech to me every day on our mini-moon,” she laughs. “I could probably recite most of it off by heart now!”
