Zonzo Estate Wedding of Zoya and James

Tell me about your The Beginning!

We remember the first time we locked eyes at the 8 Exhibition Street building when both working at EY. We tried to catch up for a “work” coffee, realising that we both loved basketball, which proceeded into trying to secretly watch snippets of games in between work. This very quickly turned into chatting to each other daily and realising how much we had in common – big families, a huge love for food, preference for cold weather and always being up for games or trivia. I (Zoya) knew this was special when I had ruptured my achilles and James came to pick me up from my house for one of our first dates rolling a wheelchair down the driveway. Fast forward to 6 years later and our romance has involved 20+ countries, 100+ cheese toasties and 3 Gang of Youths concerts together

 

When and where did you get engaged?

We were living in London together and had managed not to kill each other through the Covid lockdown in our tiny one bed room Islington flat. I guess this was a sign that we could in fact survive the long haul. James (an avid swimmer) pretended he was going to the pool and luckily got away with secretly going ring shopping in London instead (I did question why he came back pristinely dressed in chinos and a shirt, without smelling like chlorine). James took me to the rose garden in our favourite park, Regents Park, on our anniversary for a picnic. After uncharacteristically fussing over a spot for us to sit down, he got down on his knee to propose. It being a surprise on a winter day in a city we loved could not have been more perfect.

 

What style/theme have you chosen for your Wedding Day?

We have opted for a rustic, but relaxed style for our day. We wanted our wedding to reflect our personalities, so everything centres on food (we LOVE food), wine and having a good time together. We want all of our friends and family to be able to let loose and have a dance with us.

 

What are you most looking forward to on the day?

– I (James) can’t wait to see Zoya in her wedding dress walking down the aisle
– The food (especially pizza) – we want everyone full to the brim with delicious Italian food!
– Seeing the smiles of all of our favourite people in one room
– The moves on the dance floor!

 

Top Tips!

– Go with your gut instinct for big decisions about the day – there are so many options and it can be easy to overthink things, but if it feels right, then go with it. For example, match your vendors to your personality – if you immediately get along with someone and like their style, you don’t need to spend endless amounts of time going through other options
– Make a list (we had a good old spreadsheet) to break down the to dos and when you need them done by – the planning will seem overwhelming at first, but ticking things off little by little over time helps a lot
– Book your honeymoon in early – this will give you something for just the 2 of you to look forward to when wedding planning gets busy and daunting. Remind yourself that at the end of the day, the day is about you, your partner and sharing your love for each other with people who care about you the most

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