Unique Wedding Choice Reflects Married Life
Ashleigh Stanley chose to marry her childhood sweetheart, Jake Stanley, 29, dressed in a dressing gown, slippers, and hair rollers to give him a glimpse of what married life would be like. The ceremony took place at Llanerch Vineyard in Hensol, Vale of Glamorgan, without any make-up, emphasizing a relaxed and authentic approach.
The couple initially planned a wedding with 150 guests, intending to walk down the aisle to "Calon Lân," a hymn cherished by Ashleigh's grandmother. However, since the song is religious, it was not permitted during their civil ceremony.
As a result, Ashleigh and Jake, who have been together for 13 years, decided to have a small, intimate legal ceremony first, followed by a larger celebrant service where the hymn could be included.
To ease the pressure of the first ceremony, Ashleigh opted for a casual look, wearing a white robe and slippers, while Jake wore a black Under Armour top and shorts paired with white trainers.
Ashleigh, from Merthyr Tydfil, mentioned that both their mothers and her daughter wore pink bridal pyjamas, while their fathers and brothers dressed casually. The venue staff remarked that it was their first dressing gown wedding.
"I quite liked the idea of getting married in my rollers and dressing gown.
"I said 'I'll be in my pyjamas most of my married life and this is how he sees me most of the time, so this is how I'm going to marry him'.
"I gave him a reality check of what married life would be like."
Wedding Date and Ceremony Details
The wedding took place on what would have been Ashleigh's grandmother's 100th birthday. Ashleigh explained the significance of the hymn "Calon Lân," which her grandmother knew by heart.
"If we started to sing Calon Lân, she knew every word.
"It's a very personal song and I wanted to make sure I was walking down the aisle to this.
"We thought, 'Why don't we get married at 10 o'clock in the morning?' And then we had the celebrant service after."
Second Ceremony and Guest Reactions
For the second ceremony, Ashleigh had her make-up done, styled her hair in curls, and wore a traditional white off-the-shoulder gown. This celebrant service allowed the couple to include the hymn and celebrate with their guests.
"Our guests said how they preferred our service to any other wedding service as it was done within 10 minutes and everyone had more time to party and get on with the day,"she said.
