We're delighted to share Juliet and Ben's gorgeous wedding with you today, which took place at Douai Abbey in Upper Woolhampton, followed by a reception at the Post, Donnington.
Juliet's bridal outfit is the perfect example of how you can take a simple, classic wedding dress, and really make it your own with unique accessories and styling. With a custom Suzanne Neville wedding dress, combining elements of Darya and Delight, Juliet added an incredible bespoke tiara with two veils for a statement look and a bold, colourful bouquet. We've all been lusting after Juliet's chic Loeffler Randall shoes!
Read on to find out more about this beautiful day, in Juliet's own words...
A bespoke Suzanne Neville wedding dress
I wore a bespoke Suzanne Neville dress based on the Delight dress but made with the Darya fabric and with added sleeves. It was a joy to wear - the lining was so soft against my skin and the crepe moved beautifully. The Suzanne Neville corsetry is also so comfortable and makes the dress feel so secure.
I did all my dress shopping and appointments with my mum which worked really well. I didn't have an exact moment of finding 'the one', as Emma and Jo both helped me design the dress piece by piece over several appointments. It was a bit of a work in progress! At my final fitting when all the alterations were complete and the idea had become a reality it felt so great.
Dress Shopping
I will always remember my first appointment with Emma - after visiting 7 other bridal boutiques I still didn't feel like I had found a dress I loved. I vividly remember feeling a huge sense of relief that I would be in safe hands after my first Miss Bush appointment. The service was next-level and so much more personal. After that every fitting with Jo was just great - she is a miracle worker, and very calming influence and the loveliest person!
The 'meet the designer' day was also really fun - it was lovely meeting Suzanne and getting her input on the design, and mum and I also really enjoyed the cocktails, canapes and makeovers with Carole Anne and Sharon!
The dress shopping experience was thankfully fairly smooth for me. The only sticking point was the design of the sleeves added to my dress. I had decided on the sleeve shape at my toile appointment, but when the dress had been made and I tried it for the first time it just didn't look right, so we had to make some last minute adjustments. Jo was fantastic and managed to squeeze me into her very busy schedule for another appointment a couple of days after I contacted her, and had already made the alterations by then based on what I had explained over the phone and by email. She totally understood what needed to be changed and the alterations were perfect.
Styling
I always wanted to go quite simple and classic on the dress and then quite bold on the accessories, especially the veil. I've always loved the look of a blusher veil when a bride walks down the aisle so I knew I would want a double layer veil. I also love the very traditional, lacy mantilla veils so decided on a double layer veil with beautiful flower embroidery around the edge. I actually ended up wearing two veils, one of top of the other, as I wanted the embroidery on the main veil to come all the way up to my face, but couldn't have this as well as the blusher, so I had to wear a shorter veil over the top to come over my face when I walked down the aisle!
My dad passed away several years ago and my mum had sneakily arranged for a photo of him to be printed on fabric, which she gave to Emma at my first appointment and asked if it would be possible to sew into the inside of the dress so that he could be with me on my wedding day. I only found out about this when the picture was revealed to me at my final fitting - Jo had sewn it into the side of the dress at my waist. It was such a lovely surprise and gesture.
I wanted some sort of hair piece so that there was something to accessorise my hair after I took off the veil. My tiara was from a Spanish jewellery company based in Seville which I discovered through social media. They make bespoke jewellery and hair pieces and design everything collaboratively with the customer, so I had a few Skype calls with them to design the tiara from start to finish. This was really fun and I was so thrilled with the end result.
My shoes were the Natalia pearl platforms from Loeffler Randall. At 5 ft 2 I knew I wanted a higher heel, but went for a block heel with a platform so that I could stay in the shoes as long as possible! They were super comfortable.
I then completed my look with diamond drop earrings, my mum's sapphire engagement ring (something borrowed and blue) and my great-grandmother's engagement ring (something old) which my aunt had given to me as a wedding present. I added colour with dark pink nails and a bright fuchsia lipstick.
A bold, joyful wedding in Berkshire
I wanted the style to be bright, bold and romantic. Our flowers were shades of pinks and reds, with lots of different shapes and textures. The arrangements and bouquets looked better than I could have even imagined on the day - I couldn't believe it when I saw them. Sarah at the Garden Room did an absolutely fantastic job.
Ben and the groomsmen all wore traditional morning suit with maroon ties. I had seven wonderful bridesmaids who all wore different ivory dresses with lots of different textures. It was important to me that they were able to choose something they were comfortable in, that reflected their own personal style and which they would wear again. I hadn't seen all the dresses together until the wedding day, so wasn't sure how it would all look, but I think they all looked amazing together!
Our marriage service was at Douai Abbey, where my mum and I have sung in the choir since I was about 13, so it is a very special place for my family. The abbey choir sung at the wedding, and the choir director's son played the trumpet - it was so lovely to see the familiar faces smiling down at me as I walked down the aisle, and to sit and enjoy the singing for a change! The service was always going to be the most important part of the day for me so I spent a long time choosing the readings and music.
Afterwards, the reception was at The Post, which is a beautiful new wedding venue near Newbury. It is very bright and has lovely views over the golf course, and feels modern but traditional at the same time. Katie is wonderful and was so helpful and accommodating throughout the whole planning process.
The best bits
Surprisingly I also absolutely loved going in the wedding car, which was something I never thought I would find so enjoyable! We hired a grey 1962 Jaguar MK2 which Mum and I travelled in to the church which was just so exciting - it was absolutely gorgeous inside! Ben and I then travelled in it from the church to the reception, and it was so lovely to have this time alone (and a glass of champagne!) to catch up and discuss our mornings and previous evenings. Going in a wedding car is just so fun as everyone waves at you and shouts congratulations.
Other than that I feel like I was smiling non stop from 6am when my alarm went off to 3am when we finally made it to bed! Definite highlights include seeing my bridesmaids in their dresses for the first time, seeing the bouquets for the first time, joining Ben at the top of the church aisle, our first dance, and also being driven in a golf buggy from the venue over to the hotel at the end of the night (there were quite a lot of us crammed on and it was hilarious!)
Juliet's Advice
Have an initial appointment with Emma! Her styling advice was invaluable. She wanted to know all about our wedding day plans and the venues involved to help recommend a suitable, and practical, dress style that would work on the day. I feel like not enough bridal shops consider these details.
On wedding planning in general, do as much as you can as early as you can. We tried to do this and it made SUCH a difference to have things ticked off the list as soon as possible. It meant most jobs were done a few weeks before the wedding so we could focus on getting excited and celebrating with our families and friends.
Suppliers
Photographer: Mary-Anne James
Videographer: Lukas & Laura
Venue: The Post
Flowers: The Garden Room
Car: Henley Classic Car Hire
Cake: Katie B Cakesmith
Makeup and Hair: Anabela Dallot-Seguro
Tiara: Marucca
Shoes: Loeffler Randall
Bridesmaid Dresses: Warehouse, Coast, Ghost, Oasis, Phase Eight, Solace London