Our bride Alice wanted an elegant, dramatic gown that would work wonderfully next to her husband Matthew's military dress uniform, and our Jesus Peiro pearl embellished anniversary dress was the perfect choice! The full ballgown skirt below the perfectly fitted bodice and full length sleeves added drama and romance, whilst the pearl sleeve detail added a touch of regal, timeless elegance.
Scroll on for more images and to read all about Alice and Matthew's beautiful elegant wedding today, which took place in the picturesque village of Chobham, and features a rich, wintery colour palette and plenty of sweet personal touches.
Bespoke Jesus Peiro pearl sleeve wedding dress
My dress made me feel like a royal superstar! I wanted something that would hold its own against Matthew's military uniform so, although I never thought I wanted a 'big' dress, it did end up being quite large! I just felt fabulous in it.
It was a bit of a hybrid by the time we had finished but the Miss Bush team did an incredible job of putting it all together. I loved the low V back, which was something I never thought I would want in a wedding dress because I thought it would cause issues with underwear and be uncomfortable, but none of those things were an issue and I felt amazing in it. The sleeves had the pearls on them, which were on the Miss Bush anniversary dress that I loved but found the fabric too heavy on me. When Emma said we could put them on another dress I knew it was what I wanted to do. Oh, and it had pockets - essential.
Dress Shopping
I had my mum and my sister with me when I was dress shopping. My mum said she knew by my face when I had found 'the one' - even though I didn't know it myself at the time! My sister is my go-to person for all things fashion and so I knew I needed her opinion. It's really important to have people with you who know you and what your hang-ups and assets are.
The beautiful chapel is the perfect place to shop for a wedding dress. Emma and her team have made it stylish but not intimidating, and it was warm! I loved those enormous mirrors so that you could really see all angles of the dress, plus there is plenty of space to move about in the dresses, which is so important when you know you will be wearing it all day.
My dress was a combination of different dresses and this was a bit stressful for me because I had to envisage the final look without really seeing it. The Miss Bush team were so calm and confident, I knew that they were going to create something beautiful - and they did! They are a great team.
Styling
I did't have much skin on show in my dress so I kept the accessories to a minimum (the pearl sleeves were basically an accessory anyway!). I didn't wear a necklace. I had some big pearl earrings that had belonged to my Nana, which looked great with the pearls on the sleeves of the dress. I had a simple gold bracelet on that my mum had given me for my birthday and then I had two large hair grips/clips that also had pearls in. I wanted the dress to be the main event and I'm not someone who wears a lot of accessories usually, so the hair pieces were the ideal way to finish it all off with a bit of sparkle.
My shoes were from Marks and Spencer's and I spotted them months in advance, thinking I might choose another pair nearer the time. They were great because they had feathery ankle straps which added a bit of fun to the outfit but they were mostly hidden under the dress.
An elegant military wedding in Surrey
We wanted a relaxed, local wedding and so we decided to hire the local village hall for our reception, which was just of the high street where church is. Matthew grew up in Chobham and I lived nearby so we have both always known the high street and the church. We felt very at home there and it is so lovely to think back on our day every time we visit. The village hall is beautiful doesn't usually host weddings and it didn't have any catering facilities for the number of people we had invited, so we hired a marquee and this was connected to the hall. Matt built a bar to put in the hall and the catering company we hired kindly staffed it for us throughout the day. The bar was a real focal point and it made for a great atmosphere. My sister is a graphic designer so we were very lucky to have her expertise with all the stationery and signage. This really helped it feel like our own space, rather than something generic. We printed our own beer mats and we had huge signs that hung either side of the big entrance doors. We filled the place with photographs, flowers and festoon lights and it really made the hall come alive.
I've always been a bit of a Friends fanatic and so we named each of our tables with "The One Where..." but made them relevant to us. We also put photo albums on each of the tables and in each album were photos of the people on those tables. I knew I wanted shades of pink and red for the flowers and we were so lucky to have a family friend create the centre pieces and help decorate the hall.
We were so unlucky that it poured (and I mean poured) with rain from the moment we came out the church pretty much all through the evening. But we didn't let it get us down and, if anything, it made the day more memorable. The biggest sadness was that my dress ended up so filthy!
The best bits
I just loved all of it - the ceremony, confetti, photos, friends, family, food, dancing. It really is the best day ever.
Alice's Advice
About the dress...
If you aren't someone who makes instant decisions don't be afraid to go away and think about it. Although my mum said she knew straight away, it took me a few days for me to really know in my own mind what I wanted to do.
About the day...
Accept that things will go wrong, but that those things are what makes the day unique. A few things happened on our day that we could never have changed (it rained - a lot. And Matthew's brother and best man missed the wedding because our baby niece decided to make an appearance on the wedding day!) but we still had the best day and we've got a good few stories to tell too. A perfect wedding is a boring wedding!
Suppliers
Videographer: Jessica Tottman Films
Photographer: Ami Robertson
Caterers: Brick's Restaurant
Bouquets and buttonholes: Chobham Flowers
Reception venue: Chobham Village Hall
Church: Chobham Church
Print: Hello Headline
Hair and make-up: friends and family
Design: Louise Pepe, contact louise_pepe@live.co.uk