Emma in Jesus Peiro 164 for a classic, autumnal Farnham Castle wedding

Emma & Edd's entire wedding took place at Farnham Castle, with the ceremony in the venue's ancient Norman Chapel, followed by a reception in the castle grounds and the Great Hall. The day was paired back and classic, with simple elegant styling and autumnal flower arrangements.

Emma wore a chic and elegant Jesus Peiro dress, style 164. Emma found the dress online, and as we didn't stock a sample of the dress we were able to borrow it direct from the designer. It was love at first sight; Emma adored the sleek but comfortable silhouette and long sleeves, which were complemented by the ruffle detail to the waist.

Read on to find out more about Emma and Edd's day, with photography by Harry Michael Photography

Jesus Peiro 164 wedding dress

I chose the Jesus Peiro 164 dress. I saw the dress online and knew it was the one! I always wanted sleeves and an open back; simple but elegant. The addition of the belt with the ruffled detail was perfect to add a little “something” to the dress. The weight of the fabric was everything - the dress moved with me and wasn’t clingy, which I had felt trying some other dresses. I was wearing the dress, rather than it wearing me!

My veil from the Couture Veil was a perfect match where the waterfall edging mirrored the belt.

I found the dress online, and Emma was fantastic arranging for the dress to be brought over from the designer in Spain for me to try on. I brought my sister, and my mum was hovering just outside the door so she could spy on us! As soon as I put THE dress on, they knew it was perfect. Their reaction to seeing how happy and comfortable I was made me happy to know it was the right choice.

Dress Shopping

Trying on wedding dresses was the most fun I’ve ever had in a changing room! I couldn’t get enough, but limited myself to only visiting three boutiques because I didn’t want to overwhelm myself. Miss Bush was the second place I visited and as soon as I walked into the chapel, I felt so welcome and comfortable. Getting undressed in front of a stranger is daunting, but I knew I was in capable hands with Corinne. It was also the hottest day of the year so I was glad to not be feeling flustered getting in and out of dresses!

I’d visited other dress boutiques where I’d been clamped or pinned into the dresses so tightly, I could barely move, let alone see what the dress would really look like! Corinne made sure she pinned the dress carefully so I could see how the dress would fit when made to my size, which was so helpful. I love that in the chapel, you have a mini catwalk space, rather than standing on a pedestal! There is no point during your wedding day that you would be doing that, so why not try your dress how you will actually be wearing it on the day? I loved moving in the dresses and getting a proper feel for them!

We got engaged during lockdown, so I started searching for dresses online before I could try any on. It gave me the chance to research designers and styles so I could really narrow down which dress boutiques I visited to make sure I found my dress before any more looming lockdowns came in.

Despite being a bride planning our wedding during the most bizarre and difficult of times, we were unbelievably lucky to not have to postpone or change many elements of our wedding. I found myself feeling guilty for having a smoother journey than other brides planning at the same time as we were.

The team at Miss Bush always took the time to respond to any queries or concerns I had and managed to get me in to try my dress as soon as it arrived, just before we went in to another lockdown. Having the opportunity to try my actual dress, made for me, in the right size, really put my mind at ease that I’d made the right decision. Without that, I would have been worrying as it would have been almost a year between first trying and then next putting my dress on for my technical fitting.

Styling

I added the waterfall veil, mentioned before, paired with a beautiful hair piece from Victoria Harper. I love that she is based in Farnham, just down the road from our venue!

I had always dreamed of wearing Christian Louboutins, but they always seemed like they would be a dream with the price tags (sob!). But I found the perfect pair on Vestaire and at a third of the price, and cheaper than many dedicated bridal shoes, I went for them! They are the most perfect platinum leather and are so comfortable, which I wasn’t expecting. I sent them to have red rubber soles added to make sure I didn’t slip down the aisle on the day!

Not so much a visible accessory as such… but one thing Jo recommended were the Calvin Klein seamless knickers, which were one of the best recommendations!! The crepe of my dress meant any line would be seen, but these couldn’t be seen at all and they were so comfortable all day. Thank you, Jo!

A classic, autumnal Farnham Castle wedding

We wanted our day to reflect us as a couple. We’re not overly frilly, fussy people, so wanted something paired back and classic. The venue really does speak for itself and doesn’t need” dressing” to make it look stunning, so we chose to just decorate with floral displays. We wanted our flowers to reflect the season so opted for beautiful blooms in peachy orange tones along with some darker reds and a lot of greenery. Our florist knocked it out of the park creating the most incredible centre pieces, mantel display and free-standing pillars by the main entrance to the castle. My bouquet and the bridesmaids bouquets were stunning too.
My hair and make up was done by Quelle of A Bridal Edit. As someone who doesn’t wear a lot of make up, I wanted to look done up, without looking like I had piled on loads of product and not like myself! Quelle achieved the perfect look for me and elevated my everyday look to be wedding ready. She kept me SO calm with a great playlist and good chat. Essential for a wedding morning.

Our ceremony was lead by my uncle, which was so special to have someone so close to us carry our service and marry us. We both felt so calm and at ease having him there, and once I was at the altar, I didn’t notice anyone else but Edd.

We were so lucky with the weather and had our drinks reception outside before heading in for our wedding breakfast. We did speeches before the meal, so everyone speaking could relax and enjoy their food and a drink or two!!

At golden hour, our photographer stole us away for some photos just the two of us up in the castle keep. It was so important for us to have some time away just the two of us and we have some amazing photos from this time.

The evening reception went so quickly! I didn’t leave the dancefloor all evening, apart from to change into a jumpsuit to unleash my dancing potential! I didn’t want to change from my dress, but it was a warm day and I didn’t want to overheat on the dancefloor or ruin my dress with glasses of red wine sloshing about!

We had our family and closest friends stay with us at the venue, so those staying all piled into the bar for a nightcap before we had to end the day. I cried going to bed because I didn’t want it to be over!Breakfast the next morning at the castle was such a great opportunity to speak to everyone about their favourite parts of the day, and also laugh at some very sorry heads!

The best bits

Walking into the chapel and seeing Edd standing there waiting for me. I’ve never felt anything quite like it! The most overwhelming feeling of love and joy, paired with nerves and excitement.
Another highlight was a walking down the Fox Steps after our ceremony for our confetti shot with everyone waiting with such excitement and happiness to pelt us with confetti - some people really didn’t hold back!
Neither of us felt a slow dance was for us, so we chose Music Sounds Better With You by Stardust. It always gets us dancing and worked perfectly for us. Everyone was so surprised and loved it!

Emma's Advice

Prioritise what is important for you and your fiancé. It is your day, and people will try to impart their thoughts on so many aspects, but make sure you keep it true to you. We chose not to share all elements of our day to protect our feelings on decisions we had taken time over making as we knew some may not agree.I also made a month by month checklist of what we needed to achieve in the nine months before the wedding. This was so useful in working out what we really had to do and also sorting what we needed to do as a couple or individually, and also what we could get others to do. It meant in the month before the wedding, we didn’t have much to do and could relax.
Make sure you sleep and rest! I worked myself up so much worrying about whether people would make it because of Covid, that I didn’t take care of myself and had the worst cold the week of the wedding, and on the day had to send my sister in law to get me cold and flu tablets (non-drowsy!!) to dose up on whilst I was getting ready.
And finally, the part I probably found the hardest.
Don’t choose a dress for the body you want, choose it for the body you have. I’ve always struggled with my appearance and feel so self-conscious of certain parts of my body. I thought I’d have a body-skimming dress and when I tried some on, I realised I’d never be comfortable with something that highlighted those areas that even though no one would probably notice, apart from myself. Why during a stressful period, add more stress by trying to change yourself? The person you are marrying loves you as you are, why change that. I had to tell myself that a lot! I’ve never felt more comfortable in anything than I did in my dress because it was made for me, for my body, and Corinne, Jo and the team at Miss Bush altered it perfectly. Trust them to make you feel the best version of yourself!