Our first wedding of 2020 features something a little different to our classic Miss Bush minimalism, with a dress we fell completely in love with a few years ago by Sottero & Midgley, aptly named 'Decadence'. Featuring a full ballgown skirt with layers of chiffon, gold lace applique lace detailing, nipped in waist and elegant sweetheart neckline the dress could have stepped out of a 1950's Dior editorial or an Audrey Hepburn movie - we love it so much, and so did our bride, Holly.

Holly wore the dramatic showstopper for her romantic winter wedding to her husband, Ben, which took place in the epic surroundings of Wiston House in Steyning, West Sussex. Read on to find out all about her journey to choosing the Decadence dress, and the inspiration behind their romantic wedding day, with photos by Alan Barnes.

Maggie Sottero Decadence wedding dress

I had such a journey choosing my dress. I had no idea what I wanted, so the first shop I went to I tried on every single dress! I thought I would want something with long sleeves and a high neck, elegant and a little bit fashion, but as I was trying that style on they didn't feel special at all. By chance I tried on the classic Jesus Peiro 6000 at another store, and I loved it so much I decided to look into the designer and see if I could find somewhere that stocked more of his dresses. After an internet search Miss Bush came up and I made an appointment. THE dress was hanging up on display on one of the rails and I spotted it straightaway, but it was so different to the dresses I had come to see I ignored it. As the appointment went on, I kept glancing over at it and I knew I couldn't leave without trying it on. Although the dress was undeniably beautiful, at that time my vision for the wedding was classic and sophisticated. I didn't want there to be anything whimsical about the overall styling, so it didn't really go with anything I had planned. I left the shop with a resolve to stick with the original Jesus Peiro 6000, but, in the most cliche way possible, I had a dream about the dress! It was a sign! I had to try it on again. When I went back and put it on I just knew I couldn't wear anything else. The colour was a champagne, although it's impossible to describe, and the lace which looked gold in some lights and pewter in others was divine. I am a practical thinker rather than an emotional one, and I was still struggling to see how this new look would fit in with the wedding, but with Emma's help I had soon changed the colour of the bridesmaids dresses, the flowers and even the venue! Everything revolved around the dress, because when I had it on I felt like a modern day supermodel princess. The fullness of the skirt and especially the long train were particularly special. There isn't a single dress I've seen that is anything like it. Walking down the aisle and showing the dress to everyone for the first time was exhilarating and I have have never felt so proud of myself. Wearing the dress was the epitome of my love for clothes.

Dress Shopping

I only took my Mum on my dress journey, as I know she is the only person in the world who would be totally honest, without agenda and only ever thinking of me. I dragged her around shops throughout Surrey, Sussex and London and we had the best time dress shopping. I thought my mum would be really emotional, but she was considered in her reaction to every dress I tried on, pointing out good bits and making suggestions. The only time we really disagreed was when I wanted to style a loose tulle bow-like headpiece out of part of the veil, in a sort of Carrie Bradshaw homage, and she hated the idea. At every fitting, the bow became smaller and smaller, until eventually I settled on a highly positioned veil with layers instead - as usual, my Mum was right and that definitely looked better than my original idea!

Wedding dress shopping for me was the ultimate shopping spree, spread out over a number of months. I tried on every dress I could, in as many shops as I could. I tried on dresses priced at £1000 and one dress priced at £15000! I tried on every design and every fabric you can think of. It was wonderful feeling so free with fashion and design. But when I came to Miss Bush it was exactly how I had imaged the wedding dress shopping experience would be. The chapel is super cool, and felt more special than any of the other shops. Shopping there felt like a taste of high fashion, where once in a lifetime dresses are made just for you. It was so personal, and no idea was too big or too much trouble. Although in the end I didn't do much to the dress, there were endless possibilities that made the whole process very exciting.

Styling

Originally I wanted my overall look on the day to be a little bit fashion. I wanted something wow, that also looked super stylish. When I chose the dress, because of the traditional princess style, I wanted to do something to make it a bit more grown up and less predictable. The champagne colour helped this, as did the metallic lace. I was sure I wanted a veil, and with the spectacular long train of the dress I decided to have a veil the same length, with a shorter second layer for extra drama. To tie the veil in with the dress, to create an overall look rather than two separate pieces, I ordered extra lace and had this sewn on to the top layer of the veil. I loved how this made the dress my own. I had toyed with adding sleeves, or even a shawl made out of tulle to wear during the ceremony, but I decided this detracted from the dress. Also, as it was strapless, I liked how the style showed some skin. This helped with creating that more adult look. I had intended to create a headpiece out of the top layer of my veil, so it was raised on top of my head, but after playing around with this it looked as though I was trying too hard. I wore my veil high on my head and this created the same effect without looking too edgy. I wore the Jimmy Choo cinderella shoes in gold. I love them so much and have already worn them twice since the wedding day! They are covered in thousands of gold, silver and pewter crystals and they really are very spectacular. I kept my jewellery minimal, save for a pair of aquamarine earrings my Dad bought me as a wedding present, to match my engagement ring.  I wore deep red lipstick and had long deep red nails to add some drama to the look.

A romantic wedding day

After choosing the dress, everything I had planned for the styling of the day had to change. I had planned for simple, stylish and sophisticated, but my vision changed to classical romance with a hint of drama. We moved the venue to Wiston House which fitted better with this theme. I had a really hard time deciding on the colour of my bridesmaids' dresses. They were being handmade by my Aunt and I had seven bridesmaids! I wanted them to feel comfortable and so I opted for a stiffer fabric that could be fitted perfectly, rather than something soft. Emma came up with the idea of a pewter or dark grey colour, which I loved, but I couldn't find the right fabric and the groom's party couldn't find suits that went with that colour theme that they liked. They decided to wear navy, but I thought navy dresses would all look too plain. Emma's advice had been to choose a deep colour so that I stood out against it, so I started to look at dark greens, or even black. I had wanted to avoid red as I thought this was too cliche for a winter wedding, however, after a long search I found a beautiful red wine colour that I could just see working really well, and that would definitely create the drama I wanted. The red was easy for the boys to match with burgundy ties, and also fitted with the berries I had already decided on in the flowers. I also had peach roses, sprayed gold thistle and eucalyptus.

Because of the beauty of the venue it didn't need much decoration, so I had tall candelabras with flowers at each entrance and doorway, and two big plinths with nearly ceiling height arrangements, topped with sprayed gold willow. We had a banquet style table arrangement, with more candelabras going down each of the four 'arms'. The medieval-style banquet hall where the wedding breakfast was held really lent itself to this design. Overall, it was exactly the dramatic romantic setting and styling I had imagined once I tried on the dress.

The best bits

My favourite part of the day was sitting down to the wedding breakfast. We came into the room and everyone stood up and cheered, which made me feel so loved. After we sat down, everyone else took their seats and it was wonderful seeing all our family and friends in one place, ready to eat and drink together in celebration. It was a truly special moment. My second favourite moment was getting to the top of the aisle. My bridesmaids walked behind me, and we had a soprano singing 'Eternal Source of Light Divine' by Handel. Standing at the altar with Ben and my Dad either side of me, my best friends right behind me and my little flower girls and page boy with us too, we listened to the song and it gave me a moment to reflect on reaching that moment. It was very peaceful and I'm glad I had those few minutes to gather my thoughts. Because of this the service didn't feel rushed at all and I got to really take in every second.

Holly's Advice

Fill as much of the wedding planning as you can with special times and events with your family and friends! I had two engagement parties, a trip to London with my bridesmaids to buy my wedding shoes, two hen dos, numerous wedding dress shopping trips, and planning breakfasts, lunches and dinners with Ben and my parents as often as possible! It is the most wonderful time and try to make the most of it. It is a stressful process, thinking of everything and trying to keep everyone happy - it is inevitably a day that will mean a lot to parents and family, not only the bride and groom. I felt a lot of pressure for it to be perfect, and you will constantly try to balance the fact that you're only intending to get married once, but it is only one day in  your whole life. Ride the rollercoaster and enjoy it! And don't be afraid to make the whole day about the dress!

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