Jo in Jesus Peiro 162 for a relaxed, fun filled February wedding at Millbridge Court

We're delighted to feature Jo & Pete's wedding today, not just because the photographs are stunning and it looked liked the most glorious day, but to be able to share a 2020 wedding with you is a very rare treat! Our couple were married on the leap year making Jo one of the last of our brides to get married before lockdown, plus she is also our first bride to wear the beautiful petal shouldered Jesus Peiro 162 wedding dress.

The wedding took place at All Saint's Church, Odiham, with a super romantic and emotional start to the ceremony; the groom is a talented cellist and played the music as his bride entered the church, accompanied by his father on the piano. The ceremony was followed by a reception at the wonderful Millbridge Court in Frensham, with catering by Kalm Kitchen and beautifully arranged flowers and styling by Gill Pike Florist.

During the speeches, Jo also made her own speech, with an adaptation of the poem 'Be a Lady They Said' - we would love to read this!

Find out more about this gorgeous day below, with images by Sweet Pea and Ivy and words by Jo.

Jesus Peiro 162 wedding dress

I loved the feel and heaviness of the fabric of the dress as soon as I put it on. It smoothed over all of my lumps and bumps and most amazingly it didn’t crease at all on our wedding day – even after hours of serious dancing!

I had tried on lots of dresses made of lace and other more traditional fabrics which made me feel old and frumpy. The fabric of this dress was so modern and simple that I felt young and much more like myself.

I initially wasn’t sure about the petals on the shoulders and even considered having them removed. But I came to see that they brought the whole outfit together and worked perfectly with my veil and hair pins.

I started the wedding dress shopping process by going to a number of dress shops on my own. I am in my 30's and don’t normally go shopping with anyone else so I didn’t see why shopping for my wedding dress should be different! I’m very glad I did this as it gave me the time and space to try on lots of dresses and work out what I liked and what I thought suited me without the confusion of other peoples’ opinions.

Miss Bush was one of the last shops I visited. My sister had visited Miss Bush the year before for her wedding and although she didn’t buy one of their dresses, she enjoyed the experience so much that she highly recommended it to me.

Having already done my research in other shops, I asked my Mum to come with me to the first appointment at Miss Bush. The moment we walked in we knew this was a special place – the friendliness of the staff, the impressive converted church surroundings and the gorgeous dresses all told us that we were in the right place!

While I was speaking to Corinne about the styles I preferred, Emma came in and almost immediately recommended that I try on 162. Initially I was sceptical because of the petals on the shoulder but when I tried it on, my Mum and I saw why she recommended it and that it ticked all the boxes. I don’t know how Emma did it within 2 minutes of meeting me but I’m very grateful she did!

It was one of many times that I was reminded to ALWAYS TRUST THE PROFESSIONALS. This is probably the main advice I would give to any bride – remember that the professionals working in the wedding industry do this all the time and know a lot more than you - so trust their advice.

After the first appointment we were fairly certain that was the right dress but I wanted my bridesmaids to see it and be a part of the process. So for the second appointment my Mum and three bridesmaids joined us. We had champagne and tried on lots of dresses and it was really fun! I would say though that having lots of people in the room can be quite overwhelming as everyone has their own opinion – and none of my bridesmaids held back! I was very glad that I was already about 90% certain which dress I wanted before going to that appointment. I can’t imagine how difficult it would have been to have that many people at my first few appointments when I was still working out what I liked.

One thing I would say is that lots of brides say that they knew that their dress was ‘the one’ as soon as they put it on. I have to admit I didn’t really feel like that. I knew that I liked how I felt in the dress and I liked it more than anything else I had tried on but it’s difficult when you’re trying on sample dresses to get the full picture of how you’ll look on the day. It wasn’t really until I was stood on the morning of the wedding in a dress that fit me perfectly and with my hair and make-up done that I finally knew I had made the right decision.

I don’t think anyone should put the pressure on themselves to expect to know when they’ve found ‘the perfect outfit’ because that doesn’t happen to everyone. But that doesn’t mean you won’t love how you look on your wedding day.

Dress Shopping

This is going to sound a bit cheesy but I loved getting to know the staff at Miss Bush! Corinne was such a calming influence during the early stages of picking the dress and then Jo became an amazing confidante during my fittings. I explained all of my insecurities to them both which they took on board and managed to accommodate into the dress so I didn’t think about any of my insecurities on the day. I came away from each appointment feeling more confident and calm knowing that no matter what else happened my dress was in safe hands.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll need to have a number of fittings to make sure the dress fits perfectly so it’s really important that you like the team of people that you’ll have to see in the weeks leading up to your wedding. You’ll also be standing in front of them in your underwear a fair bit, discussing your cleavage more than you would expect. So it’s important you like and trust them!

As our wedding was at the end of February I needed something warm to wear over my dress. The beautiful long crepe coat (Jesus Peiro 156) caught my eye as a real statement piece. It was absolutely beautiful and felt amazing to wear (I highly recommend trying it on!) and it would have been such an original addition to my outfit but unfortunately I just couldn’t fit it into our budget. The most incredible thing about Miss Bush was that at no point did I feel pressured into buying the coat and they accepted my decision happily. This is very different from experiences I had at other dress shops with pushy sales people.

Another issue that Jo in particular helped me with was sorting out the right neckline for my dress. The sample dress I tried on had a very low neckline which with my large boobs was a bit inappropriate – especially in church! However, all of the dresses I had tried on with a higher neckline made me look and feel very matronly and frumpy. So Jo worked with me during the fittings to try and put the neckline in the perfect place and she absolutely nailed! I felt so confident on the day knowing that my dress was still demure while making my figure look slim and just a little bit sexy.

Styling

Bra (BRAVISSIMO) - This is going to sound odd but honestly the best accessory I bought was my bra! The neckline of the dress was a concern for me and I wanted to make sure that I had the right brassiere support. Jo and Corinne recommended I go for a fitting at Bravissimo and explain to them what I needed. I’ll admit I was sceptical but it was the perfect shop for this kind of bra. They knew exactly what I needed and the bra I bought was absolutely perfectly – it gave me great support and shape while being completely hidden under my dress. Jo also did a great job including lots of clever hooks and straps to keep it in place. Once again I learnt the key lesson – ALWAYS TRUST THE PROFESSIONALS.

Underwear (M&S) – Something I didn’t realise until I started shopping for a wedding dress is how important a good pair of pants can be! I didn’t want anything that would make me feel constricted or hot and sweaty. However, if you have a pair of smoothing pants (preferably down to the thighs) then the dress sits a lot more smoothly on your body. I bought a fairly basic pair of nude shorts that were super comfortable and were perfect under my dress.

Hair piece (EDEN B STUDIO) – My hair stylist, Emma, pointed out that some larger hair pieces would weigh down my hair and I was keen to have lots of volume. So we decided on the gorgeous Freya hairpins in gold which had lovely little white porcelain flowers that gave my hair a bit of extra detail without weighing it down. The hair pins also matched the flowers on my shoulder and veil perfectly. 

Shoes (SOPHIA WEBSTER) – I have lower back issues and I wanted to be comfortable for the whole wedding day so I decided to wear flat shoes. My sisters took the same approach and ended up wearing bright pink and sparkly converse under their long dresses! I was very lucky and found a gorgeous pair of silver butterfly Sophia Webster shoes on EBay for an absolute bargain! They also counted as my ‘something old’. Wedding win!
 
Earrings (DOVER&HALL) – As the dress was so simple and classic I wanted my earrings to be the same. I asked my Mum if I could borrow her pearl earrings but it turns out she lost them years ago! So sneakily she bought a new pair of pearl drop earrings from Dover&Hall (John Lewis website) for herself which she then let me borrow on the day!

Rings (BLACKACRE) – My fiancé proposed with the ring which ended up being my wedding band. Then we designed my engagement ring with Sam from Blackacre which I absolutely love and is incredible quality. It is also an ethical diamond which is identical to a diamond mined from the ground but without the human rights abuses.

Fur jacket (ETSY) – After sadly having to turn down the stunning Jesus Peiro long coat it was difficult to find something else that lived up to it! I couldn’t decide what I wanted but in the end I decided to embrace the winter wedding vibes and buy a fur jacket. This then triggered my entire bridal party to buy their own fur stoles/jackets so we looked very glamorous on the day! I ordered the Marabou Feather Bridal Wedding Jacket in blush from the US shop ForeverCoutureBridal on Etsy. I was concerned about the expense and having it imported from the US but it was absolutely worth it and I can’t wait to wear it again to my next formal event (once lock-down ends of course!)

A relaxed, fun filled February wedding at Millbridge Court

To be honest when I first started planning the wedding I didn’t really know what I wanted and neither did my husband, Pete. We started off wanting to have a wedding abroad with a small group of friends but ended up having a big wedding in my parent’s village in Hampshire!

Pete and I discussed it and we realised that what we wanted above all else was to have a really fun day with as many of our loved ones around us as possible. So while we wanted the day to look lovely we didn’t want that to detract from the fun of the day. We have also been to a lot of weddings and know what it is like to be a guest so we focused on making sure the guests had a fun day as well. So we made sure there was plenty of food and drink available throughout the day – including coffee! My brother also did a quiz for all the guests before dinner while we were having our photos taken and it worked surprisingly well!

Pete’s favourite colour is red but as the wedding was in February we had to tread carefully to make sure it didn’t look like Valentine’s Day or Christmas! So the overall scheme was to keep everything classic with lots of greenery, brassy tones and just a few pops of colour in red hues. I am not a fan of everything matching as (in my opinion!) it can look a bit old fashioned and I was keen to use lots of texture like pampas grass.

The best advice I was given was to create a one pager of various examples of weddings that I liked to give suppliers an idea of my vision – this was greatly appreciated by the suppliers and made planning a lot simpler.

Gill did an amazing job picking flowers that were in season and looked beautiful and she found the most beautiful items to decorate the reception room. The reception room at Millbridge Court has gorgeous light and we wanted to make the most of that. We were also lucky to be one of the first weddings at Millbridge to use the new ledges along the walls which is where we added more lanterns for the evening to provide a lovely atmosphere.

For hair and make up I wanted to make sure that the bridesmaids, the flower girls and I all still looked like us but slightly dressed up!  Laura definitely achieved this with the make-up - I had so many compliments on how I looked and I never once had to worry about my make up falling off my face like I normally do. I absolutely loved my hair and the way Emma did the hair for all of the bridesmaids and flower girls - elegant but not too formal. It was perfect and they were a dream team.

As I spend my life drafting documents I wanted to make sure the stationery was beautiful as well and Moira from the PearlVinePrint shop on Etsy did a great job. Moira originally designed the envelopes for our invites which had our initials printed above the addresses. I loved them so much that I asked her to also design our table plan, table numbers and menus. She did such a wonderful job - I was so pleased with how it all turned out!

The best bits

The build up in the morning was really fun with everyone running around getting ready while we drank champagne and ate smoked salmon&eggs. The flower girls were so excited that every 10 minutes they would come running in asking if it was time to put on their tutus! I know Pete also really enjoyed his usher breakfast (followed by a trip to the pub!) as a chance to catch up with his friends before the chaos began.

My favourite part though was probably being walked down the aisle by my Dad while my future husband played The Swan by Saint-Saens on the cello, accompanied by his Dad on the piano. We had lots of discussions about whether or not it was sensible or practical for Pete to play the entrance music but it was something he really wanted to do and I’m so glad he did – it was uncharacteristically romantic and even our minister shed a tear!

The other part of the day that I was pleased with was my speech. I um’d and ah’d about whether to speak right up until the day before the wedding but in the end I decided that as I had organised most of the day I wanted everyone to hear my voice and I didn’t just want the men in my life to speak on my behalf. It gave me the opportunity to thank our parents and explain to our friends why I felt so lucky to be marrying Pete. I also stuck to my feminist roots and ended with an adaptation of the poem ‘Be a Lady They Said’ (most recently performed by Cynthia Nixon) which I adapted to ‘Be a Bride They Said’ to highlight some of the ridiculous expectations and experiences I encountered while planning our wedding. If anyone is wondering whether or not to speak at their wedding I would say absolutely! It may seem scary but it’s the most supportive audience you’ll ever speak to and you’ll feel amazing afterwards!

Jo's Advice

Take time to choose all of your suppliers and make sure you like them and want to spend time with them. Then once you’ve chosen them, TRUST THEM! Particularly the Miss Bush staff - they really know what they're talking about.

Make a speech. I know it’s not traditional for brides to speak and it can seem scary but it’s the most supportive audience you’ll ever speak to and you’ll feel amazing afterwards!

Suppliers

Photographer: Sweet Pea and Ivy
Venue: Millbridge Court
Catering: Kalm Kitchen
Cake: Bride's sister
Hair: Emma Kim (Part of Victoria Ralph Hair team)
Make up: Laura Barrow Make Up
Florist & Stylist: Gill Pike Florist
Wedding Band + Acoustic set: Vivid Band
Engagement ring: Black Acre
Stationery: Pearlvineprintshop on Etsy
Bridesmaid Dresses (each Bridesmaid picked their own) Silver dress – Ghost; Burgundy – Tiffany Rose (Willow Gown)
Flower girls’ silver tutus: Flowersandconfetti on Etsy
Necklaces for bridesmaids and flower girls: ClaireHillDesigns on Etsy
Fur jacket: ForeverCoutureBridal on Etsy (Marabou Feather Bridal Wedding Jacket in blush)
Dinosaurs onesies: John Lewis
Dinosaur tails (adult and kids!) DinosaurTailsUK on Etsy
Wedding website & app: Appy Couple