Joanna in bespoke Suzanne Neville for a relaxed and intimate riverside wedding

Jo and Ian's wedding took place outdoors in the grounds at Houghton Lodge, in Stockbridge, Hampshire. Surrounded by beautiful gardens by the side of the river, the wedding was relaxed, intimate and inspired by nature.

Jo wore a bespoke wedding dress creation by Suzanne Neville, combining the sleek, elegant skirt that she loved from Serrano, with the fitted v-neck bodice from Swan. It was the perfect look for her wedding to Ian, reflecting the laid back, intimate nature of the day.

Read on to see the full gallery of images, and read all about Jo's dress shopping and wedding planning experience.

Bespoke Suzanne Neville wedding dress

My dress was a bespoke Suzanne Neville with Swan on top and Serrano at the bottom. I would have loved to have worn Seranno on top and bottom but this option gave me a little more structure and coverage. I loved how simple and clean it was, and that Suzanne is an English designer. We tried to keep our wedding as sustainable as possible so sourcing the dress locally was important to me. I would have bought a dress second hand but I'm nearly 6ft tall. I'm hoping to sell mine on so that it is worn and loved again.

I had my Mum, Sister and one of my bridesmaids with me when I found the dress. We'd been to 13 dress shops in general so I think everyone was relieved I'd found one I loved.

Dress Shopping

The Chapel is such a beautiful setting with such a strong female team - it had very good vibes! But my favourite part had to be the fittings which I actually went to by myself. It was so lovely chatting away and being pinned in.

Delaying my wedding by a year due to the pandemic was a fairly hefty problem, but the team at Miss Bush were so professional and kept me incredibly well informed. I didn't worry once that my dress might not be ready on time - everything was very smooth.

Styling

I kept my look very simple on the day and let the dress speak for itself. Other than my rings, I didn't wear any jewellery. I also didn't have a veil - the satin buttons and low V back were so beautiful I didn't want to cover them up. For my shoes, I wore white plimsolls that I added while satin laces to. Our ceremony was in a walled garden and our reception was in tipis down by the River Test so comfy flats were perfect, plus white plimsolls feel natural to me as I wear them all summer.

A relaxed and intimate riverside wedding

Our day was relatively small and relaxed. Ian grew up on a farm in Africa and proposed while fishing in the Kafue National Park so it felt only natural that the day be under canvas and beside a river.

It was all in one place which I loved but we moved from zone to zone. We had our ceremony, canapes and bottomless Pimms and Processo in the walled garden before wandering down to the river for a relaxed three-course lunch in three giant nordic tipis down by the river. I'd love a sharing platter for starters, followed by roasted meat (perhaps lamb) and warm sharing salads and sides (Ottolenghi style) on each table. In the evening we thought about large pans of paella as an option.

In the evening the fire pits were lit and the festoon lights really came into their own. We had a gin bar in a converted horsebox serving espresso martinis and gin-based cocktails which went down a treat. We had a live band and sharing boards of pizzas being passed around to keep everyone dancing late into the evening.

The best bits

I really surprised myself on this one. I assumed the meal and dancing would be my favourite part, but I adored the ceremony and the speeches. They were the very best bit for me! The ceremony took place in the walled garden at Houghton Lodge and my fiancee and I stood under one of the apple arches with our bridesmaids and groomsman on either side of us and our guests sat in a horseshoe around us. It felt so intimate and I could see every smiling face. It was the first legal wedding Houghton Lodge had hosted outside so that felt really special too.

Ian blew me away with his speech which I've kept and hope to frame. He's not the gushy type, but it meant so much hearing him speak with so much love about me and all the other strong females in his life in front of all our friends and family. I gave a speech too which I would really recommend. I was nervous, but I couldn't let the men do all the talking!

I really did love every moment of the day though which I wasn't expecting to. I usually always prefer other peoples parties more than hosting my own!

Joanna's Advice

We held a dinner on the night before for any guests making a weekend of it. We had a sharing feast on one long table under stretch tents at the Greyhound pub in Stockbridge with music, firepits and fairy lights. It really helped calm our nerves and got everyone in the party mood - I loved it almost as much as the wedding itself!

Everyone has opinions on how a wedding should be and who you should or shouldn't invite. But it's really tricky to please everyone. I found the inevitable politics or requests for plus ones I didn't know harder than anything when planning ours. Stick to what feels natural to you both as a couple and everyone will love it on the day. For me, this meant a guest list of only 80 immediate family and our closest friends, with the same guests for the whole day. My dress wasn't the one my Mum voted for (her favourite was Suzanne Neville Sapphire) and we weren't traditional in many ways. Ian and I shared the same hotel room the night before. The more relaxed and happy you are as a couple at a wedding that is right for you both, the happier your guests will be.