When Steph and Pete's wedding submission dropped into our inbox a few weeks ago, there was a collective squeal of joy from Team Bush as we all swooned over this stunning day!
Our bride, Steph, looked absolutely radiant in not one, but two fabulous bridal outfits. For the ceremony; an elegant bespoke Suzanne Neville wedding dress with wide off the shoulder neckline and romantic skirt, accessorized with a romantic, full length veil and floral headband. For the reception, Steph changed into a contemporary two-piece from Jesus Peiro, pairing a boxy feather-shouldered top with comfortable wide leg palazzo pants; perfect for celebrating into the night!
The wedding was photographed by long-time friend of Miss Bush, the brilliantly talented Joanna Brown Photography, who has produced the most incredible gallery of images. Steph has written about the day so beautifully and shared so many details; read on to find out more and view all of Joanna's wonderful images...
A bespoke Suzanne Neville wedding dress and Jesus Peiro trousers
I was quite nervous while searching for 'the' dress. I am quite curvy and I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to find a style with the support and infrastructure needed to contain my fairly ample chest! After trying on a number of dresses, I found my way to Emma and the wonderful team at Miss Bush. I knew almost immediately that this was the bridal store for me, when Emma explained that I most definitely needed corsetry, a dress that enabled me to wear a proper bra and designer Suzanne Neville would likely be the way to go...and of course Emma was right.
I landed on a bespoke Suzanne Neville dress, which was a mix between two dresses that I tried on in the chapel. The dress had a bardot style top and a full skirt with a beautiful train. The dress would be very simple, clean and most importantly, supportive! I was lucky enough to meet Suzanne Neville at a designer day, and Suzanne kindly sketched my dress and talked me through the design process. I cried a lot. Planning a wedding during a pandemic was definitely a challenge, and this moment with Suzanne was a magical moment that gave me a boost when we were just about to head into another lockdown. I will always be thankful for this.
Suzanne and her team created the most beautiful dress. It was everything I could have imagined and more. I had a small lock of my late mother's hair sewn into the bodice of the dress so she could be with me on the day. The dress made me feel beautiful, so so happy and I knew that my now husband would also approve. This was something that was important to me. I had to love it, but I also wanted Pete to love it.
During a visit to the chapel, Emma sent a curve ball my way. I was set on the dress, but holy moly the Jesus Peiro trousers and feathery top was too much for me to say no to. I put the combo on and immediately decided I needed two outfits for the wedding. I had definitely not planned to have a costume change, but the feathers were a total game changer. When I mentioned to Pete about the second outfit, he decided he needed one too. We loved the change of pace for the evening!
The wedding dress was perfect for our church wedding and looked stunning against the backdrop of Preston Court. The evening outfit dazzled on the carousel and enabled me to dance the night away with ease.
I wore shoes from 'Rainbow' - stacked platforms with a towering heel - which was helpful given I am particularly short. They were so comfy and light and worked with both the dress and the trouser / top combo. I love that I can wear these again - they are a great shoe.
Vivi Embellish made the most beautiful headband with tiny flowers. The headband went perfectly with the dress and veil - it has a beautiful feminine feel to it.
I visited the Chapel with my best friend and maid of honour - Hannah. When I tried on the dress that I would eventually wear, Hannah cried...and I knew this was it.
Dress Shopping
Miss Bush! What can I even say about this extraordinary team.
I always felt like the team had all the time in the world for me. From the visit, the follow-up and care in between visits, it was nothing short of superb. Every time the government changed its rules, the team would be on it with updates and reassurance. Fitting appointments were made well ahead of time and were always well planned. I always felt safe in the chapel and knew the team were trying their hardest to protect all their brides and their team to ensure they could deliver on all the orders. The dress element of planning the wedding was actually the easiest part. This is all down to the excellent service from Emma and the team.
Emma was very honest with me, she gave me sound advice and was usually right about everything dress related. I went on to recommend Miss Bush to my neighbour, newly engaged friends and my soon to be sister in law. There is nowhere better.
Styling
I kept the styling fairly simple. I wanted the flowers to really stand-out against the dress, and we had chosen florals that would compliment the romantic, feminine, English country garden vibe that we were going for.
I wore simple pearl drop earrings, platform heels from Rainbow Club and a bespoke headband from Vivi Embellish. I wore two perfume scents from Jo Malone - English pear and freesia and Elderflower cordial
My something blue, borrowed, old and new:
Something blue and old - this was a small gold pendant with blue stones that my grandmother wore on her wedding day. I attached this to my bouquet alongside two small photos of my late mother and grandmother.
Something borrowed - lock of my mums hair, which was sewn into my wedding dress
Something new - the dress 🙂
A beautiful Autumn wedding at Preston Court
Pete and I got married on Saturday 25th September 2021 at Preston Court just outside Canterbury, Kent. We said our marriage vows at 14:00pm in St Mildred's Church which sits at the bottom of the driveway to the stunning Preston Court house and gardens. Amazingly we had mother nature on our side - the sun burnt through the early morning clouds, and at 2pm when we arrived at the church, the sun was out in full force, and it flooded our day with the most beautiful warmth and light.
St Mildred's is a tiny Saxon church nestled in beautiful surroundings. We both wanted a church wedding, and I knew that my late mother, Carole would also have wanted this for us. I often look through my parents wedding photos, so this was definitely a source of inspiration for the day. We both love flowers, and we wanted to bring the outside into the church. Our florist created beautiful, feminine arrangements with blousy blooms and roses in a sugary colour palette - we had lots of pinks, whites, greens, yellows, purples and blues that created a romantic backdrop to our day. Our florist - Poppy, created the most beautiful bouquets for the bridesmaids and my bouquet. The flowers were tied with hand dyed ribbons in a pretty ballet pink colour, which also matched the button holes that our groomsmen wore. The younger girls each had a floral crown, which tied with cascading ribbons to match the bouquets. Attached to my bouquet was my something old and something blue. I had photo charms of my mum - Carole, and grandmother - Beryl attached with a pearl, alongside a gold pendant with blue stones that my grandmother Beryl had worn on her wedding day.
As our bridal party gathered outside, our band played 'Moon River' in the church. As I held my dad's arm the music filled the air and it felt like something magical was about to happen. Walking into the church and seeing Pete will also be a moment that I will never forget. My heart was overwhelmed and I felt a huge sense of emotion wash over me. I didn't feel nervous, I just felt grateful and thankful that we were now able to get married and we would be doing it in front of those we loved.
We had two special readings during our ceremony, one from my godmother - Jill and another from our dear friend and master of ceremonies - David Constable. It was gorgeous having personal readings that punctuated the traditional church service and we will always cherish the time and effort put into creating them.
Inside the church we created beautiful photo frames showing pictures of our families weddings through the years. Our grand-parents and great-grandparents featured and it was so special to see weddings through the ages. We each had a special frame with a picture of our respective parents on their wedding day, which sat front and centre. Before the vows were said, our Reverend made a point of asking my Dad to light a special candle in remembrance of those that couldn't be with us in person on the day. One of my bridesmaids had gifted us a candle with my mum's favourite scent, which burnt through the whole service, creating a wonderful smell and the feeling that actually my mum was there in person.
After our service, Pete and I walked out of the church hand in hand. Our band played 'Only You' by the Flying Pickets and the church bells started to ring.
Our beautiful flower girls who were dressed in pretty white dresses with blush pink floral crowns helped to hand out petals to our guests while Pete and I chatted with our wonderful Reverend around the corner of the church. We took ourselves off for a private moment to just take in the day so far. This gave our guests time to create a 'confetti' line. The confetti moment had been a key point in my mind, and we loved seeing all our guests smiling back at us whilst the confetti created a blanket over us - it couldn't have been more perfect.
As Pete and I left the church in our tiny Morris minor vintage car, our guests were led from the church to the reception by our band - Wandering Soul. The reception was held outside the main house at Preston Court. A beautiful lake wraps around the grounds and a tiny bridge takes you across the lake to a tiny island where you can get great views of the venue. Our guests enjoyed canapés created by Olivia Wacher from 'Just One Cook' and sipped on aperol spritz, negronis, old fashions and bubbles all served from a vintage Fiat car! On the lawn we had a croquet set-up, alongside wooden Jenga sets so that guests could play and get to know each other. This was also a great way to get the younger guests involved.
Once myself and Pete had whizzed off for some photos, we drove up the driveway at Preston Court to where our guests were enjoying the reception. It was gorgeous to see our friends and family having a lovely time as we arrived back.
During the reception, we had time to chat with our friends and family, while our photographer managed to get family photos. I will always cherish the time that I had with my bridesmaids. Joanna took us off to another part of the lake where she photographed us together. I just remember laughing and joking and being so so thankful for the beautiful women that I had by my side. The bridesmaids were made up of my Sister - Olivia, Best friend and maid of honour - Hannah, a dear school friend - Laura and Michelle - a friend that I have become very close with over the past decade. The ladies wore silk gowns by Ghost, two in a dusky pink and two in green - they looked beyond perfect. I often look back at the photos of the girls and they are some of my favourites from the day.
As the afternoon light started to dim, it was time for the reception to begin. As we made our way across the lawn and through the hedge rows we were transported into another world. The carousel stood proud in between two beautiful barns and the canopy of lights were sparkling in the evening light. A gorgeous arrangement of flowers stood next to our seating plan, which had petals and flowers pressed into the design - it was beautiful. At this point I hadn't seen the tables or the decoration that I worked on during lockdown...I couldn't wait to see it all. come together.
As Pete and I were announced, we walked into a room filled with love and happiness. We both decided not to have a traditional top table, so we opted for a round table in the middle of the room amongst all of our guests. Crisp white table cloths, gold cutlery and whimsical floral centerpieces helped to decorate the room. Champagne coupes sparkled with bubbles and edible florals and tumbling pink velvet ribbons perched atop the place cards and menu cards that we had created at home in our living room. Next to my scalloped edge plate was an oval gold frame with my mum's photo in. She was there, in everything and I honestly felt like she was wrapping her arms around me throughout the day.
During lockdown I learnt how to do calligraphy to a reasonable standard - it was definitely more home-made than professional, but it meant that I could create all of the name cards, signage and invitation addressing myself. It was so lovely having parts of the wedding that were made by us. Each guest had a place card designed by the talented Isla Simpson and a bespoke menu card, designed by our friend Morgan Ritchie. This was all tied together with a velvet ribbon bow that sat on top of a crisp white napkin on a scalloped edge plate. The gold cutlery complimented the colours and matched the vases and votives that the flowers nestled in.
The menu, which was created by Olivia at Just One Cook, was designed to share and enjoy as a table. Large sharing boards, salads, beautiful salmon and meats meant that our guests didn't go hungry! It was the perfect way to get to know guests on your table, especially if you hadn't all met before. Sweet treats then followed, and later our 3 tiered wedding cake would be enjoyed by us all. Isobel Bakes created a masterpiece adorned with gold and pearl flowers, a selection of florals from Poppy, our florist and our friend Charlotte created the most beautiful 'Gatsby-esque' cake topper depicting myself and Pete standing on the moon and stars.
As the evening rolled around, Pete and I headed off to change into our second outfits. I wore palazzo trousers and a feathery top from Jesus Peiro and Pete wore a dark red smoking jacket from Kingsmen, a crisp white shirt and black trousers. We headed out into the night and straight on the carousel! Later, we had our first dance to 'Home Again' by Michael Kiwanuka. Pete played this song to me on one of our early dates, and it's become one of our favourites over the years we've been together.
As the evening progressed, we moved between the bar, the canopy of lights - where we had sparklers twinkling and the carousel. The carousel was a major highlight and big draw to the Preston Court. I have always loved the tradition of old fairground rides, and this carousel doesn't disappoint. Our DJ, Graeme from Wedding Jam was excellent and he played a great range of music that kept our guests dancing away until the end of the evening. We also had a pizza wagon parked outside the main barn - guests could help themselves to sourdough pizzas and continue dancing or get a last spin on the carousel before we turned into pumpkins at midnight. Interestingly we were told by so many people that the day would go in a flash. Both Pete and I felt that the day went at just the right pace and we had moments together, moments apart and moments in the middle of friends hugging, singing and dancing. I've never felt more loved and like I had so much love to give. It was by far the best day of our lives and one we have talked about everyday since it happened.
In terms of styling and inspiration for the day - Pete and I fell in love with the venue, which helped to shape our vision for the day. Preston Court has a very unique look and feel to it, so we wanted to keep our decor, colour palette and ideas in keeping with this. Feminine, chic, whimsical and romantic were some of the words we used to describe our style for the day. I wanted it to feel almost dream like. We opted for a videographer who shot our day on super 8 film, instead of the more traditional options. Likewise, when it came to selecting our photographer - Joanna Brown was absolutely perfect. Joanna has a very distinct style and one that lent itself perfectly the look and feel we were hoping to achieve for our special day. Scenes from Sophia Coppola films, murals by Ludwig Bemelmans, passages from The Great Gatsby and hours on Pinterest and Instagram all helped with inspiration for the day. Our florist captured this style perfectly, and each one of our suppliers understood our vision and ultimately helped to bring it to life. We are so thankful to each of our suppliers for the amazing work they did, both on the day and in the long lead up to the wedding.
The Best Bits
It's hard to pick just one favourite, but I think the time myself and Pete had in our wedding car after the ceremony was really great. I have a distinct memory of sitting in our beautiful car, with the top down, champagne in hand and I could see our guests smiling back at us and our band was playing L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole on the church lawn. The Sun was beaming down on us and at that point we were married, and to top it off, we still had the most beautiful day ahead of us.
Seeing all our friends and family together, especially after the last 18 months, was an absolute blessing. It's so wonderful when the people you love get on so well with each other. Myself and Pete always wanted and planned to have a wedding in the fullest sense of a 'wedding', so the fact we were able to achieve this was definitely a major highlight. We appreciate how lucky we were.
Steph's Advice
Platforms such as Instagram are fab ways to explore ideas, get inspiration and find amazing suppliers. We found all of our suppliers through Instagram research and it couldn't have been a better way to see portfolios and previous work in an easy and accessible way. We feel so proud that the majority of the suppliers we worked with were women who had their own businesses! Support small business and you can expect a very bespoke and personal experience.
Create Pinterest boards, mood boards and pull things out of magazines that you like. It doesn't even have to be wedding related. It could be a colour you like, or a painting that makes you feel inspired, or another wedding you have seen featured in an article or blog. I found that once I started looking, I found ideas in everything. Such a fun way to plan a wedding.
We didn't have any idea of what things would cost, or whether we were being over charged or if we were getting a good deal. Talk to friends, get a number of quotes to understand averages and put together a budget early on. Don't be afraid to ask for the world, and then scale back. We said to our florist in the early stages of planning - this is our dream scenario, give us a quote and we will work back from there. Safe to say, we landed on a happy medium every time.
Agree what kind of wedding you both want before you start planning. You might both want something small and intimate, or something bigger with lots of elements...either way, it's good to get on the same page early.
When thinking about the dress - go to a few appointments, get a feel for what you like, or don't like as much. Understand what makes you feel special and know that you do not need to diet into the dress that's right for you! Above all, make sure you get your dress somewhere that has a good reputation, somewhere that isn't going to disappear once you've paid your deposit! Basically, go to Miss Bush 🙂
Lastly - organisation is key. Suppliers get booked up well ahead of time, especially since so many weddings have been delayed due to covid. Organisation and communication is key, not only during the planning stages, but on the day. You want to be able to hand everything over and just enjoy yourselves - this is especially key if you don't have a planner, which we didn't.
Suppliers
Photographer: Joanna Brown Photography
Videographer: Will Cummock
Venue: Preston Court
Caterer: Just One Cook
Cake maker: Isobel Bakes
Edible flowers: Maddocks Farm Organics
Hair and make-up: Bridal Beauty Bible (Jade and Willis)
Florist: Poppy Sturley
Band: Wandering Soul
DJ: Wedding Jam
Shoes: Rainbow Club
Hairband: Vivi Embellish
Signage: Handmade Sign Company
Bridesmaid dresses: Ghost
Wedding car: Mollys Classic Wedding Cars
Grooms suit: Suit Supply
Groom shoes: Crockett and Jones
Groom second out: Kingsmen at Mr Porter
Groomsmen: Moss Bros
Flower girls: La Coqueta Kids and mango