Fleur & Alex's wedding day was the perfect fairytale romance, taking place at the picturesque Hever Castle & Gardens in Kent, near Edenbridge. The wedding took place on 8th September 2022, with a beautiful outdoor ceremony followed by stunning portraits in the grounds and a fabulous reception to follow.
Fleur chose to wear Suzanne Neville's simple, elegant Hailey wedding gown, which she fell for thanks to its chic square neckline and floaty, romantic skirt. For the evening, Fleur then changed into the sleek Aurelia dress with strapless folded neckline - perfect for dancing the night away with her new husband.
Read on to find out more about the day, and Fleur's dress shopping experience.
A Suzanne Neville wedding dress
I was drawn to Miss Bush by the beautiful simplicity of designs from the likes of Suzanne Neville and Jesus Peiro. At my first Miss Bush appointment I tried on a few dresses by both designers but Suzanne Neville Hailey was the clear standout for me I loved the juxtaposition of the sharp square neckline with the romantic and floaty organza skirt. It was the one dress that no matter how many others I tried on (and there were quite a few!), nothing could compare to how special, comfortable and confident I felt in Hailey!
I was then also very lucky to have a second Suzanne Neville dress to change into for the evening reception, having managed to snap up Aurelia at a Miss Bush sample sale!
Dress Shopping
My mum lives in Scotland so rather than wait for an opportunity for her to be able to come down, Miss Bush handily arranged for her to dial into my appointment via Zoom. It meant a lot that she could still be there virtually, and to hear her opinion on different dresses. Once I was settled on Hailey, she flew down for the 'final decision' appointment and knowing she loved it as much as I did definitely made the decision that much easier.
I'm honestly so sad I won't get another opportunity to go back to Miss Bush and try on dresses again (though of course having a husband is a pretty good trade off...). The Chapel is such a special place - by far the nicest bridal shop I visited - and made more so by the truly lovely people who are there to guide you through the experience. I did have a few moments of indecision - kudos have to go to Rosie as she couldn't have been more patient with me and Jo was so sweet and understanding during alterations.
Styling
I don't wear too much jewellery day to day so wanted to stick to a fairly simple look. I knew from the start I wanted statement earrings, so had a different pair for each dress, and chose a single tier veil from Miss Bush which I had lengthened to ensure it fell well beyond the hem of my dress. My bee hair pins were my 'something borrowed' from one of my oldest friends who had worn them for her own wedding a few months earlier.
Because our ceremony and drinks reception were outdoors I was wary of buying shoes that I'd be worried about ruining so I bought some simple ivory satin block heels from ASOS (a decision I'm so grateful for as we had very wet and muddy ground and they were brown after a couple of hours!).
About the Day
We knew we wanted a relaxed and happy feel to the day, so we had no theme or strict colour scheme. To fit this, our flowers were a whole mix of colours, arranged to have a more rustic and wildflower feel.
Knowing we had an outdoor ceremony and drinks reception planned I was hoping the weather would be on our side... Cut to me watching the rain lashing down for the whole morning and early afternoon getting ready and it's fair to say things weren't exactly going the way I'd hoped! This meant some last minute changes to plans and a few photo opportunities missed but I have never felt so lucky as when the rain stopped and clouds started to clear just in time for my walk down the "aisle". Unfortunately all the rain had caused the ground to be very wet for our photos, so my first dress and shoes got rather mucky but I was just in such a happy bubble that I ended up embracing it (also helped that I knew I had a second dress up my sleeve!).
The best bits
My absolute favourite memory was standing in the ceremony, feeling the sun shine on us (finally!), opposite my husband-to-be and looking out across the lake at Hever which was complemented by a rainbow and geese flying by. It felt very surreal and special.
Fleur's Advice
My advice for dress shopping is to go by how you feel over anything else. Any moments of indecision or worry, just go back and think about the feeling you had. And in the early stages be open to trying on things you don't think you'll like (even just once!) - I was adamant I wasn't interested in strapless but ended up falling in love with Aurelia by Suzanne Neville having tried it on on a whim!
For wedding planning - I know everyone says it, but things will not go to plan. The beauty of it is that on the day itself you'll just be so happy that you won't mind!
Suppliers
Venue: Hever Castle
Photographer: Teri V Photography
Hair & make up: Holly Ann Bridal
Photobooth: Absolute Booth
Evening food: Siena Pizza via Feast It
Florist: The Flowersmiths
Entertainment: The Wurlitzers
Alterations for second dress: Bride & Alter