It is such a pleasure to share Zoe and James's wonderful Surrey wedding with you today. aking place in the village of Purbright, the day started with a traditional Church ceremony at St Michaels And All Angels Church. The church was adorned with stunning colourful flowers by Lex Hamilton, which matched Zoe's bold and joyful bright bouquet. The couple then went on to celebrate their wedding at the groom's family home, with a tipi garden party reception. The feel of the wedding was 'traditional with a twist' with Zoe and James adding pops of colour, quirky styling and personal details to their day, and an 'Aperol Spritz and Rosé' colour scheme as a nod to Zoe's favourite drinks.
Zoe wore her very own unique Jesus Peiro wedding dress, which was created by combining elements that she loved from three different styles. Starting with the split tulip skirt from Style 2316, we added the square neckline from 2214, finished with the floaty sheer sleeves from 2312. The finished result was Zoe's perfect dress, which she styled with fabulous mother of pearl pear drop earrings from Freya Rose and of-the-moment Loeffler Randall heels which looked incredible with the split skirt. To finish her look, Zoe added a beautiful personalised embroidered veil, which she plans to pass down to her daughter as a treasured family heirloom.
Read on to find out more about Zoe and James's wonderful day, in Zoe's own words.
Custom Jesus Peiro 2316 / 2312 / 2214 wedding dress
Shopping for my wedding dress was quite a daunting experience as I had recently had a baby. I was looking at a body I didn't recognise anymore and trying to visualise how I wanted to look. I went with a bespoke dress to try to fit in with my 'dream dress' and my new body that had birthed my beautiful daughter a few months prior. I loved the floaty sleeves which made the dress feel more 'fashion'. I also knew I wanted a large skirt, but not a ball gown so the 2316 worked perfectly. Plus I wanted to show off my Loeffler Randall gold heels! The tulip skirt with the slit was a perfect, fashionable twist on a traditional shaped dress. I felt super confident and comfortable which was a priority for me with a hint of sexiness!
I brought my Mum and my Nan with me to the appointments. I wanted to create family memories that we would all treasure together! They were emotional when they saw me in my dress, but most of all they were proud. I was proud. A woman, mother and soon to be wife!
Dress Shopping
My favourite part of my wedding dress shopping was that feeling of creating me. I loved being able to make a dress fit me, instead of me fit the dress. It felt magical to create something with Ben, AKA the artist. He made me feel so at ease, so confident and excited! I had had some interesting experiences in previous shops not finding something I was 100% comfortable in. As soon as I arrived at the chapel, I knew I was going to find the dress for me.
As mentioned, being a first time Mum was hard. Trying to navigate my new body was a challenge for me. I always imagined what I'd look like as a bride, so staring at myself 4 months postpartum in a white dress felt very different to how I had imagined. Ben was so patient. Really listened to my EVER CHANGING views. I think I tried every style, shape and size dress on in the shop. He was kind, caring and attentive. Turned what had previously been a difficult shopping experience into an enjoyable one. I cannot be more thankful.
Styling
I styled my dress with some Freya Rose drop earrings styled with some old school hollywood waves. I had a colour pop bouquet with hot pinks and orange. And one cannot forget the Loeffler Randall shoes in platinum.
My veil was beautiful. It was made by Anne - Marie Prescott. He company is called Bespoke Veils. I had forever and always embroidered on it as it’s what we say to each other before going to bed. But one of the main reasons I wanted it was because I wanted to create an heirloom for my daughter, Xanthe. So a timeless wording was what I wanted and our initials and date hidden amongst the flowers. I hope to pass it down to my daughter and so on with everyone adding their date and initials.
A 'traditional with a twist' Surrey wedding at home
We were very fortunate to be able to have our Wedding at James' family home. Our theme for our wedding was Aperol Spritz and Rose, my two favourite drinks! We wanted a traditional wedding with some twists. We opted for Tipi's as they are truly beautiful at night. We had hanging floral hoops from the Tipi's with pops of colour! And ofcourse a massive disco ball at the end! We hired the Drunken Jockey's Airstream for outside to add some quirkyness! Our talented friend created all the stationary which included some watercolours of the church, house and flowers to make it personalised and special. All of these elements were brought together with the incredible glitz and glamour of The Function Band who played throughout!
The best bits
My favourite part of the day was meeting James at the end of the Aisle. The excitement, relief, joy, love, all the emotions, everything. We were there. Together. Plus he looked so handsome!
Zoe's Advice
Be bold. Be brave and most importantly be you! It can be stressful and tiresome but when it all gets down to it, it's about love. It's about you and your partner. Nothing else matters.
Suppliers
The dress: Jesus Peiro at Miss Bush
Photographer: Richard Skins
Catering: Two Many Cooks
Tipi: My Tipi Event
Flowers: Lex Hamilton
Second Dress: Galvan
Band: The Function Band
Videographer: Noah Werth
Hair and Make up: Olivia Mills
Bridesmaid Dresses: Rewritten
Earrings: Freya Rose
Shoes: Loeffler Randall
Veil: Bespoke Veils
Bar: The Drunken Jockeys