A sunny real wedding in Essex with Jacqui and Rob

We’re loving this gorgeous summer wedding filled with glorious pastels and beautiful big day blooms. If you love flowers, you’ll find fabulous inspiration here…

How they met

“Rob and I met while working at Arcadia Head Office in central London,” remembers Jacqui. “Looking back now it seemed like it was ‘meant to be’; we were both living in Chelmsford at the time, and would wait at the same part of the platform for the train every day. We both kept noticing each other at work and thought there was something familiar, but couldn’t quite put our fingers on it! His boss and a girl on my team were seeing each other at the time and finally introduced us. There were a few drunken work nights out, and the rest is history!” she adds.

The proposal

Rob had quite the challenge finding the perfect moment to pop the question – but he got there in the end!

“We booked a last-minute holiday to Corfu, which I thought was just a chance for some sun and sea, but Rob had bought the ring a few weeks before and had it all planned out! He tried to do it on the first night we were there but we ended up having a bit of an argument!

By the second night he was getting a bit nervous so suggested we get the shots in to give himself a bit of Dutch courage, unfortunately I took him a bit too seriously and got too drunk.

However, the third night worked out perfectly, we had dinner then went for drinks at a cocktail bar on the beach. When we finished our drinks, we went for a walk along the moonlit beach. Rob turned to me and told me how much he loved me and wanted everyone to know it and pulled out a ring!” she smiles.

The bride’s outfit

Jacqui looked a vintage vision in her bespoke wedding gown. “The shop was called The Wedding Dress Shop and their in-house dress maker, Mariola, made my dress from scratch. I ended up going for poly satin because I wanted a matte look, and the silks were coming up very shiny. I paid £1,700 including all the workmanship and fittings. I went for a sweetheart neckline, a fitted waist and a full skirt with a long train.

We added a lace bolero, which went into a V at the back, to match the lower part of the dress. I wanted to have some flesh on show, but wanted to avoid showing any cleavage, so I went for the back option. I got so many comments about it on the day.” Don’t forget that everyone stares at your back for the whole ceremony, so why not show it off?

The groom’s outfit

Rob and his best man wore Jeff Banks suits, shirts from Hawes and Curtis, shoes from Loake and ties from Reiss. A close friend made their pale-pink pocket squares

The bridesmaids

Jacqui was accompanied down the aisle by her three best friends; Kate, Kirsty and Kathryn.

“The overall theme for the wedding was vintage English country garden. I originally wanted white bridesmaid dresses and actually bought some but returned them when I saw the blush coloured chiffon tea dresses on ASOS. The colours were perfect to match the natural flower colours,” explains Jacqui

The ceremony

Was a classic civil service including two readings, from Captain Correlli’s Mandolin and Frida The Movie. Music was provided by Dave Arch who played his acoustic guitar throughout the proceedings, to songs chosen by the couple.

The flowers

“We got our flowers from Poppies Designs. Marion did a fabulous job with the brief I gave her – I wanted the flowers to look quite wild in very summery colours, like they’d just been gathered from a meadow. Along with the peonies and Avalanche roses, we used Aster daisies with a lot of greenery,” recalls Jacqui.

The reception

The couple’s main decorations were the flowers in birdcages and jam jars, along with vintage fabric, which Jacqui used as a runner for the top table and cake table. “We used jam jars on every available space, both inside and out, because I wanted the flowers to be a real feature of the day,” explains Jacqui.

The favours

“I got the idea from Kirstie’s Homemade Home – I used air drying clay to make bird-shaped name tags, with everyone’s names stamped on them. I then painted them and threaded them with pretty coloured ribbons,” explains Jacqui. “For the top table, I made them slightly different by using a heart-shaped cookie cutter,” she adds.

 

The honeymoon

Was a luxurious two and a half week trip exploring the sights of Bali and Singapore.

Jacqui and Rob’s real wedding gallery