Lucy and Hywel had a gorgeous French wedding theme for their Welsh real wedding, featuring an incredible photoshoot at a railway station.
WHO: Lucy and Hywel
WHERE: St Cyndeyrn Church and Lamphey Court Hotel, Pembrokeshire
WHEN: April 2012
PHOTOS: Owen Howells
The proposal
“It was very special, romantic and unexpected,” remembers Lucy. “It involved being in one of his fields (he’s a horse trainer), a sunset and lots of Champagne.
The answer was a definite ‘yes!’”
The bride’s French wedding theme outfit
“My sister owns a bridal shop – which I also work in,” says Lucy.
“My first dress was by London-based designer Ritva Westenius called ‘Darcey’ after Darcey Bussell. It’s a tulle ballerina-style dress, with silk spaghetti straps. I also made an elaborate strap to add for the wedding breakfast so I could take off my cathedral-length veil as it was rather heavy!
My second dress was by Canadian designers Paloma Blanca and was a fishtail lace gown with an organza skirt and jacket,” adds Lucy
“I bought my shoes long before I had picked a dress!”
The accessories
All Lucy’s glamorous jewellery was made by Glitzy Secrets, chosen because of their beautiful vintage-inspired designs. “I bought my shoes before I had the dress,” laughs Lucy. “They were called ‘Penelope’ by Harriet Wilde – handmade, leather-lined silk with a gorgeous feather and pearl detail. They were so comfy, too,” she adds
The groom’s French wedding theme outfit
Hywel and his best man wore an Edwardian morning suit, with tails and a top hat for the photographs
The bridesmaids
“I had three bridesmaids and then asked my sister and sister-in-law to be matrons of honour,” explains Lucy.
“I picked the colour and fabric and gave the girls free rein to pick individual dresses for themselves. I had my eye on a few and hoped they’d like them – luckily for me four of them did!”
The gowns were Belsoie by Jasmine Bridal and Impression Bridal all in chiffon
The ceremony
“We had a bilingual ceremony in both Welsh and English,” remembers Lucy. “I did my vows in English and Hywel said his in Welsh. My friend Natasha sang ‘O Mio Bambino Caro’ and my sister-in-law read a verse for us. We also had a local choir singing when the guests were arriving and during the signing of the register. My favourite memory was seeing my husband-to-be stood at the altar waiting for me.”
The flowers
Blodwen of Carmarthenshire did all the couple’s heavenly flowers. “I had a very strong vision of what I wanted – a subtle French theme – elegant, romantic and very calming. With lots of fragrance from the flowers, too,” she adds
The reception
“Our evening reception party took place at Lamphey Court Hotel in Pembrokeshire,” recalls Lucy.
“We also hired a marquee from George at Bluesky Marquees, which we decorated with fairy lights to cover the ceilings, a white dancefloor and even white sofas for guests to chill out on. It looked sensational! We had canapés, Champagne and bottled beer for the guys, with a pianist playing old-fashioned jazz to help set the scene of our French wedding theme,” adds Lucy
“A family friend made us the booziest fruit cake ever!”
The French wedding theme details
“To create our Parisian French wedding theme we used classic French candelabras, which I hired from RSVP Wedding Coordinators with lots of candles and flowers all in white, with a touch of pale blue where I could find it. I also had ‘ooh la la’ handmade straws, and I gave them to all the girls who came on the hen do. Pale blue ribbon was used to cover each serviette, and we had tiny vintage ‘Thank You’ tags on twine to tie around each bag of Fererro Rocher to give away as favours. I was aiming to create a romantic, elegant atmosphere.
All my glass vases and crystals for the reception were from the The White Company, and arranged by RSVP,” says Lucy
The cake
“A family friend made us the booziest cake ever!” laughs Lucy. “It was a staggering five-tiers high, covered in handmade sugar roses, cascading all the way down the sides. For our favours, we had attempted to make macaroons but they didn’t quite work – so we ended up buying Ferrero Rocher!”
The honeymoon
The couple are going on their very own tour de France, taking in Paris, Provence, St Tropez, Cannes and Monaco.
