Sophie & Ian
Blossom trees fill a twinkling barn for this beautiful Bath wedding
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jessica Raphael,
jessicaraphaelphotography.com
When a second date means flying all the way to Singapore for dinner and drinks, there’s more pressure than ever for it to be perfect. But distance didn’t deter Sophie and Ian and once back home in London after an exciting time living in Asia, the couple got engaged. “My rose gold ring has a diamond in the centre and smaller diamonds on the band – it’s gorgeous!”
After a busy day working in the city, Sophie popped into Stephanie Allin’s boutique and discovered her dream dress.
“It’s a couture dress, so it was more than I had planned to spend, but I fell in love and the quality and the experience of buying the dress made it well worth the investment. I even had a few fittings with Stephanie Allin herself!” The classic A-line gown featured a drop waist, sweetheart neckline and a scalloped lace edge to the skirt.
“I borrowed my friend’s porcelain rose crown, which I wore with a Stephanie Allin veil during the ceremony and reception.”
“When the evening party began, I changed up my look, removing the veil and crown and adding a Stephanie Allin jewelled belt.”
This groom sought out inspiration for his Bath wedding day style from weddings of friends. “He liked the dinner suit our friend had worn when he was a groom, so he went for a similar look.
Ian purchased his dinner suit and bowtie from Suit Supply, so it was off the peg but the tailored fit complemented his body shape really well. I’d tried to imagine the moment when I first saw him at the church, but it was overwhelming and even more special than I had expected it to be.”
Six bridesmaids, including Sophie’s sister as maid of honour, and two pageboys joined the bride for the big day. “The girls wore dark green multi-way dresses from Coast. They were more complicated to tie than I anticipated, but they did a beautiful job creating similar but different looks. They had faux fur shawls to keep warm with and a rose gold necklace and bracelet each.”
The bride met her hair and makeup team at the weddings of her sister and bridesmaid. “Louisa Fleming did our makeup and Jessy Graham styled our hair.”
“I also had eyelash extensions, HD brows and a spray tan beforehand. They all made a difference to how good I felt on the day.”
Sophie and Ian exchanged vows in a religious ceremony at St Mary’s Charlcombe in Bath. “My friend read an extract from ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ and Ian’s godmother read from Song of Solomon, chapters two and eight. My father walked me down the aisle as Wagner’s ‘Bridal Chorus’ played, we exited to ‘Wedding March’ by Mendelssohn and chose ‘Make You Feel My Love’ by Adele, played on the organ, for when we signed the marriage register.”
“Spending time together, just Ian and I, in the car on the way to our Bath wedding reception was really special.”
After the ceremony, the couple and their guests headed to Wick Farm, Bath, to celebrate, starting with the wedding breakfast. “We had ham hock terrine with homemade piccalilli to start, roast lamb and dauphinoise potatoes for the main course and a chocolate and raspberry roulade for dessert. After the meal we had fireworks, which were amazing! We had sparklers at this point too and we put out a big box of blankets to make sure nobody got cold.”
The groom’s graphic design background meant he was full of ideas for their woodland wedding theme. “Ian used a turquoise, rustic pattern to design our woodland stationery suite. We used animal portraits to label tables with. My mum also pitched in, creating loads of wedding signs from MDF and upcycled wooden pallets to place around the venue.” Lighting Fantastic supplied the twinkly fairy lights in the main room and bar.
“Flowers and blossom were our focus for the décor for our Bath wedding.”
“We asked the fantastic Jill Jeffries to bring them to life. She created the feeling of a romantic woodland wedding perfectly, using tall, blossom tree-style centrepieces. For the bouquets, she used a selection of roses teamed with more textural flowers and foliage to enhance the slightly wild vibe. My bridesmaids carried gypsophila posies, dreamily tied with trailing peach ribbons.”
A three-tier, gluten-free cake made up of lemon and vanilla layers, sandwiched with buttercream and jam, delighted the couple and their guests alike. “It looked stunning with blossom, miniature meringues and naked-style icing and it tasted truly delicious too! Our friend Rosie, a qualified chef, created our lovely wedding cake for us.”
The party continued into the night with a DJ and band providing the soundtrack. “We chose Florence and the Machine’s ‘You’ve Got The Love’ for our first dance because we didn’t want anything too cheesy and we both love the song.”
After their country Bath wedding, the newlyweds opted to venture somewhere more exotic for their honeymoon. “We booked a dual-centre honeymoon, with ten days in South Africa and five nights in Mauritius, through Trailfinders.”
SUPPLIERS
CEREMONY St Mary’s Charlcombe, Bath
RECEPTION VENUE Wick Farm, Bath
DRESS Stephanie Allin
BRIDESMAID DRESSES Coast
GROOM Suit Supply
ACCESSORIES Stephanie Allin
HAIR Jessy Graham
MAKEUP Louisa Fleming
FLOWERS Jill Jeffries
DÉCOR Lighting Fantastic
FIREWORKS Sky Rascal
VIDEOGRAPHER Andrew Moore Photography
HONEYMOON Trailfinders
