Jennifer & Tom
Let love sparkle! A laid-back approach guided this glittering floral wedding day
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Murray Clarke,
murrayclarke.co.uk
Picture the sparkling ocean waves, gently lapping the shoreline in Mauritius, as the sun starts to set. Twinkling candles line the jetty on the beach, and at the end sits a table for two. Musicians are playing. This is the moment that Jennifer realised it was not going to be an ordinary dinner. “Tom got down on one knee with a pink sapphire ring. I was so surprised, and when I found my voice again I said yes straight away! We had a magical evening dancing on the jetty.”
It was love at first sight for Jennifer’s dress.
“I visited Victoria’s Bridal Boutique and fell in love with my Maggie Sottero dress instantly.”
“It was the first I tried on, but I’m pretty decisive and a real magpie, so the beaded tulle overlay was perfect.” The oyster satin slip created a vintage look, while the fitted bodice and low, buttoned back complemented the bride’s petite figure.
A single-tier silk and tulle veil was made to a custom-length to match the bride’s train by the boutique.
“I chose Rachel Simpson shoes for my something blue – they were honestly the comfiest shoes I’ve ever worn!”
“I kept the shoes on all night and even wore them to breakfast the next day!” Jenny Packham earrings complemented the beading on the dress beautifully.
The groom also opted for a bespoke design, choosing a made-to-measure suit from Stephen Bishop Suiting. Tom accessorised the French navy, three-piece suit with a scalloped waistcoat and gold tie, also customising the lining of his jacket to feature a gold and navy Paisley print.
“I knew from the start that I didn’t want to ask my bridesmaids to wear the same dress.”
“I don’t like everything to match – you wouldn’t want to turn up to a party wearing the same outfits, so why would it be different for weddings? We followed a neutral colour palette and I was so pleased with how the girls all looked together.
I hired Melissa Oldridge to take care of our makeup on the day. She was brilliant and it took a lot of the stress away to know we were in safe hands. My sister and I road-tested our makeup after the trial on a night out and it was great. On the day, all I touched up was my lipstick, and that was only once! I also asked my bridesmaids to pop to a MAC counter and choose a lipstick they liked so I could make sure the makeup artist had them ready, and I gifted the girls their colours of choice.”
After struggling to select a conventional reading for their ceremony, Jennifer and Tom chose a more creative option.
“We sat down together with a bottle of red wine and composed a humorous poem about how we met, our life together and our hopes for the future.”
“We took a line each and asked my cousin and a good friend to read it for us on the day, playing the parts of Tom and I. It had just the right vibe for us!
We weren’t having a religious ceremony, but we did still want it to feel like a service, so we had the congregation stand and sing with us after exchanging our vows.”
Fusion Catering prepared a goats cheese and onion tart to begin the wedding breakfast. A decadent main course of lamb shoulder followed, before a chocolate orange torte offered a suitably sweet finale.
“We avoided choosing a theme and it actually gave me more freedom.”
“I was determined not to be the bride who had a melt down if the ushers’ ties didn’t match the silver of the serviettes!”
“I’d fallen in love with flower arches on Pinterest but struggled to find any to hire, so I made my own for our floral wedding day. Armed with hundreds of silk flowers, I spent weeks attaching them to a metal garden arch. The overall effect was stunning, you couldn’t tell the flowers were artificial!”
The couple also installed a fairy light canopy over the dance floor and over-sized, illuminated letters to spell out ‘ME & YOU’, supplied by Farnham Sound and Light. “The Orangery, where we held our reception, is already a beautiful room with exposed brick and incredible natural light, so I didn’t want to detract from that by overdoing the décor. Sequin tablecloths and runners from Pudding Bridge added a touch of glitter, enhancing the metallic colours. The room looked beautiful.
“When it came to the flowers, I didn’t want anything too uniform – an immaculate ball of pink roses would have me running for the hills!”
“Being relaxed about the choices meant my bouquet was a lovely surprise on the wedding day.” Tall floral centrepieces punctuated the space in the room, adding height to the decorations and showing off the flowers at their fullest.
After the wedding of their dreams, an equally dreamy three-week roadtrip in the States beckoned for the newlyweds. “We booked with Trailfinders and flew into Las Vegas, where we picked up a Mustang and hit the road! We drove through Death Valley, Mammoth Mountain, Yosemite, San Francisco, Monterey and then down the Pacific Coast Highway.”
SUPPLIERS
VENUE Northbrook Park
DRESS Maggie Sottero at Victoria’s Bridal Boutique
GROOM Stephen Bishop Suiting
ACCESSORIES Rachel Simpson, Jenny Packham, Victoria’s Bridal Boutique
MAKEUP Melissa Oldridge Bridal
DÉCOR Pudding Bridge, Farnham Sound and Light
FLOWERS Blush Floral Design
CAKE Jo Turner Cakes
CATERING Fusion Catering
ENTERTAINMENT The Nightingales, Soul Beat from Articulate Music
HONEYMOON Trailfinders
