Rhiannon + Richard
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEAN ROBSON
Dean Robson Photography
Richard and I met through a dating site. Emails soon turned into texts, so by the time we met in person it felt like we knew each other already. I felt instantly comfortable and we had so much in common – his blue eyes and lovely smile didn’t hurt, either!
Richard proposed on the steps of the Trevi Fountain during our first holiday together in Rome. We were sitting there in the evening, taking in the atmosphere, when he got down on bended knee and proposed in front of hundreds of other tourists! I’d had a suspicion it might happen during the trip, but his pockets looked empty so I didn’t expect it that night. Knowing me so well, he’d hidden it in his back pocket instead so I’d still get a surprise!
My Mori Lee 2613 dress came from Bellissima Bridal.
“I first spotted Mori Lee in Wedding Ideas, which led me to browse their website and find my nearest stockist.”
It was an ivory fit and flare gown with a tulle skirt, lace appliqués and crystal beading on the neckline. I felt amazing! It fitted me so well and I could really see myself wearing it on our wedding day.
I also wore a crystal and pearl hair comb and a necklace, bracelet and earring set, all by Jon Hannah at Debenhams. My nude platform heels came from John Lewis and I swapped into jewelled sandals from Dune in the evening.
Richard, my father and the best men all wore mid-grey tailcoats with ivory striped waistcoats, Victorian collar shirts and mint green cravats. We hired it all from Debenhams and Richard gifted them cufflinks with their wedding roles engraved on them.
My two bridesmaids wore floor-length peach chiffon gowns with sweetheart necklines, ruching on the bodice and floral details on the waist.
“In keeping with our peach and mint wedding theme, they wore a selection of peach and mint bracelets with peach flowers in their hair, too.”
Amanda from Hairitage, Chelmsford, joined by stylist Bex, did our wedding hair – she’s who does my hair the rest of the year, too. Karen from Bride Beautiful did my makeup using Clinique and MAC. I kept a little touch up kit handy to top up before the evening party started, so I felt brand new and ready for part two!
Richard was in floods of tears when I stepped down the aisle. He mouthed ‘WOW’ at me as I walked towards him. It was such a lovely reaction and it made me feel very special. Our good friend Lucy read ‘On Your Wedding Day’ and Richard himself read ‘The One’ during our civil ceremony.
We decided to stagger the speeches between the courses of our wedding breakfast. This kept guests interested, stopped them from being too lengthy, and gave people a chance to feel ready to eat again. My dad spoke first, followed by the best man, and then both Richard and I also said a few words.
Our wedding theme was a shabby chic take on a cream, peach and mint colour scheme. We used tissue paper pompoms, birdcages wrapped in roses, hurricane vases and ivory lace bunting around the venue. I wouldn’t have even known the pompoms existed if it wasn’t for Wedding Ideas!
For the table centrepieces, we paired old books with painted mason jars, also adding more birdcages and flowers.
The finishing touch was porcelain owls – I’m a huge owl lover and they had to feature in our mint wedding somewhere! My bridesmaid made signs and we have now framed our guest book, which was a puzzle made up of signed pieces.
If you’re also planning a mint wedding, you’ll love these striped mint straws – they are prettiest finishing touch for your tables!
Gracie Day supplies our flowers for both the reception and the ceremony, where we attached a peach rose to each row of seats. The groomsmen wore cream rose buttonholes and Richard had a cream peony with looped grass and pearls. Peach and cream roses as well as white peonies filled my bouquet with pearls and mint lace wrapping the stems.
Our three-tier cake featured Victoria sponge, red velvet and malteser layers. The bottom tier had pretty peach ombre ruffles, with a cream tier with mint green lace detail in the middle and a mint green pearl tier at the top. We also had sugar peonies added to match my bouquet and Richard’s buttonhole.
“I also secretly ordered a second surprise cake for Richard as a gift – it was designed to look like the vintage VW Campervan we hired the year before for his birthday.”
Both cakes were made by the Pretty Gorgeous Cake Company.
After our wedding, we jetted off to Florence for our honeymoon. While there, we enjoyed city tours, a day trip to Venice and even a surprise horseback ride through the Cianti wine region, finishing with a Tuscan lunch and wine tasting!
V E N U E The Reid Rooms, Essex
D R E S S Mori Lee at Bellissima Bridal
B R I D E S M A I D D R E S S E S In Wedding Dress
G R O O M Debenhams
A C C E S S O R I E S Debenhams, John Lewis and Dune
F L O W E R S Gracie Day
C A K E Pretty Gorgeous Cake Company
P H O T O G R A P H E R Dean Robson Photography
