September 21, 2020 - Page 2 of 3 - Style And The Bride

Real Weddings

Boho Beach Wedding Ideas

September 21, 2020 No Comments

Boho Beach Wedding Ideas

I am a huge fan of French bridal designer Laure de Sagazan and this ‘Andersen’ gown is perfect for the boho bride. Her designs are available exclusively in the UK at The Mews in London’s Notting Hill and Clifton village in Bristol. The perfect dresses for bohemian brides who are looking for beach wedding ideas for their big day.

For me, Sienna Miller was the ultimate boho celebrity a few years ago when the trend was in its infancy.

The boho trend quickly filtered through into the world of bridal, and although it is not as fashionable today as it was years ago, there are many brides-to-be who naturally love the boho vibe and want to incorporate it into their wedding.

If you want to have a boho wedding, you can of course get married in the city, country or beach. However, in my opinion, boho brides are more suited to country and beach weddings.

The answer is simple. If you want to go for a slightly hippy look i.e. hair worn loose, or casually styled, and love the idea of running through fields or on the sand, naturally a city venue doesn’t lend itself to this.

You don’t have to get married in a tropical location to opt for a boho beach wedding style. On the contrary, I think a UK venue by the beach would work equally as well, if not better. I think yellows, whites, and creams are the perfect colors to choose and dresses that are loose in structure, rather than too fitted. If boho beach wedding ideas appeal to you, then you will definitely plenty of inspiration from the imagery I have selected.

I love the contrast between the grey and the yellow of this oh so cute ‘Rocket’ dress by love gorgeous.

Surely a daisy headband is a must for a flower girl at a beach boho wedding? I love this one by love gorgeous.

How gorgeous is this ‘Tropical’ wedding stationery by Hip Hip Hooray?

Vibrant yellow flowers look perfect for a beach boho style weddings, these are by the fabulous Philippa Craddock Flowers.

This pretty ‘Lace Papel Picado’ by Pea Green Boat is perfect for a beach boho wedding.

Reading time: 1 min

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Real Weddings

Melani and Matthew Pretty Country Wedding

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Melani and Matthew’s Pretty Country Wedding

The couple, who are both British, moved to Melbourne in Australia seven years ago, so organized everything from abroad. ‘As we were doing everything from overseas, we wanted everything to be held in one place,’ explains Melani. ‘We wanted a small, boutique hotel with beautiful grounds, classic, elegant decor, and a personal warm feel. The wedding co-ordinator, Natalie Rolls, was also particularly impressive and filled us with confidence in her ability to help us organize our wedding from afar, which was so important to us given we live so far away.’

Their day was beautifully captured by Ria Mishaal Photography. Enjoy!

Melani and Matthew kept their flowers fresh and natural in whites and greens. Melani knew that when she met her florist, Flowers by Passion in Bath, that they were perfect for her.

Melani looked absolutely gorgeous in her Justin Alexander dress. It was everything Melani wanted and more. In her words, ‘it was timeless, romantic and elegant.’

The couple got married in the stunning gardens of Barnsley House.

Melani and Matthew had jam jars tied with twine holding loose miniature bouquets on the ends of each rows of the chairs at the ceremony.

Melani’s bridesmaids were in gorgeous off shoulder white gown and with natural white and green waist belt.

Matthew hired his suit from Neal & Palmer. He bought his waistcoat and hat from Favourbrook.

The couple hired the house out exclusively for them and their 50 wedding guests.

At the reception, they used pots of herbs with chalkboard signs as table names. ‘The herb feel brought the country classic feel of the gardens indoors and as Barnsley House was originally the homestead of famous gardener Rosemary Verey, we felt this honored the whole essence of the venue,’ says Melani. ‘Whilst we love living in Australia, we are really nostalgic about the English country garden style as it reminds us of home and so we wanted to capture this sense of style whenever we could.’

Melani and Matthew chose macarons from Ladurée for their wedding favours. Ladurée has a special meaning to the couple as they got engaged in Paris and had macarons from there on that day. ‘We also liked the pale green colour of the box as it fitted in perfectly with our colour scheme,’ says Melani.

Melani has added a lot of personal details and DIY projects to our big day. For example, the bar menus were handwritten out by the bride onto old antique jugs that the bride’s mother had found years ago. They are now displayed as decoration in both houses.

The buffalo skulls were all from the pre-existing herd of buffalo that used to roam the farm, some of which the bride’s family used to own. Along with the beautiful herd that was present during our engagement we wanted to make the buffalo apart of our big day in some way. We used decorated skulls throughout the venue for our big day, as well as one for our guest book in which guests signed or “branded” with a sharpie. That skull has been hung up in our house now, with the dried florals still on the horns.

We had custom matchbooks that said, “The Perfect Match” made up four of our guests. Amy’s parents had done the same at their wedding and it makes her smile as she still sometimes comes across an old matchbook from their big day back in 1988.

Their wedding cake was made by Baby Cakes in Bath. Melani and Matthew wanted something classic, simple, and elegant. One-tier was lemon drizzle and the other tier was a classic vanilla sponge. As they only had 50 guests at the wedding, they did not need anything too big.

Every detail of Melani and Matthew’s wedding was planned to perfection.

For Melani, wedding style means’ capturing an essence of both you and your partner as a couple to reflect the things you love.’ ‘We wanted something timeless and to look back at our photographs and still feel that the style of the day is a reflection of who we are at any stage of our life.’ Hope you will love Melani and Matthew’s Pretty Country Wedding

Reading time: 3 min

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Real Weddings

Beautiful And Vibrant Sri Lankan Cultural Wedding

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What struck me immediately when looking at the photographs from Kit and Simon’s big day was the vibrancy of their Sri Lankan cultural wedding in Kent. The couple who met online, dated for two years before getting engaged.

The couple’s Sri Lankan cultural wedding took place on the 5th August 2016 at The Boathouse in Danson Park, Bexleyheath. Their legal wedding ceremony was at Heather Glen Country House in Ainstable village, Carlisle a month later.

According to Kit, Simon’s proposal was very romantic. ‘We were on holiday in Bagan in Myanmar (Burma) a city famous for thousands of small Buddhist temples that families have built over generations to show their devotion,’ explains Kit. ‘The day before Simon and I were exploring on foot and I mentioned casually that it would be great to go on a hot air balloon ride to see this incredible city from above. Simon replied, “That would have been great, but the demand is so great that bookings are taken six months in advance.” Luckily for Kit, Simon had booked six months in advance for them to go the following morning. The one problem was that they needed to be ready at 4am to be picked up.

Whilst they were on the hot balloon, Simon proposed. ‘There was so much to see, we kept pointing out things to each other,’ explains Kit. ‘Simon said “Look here at me,” When Kit did, Simon asked Kit to marry him. Simon had an engagement ring in his hand, a blue Safire (from Sri Lanka) with a gold band in the shape of a branch. ‘It was one of the happiest moments of my life, knowing that Simon and I had finally found each other and were going to start a new life together,’ says Kit.

A Beautiful And Vibrant Sri Lankan Cultural Wedding In Kent

A stunning photograph of the couple at their cultural wedding.

For her vibrant Sri Lankan cultural wedding, Kit wore a sari that was a traditional style worn by brides in Sri Lanka. Her particular style was called Osariya and comes from the central hill country. ‘Brides traditionally wear seven necklaces, along with another necklace which the husband gives his wife as part of the wedding ceremony,’ explains Kit. ‘Simon gave me a necklace with a pair of love birds by Alex Monroe.‘

I love all the gold jewelry.

The couple’s Sir Lankan cultural wedding took place outdoors in a park near where Kit had grown up.

Kit’s two sisters were the bridesmaids for their cultural wedding and wore saris made of hand-woven silk to match a purple color palette. Simon wore a grey three-piece suit by A Suit That Fits.

Simon looked very smart for the couple’s cultural wedding.

At the couple’s reception, the tables were scattered with miniature hearts made of wood and paper. The favors were handcrafted small boxes filled with Sri Lankan wedding cake. For their cultural wedding, guests were served an option of a Sri Lankan buffet with a selection of short-eats for starters and curries served with rice. There was also an option of an English menu of salmon, chicken, or vegetable Wellington. Dessert was an option between a spiced caramel called Vatalapun or a fresh fruit salad.

According to Kit and Simon, there were so many highlights during the day. ‘Being with Simon and enjoying every minute of our celebrations with him and seeing our family and friends have a good time.’ was a personal highlight for Kit. ‘There were so many highlights, most of which are easily remembered through the photos from Joasis Photography,’ says Simon. ‘Everyone really enjoyed the photo booth. Kit’s speech was truly lovely too.’

As Kit’s mother had passed away when she was a teenager, it was really important to the couple that she was remembered during their celebrations. Kit wore the necklace her mother was given by her father at their wedding, along with the necklace Simon gave Kit at theirs. ‘It was just a way to keep her close to me,’ says Kit. ‘We also chose Danson Park as it was her local park. I found memories of walking our dog and talking with her there.’

Kit and Simon’s cultural wedding was photographed by Joasis Photography. ‘We absolutely love her natural style of photography,’ says Kit. ‘She was an absolute joy to work with.’

Reading time: 3 min

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Wedding Dresses

Exclusive Interview With Bridal Designer Marguerite Hannah of Alan Hannah

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Today, we took an Exclusive Interview With Bridal Designer Marguerite Hannah of Alan Hannah.

Marguerite Hannah of Alan Hannah has been designing bridal fashion for the brand since 1990, so certainly knows everything about the industry. She has seen trends come and go and has ensured that the gowns she creates today are both modern yet current.

She took time out from her very busy schedule to chat exclusively with Style & the Bride. Before you take time out to read the interview, I thought I would share with you some images of beautiful dresses from Alan Hannah’s latest collection, and also a couple from their other label, MiaMia Bridal, which was set up to provide brides with a taste of couture but in an accessible ready to wear option, with a more affordable cost point.

Here are some Q&A from Exclusive Interview With Bridal Designer Marguerite Hannah of Alan Hannah

I adore the timeless quality of this ‘Dolores’ dress, so, so elegant.

Marguerite, is there a typical Alan Hannah bride?

Not really, every bride is an individual. All our dresses are sophisticated in terms of design and cut but never ostentatious. An Alan Hannah bride, regardless of her personality, can recognize beautiful fabric and a well-cut dress. We only use the best quality pearls and crystals for our beadwork, but we want to ensure that our dresses are within reach for the majority of brides. The price you would expect to pay for an Alan Hannah gown is between £2000-£2500 and between £1000 and £1800 for a MiaMia dress.

When did you launch MiaMia bridal and why did you decide to launch it?

We wanted to launch a new label in 2009 to develop a more experimental and fashion led style that would retail at a lower price point than our couture gowns. The two labels have a very different aesthetic. MiaMia uses more floaty lace and chiffon and less structured construction. The photo shoots for MiaMia are more boho and have a slightly more playful feel.

How gorgeous is this ‘Carrie’ dress from MiaMia’s Rhapsody Collection?

This MiaMia ‘Estelle’ dress is very elegant and contemporary.

Are you influenced by ready to wear designers?

Of course, all artists and designers are inspired by others and this is what produces the evolution of art and fashion. In modern times, I think it is hard to beat the commitment to craftsmanship of Alexander McQueen.

What advice would you give to the bride-to-be when going wedding dress shopping for the first time?

Take a trusted friend, not six! Try different shapes and colours, be open minded and try to find shapes that flatter you and reflect your personality.

If you could design a wedding dress for any celebrity, who would it be and why?

I feel that our brides are very strong and independent. I would love to dress someone like Cate Blanchett who radiates all these traits, as well as being sophisticated, elegant and beautiful.

Do you have a favourite celebrity bride, past or present?

Grace Kelly, of course.

What do you think the big trends will be this year in bridal?

I really think there is a return to strong lines and clean cut silhouettes. Interesting fabrics, bold prints and hand painting will give colour and texture to the sharpness of cut.

This ‘Gwyneth’ dress, which is part of Alan Hannah’s ‘Timeless Beauty’ campaign’ has a lot of intricate beading on the back of the design.

That’s all from Exclusive Interview With Bridal Designer Marguerite Hannah of Alan Hannah.

Reading time: 2 min

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Real Weddings

Rachel and Will Chic Wedding in Buckinghamshire

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RACHEL AND WILL’S CHIC WEDDING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

Rachel’s beautiful wedding dress was by Sassi Holford. ‘I loved the fishtail shape,’ says Rachel.

Rachel and Will got married on the 5th of October 2013 at the stunning Hedsor House in Buckinghamshire. ‘We were looking for somewhere that offered exclusivity, privacy, and intimacy,’ says Rachel. ‘We were not aware of Hedsor House and it is a hidden gem.’

Although Rachel had a few ideas in her head when it came to the look and style of her wedding, it was not until she took on the services of wedding planner Melanie Helen of Cranberry Blue, that things started to take shape. ‘We had a few ideas, but Melanie’s creativity was amazing and she put together some great mood boards for us,’ explains Rachel. ‘We knew we wanted some great entertainment and Melanie’s expertise put us in touch with some amazing people.’

The couple decided on white/champagne and nude colors, with a touch of pastel pink. The dress code was black tie, which Rachel absolutely loved.

Rachel and Will’s big day was captured beautifully by Pippa Mackenzie Photography.

I am sure you will agree with me that their wedding day is beyond stunning…

Rachel and Will Chic Wedding in Buckinghamshire

Rachel and Will’s stunning wedding flowers were created by Lavender Green in Windsor. ‘We had a gorgeous thick archway of flowers at the entrance as I wanted a real statement as people arrived,’ says Rachel.

Everything about Rachel and Will, thanks to Melanie at Cranberry Blue, was planned to perfection.