We're delighted to share Tara and Ben's classic, elegant Surrey wedding with you today, starting with a romantic traditional church ceremony at Lyne Holy Trinity Church - a special location for the bride, whose parents were married there 31 years before. The couple celebrated their marriage at Pembroke House, Chobham, with a formal but fun wedding breakfast and reception in a beautifully styled marquee filled with stunning floral displays and tons of thoughtful personal touches.
The Miss Bush special 30th anniversary wedding dress is the gift that keeps on giving. Designed exclusively for Miss Bush in 2018 to celebrate our 30th anniversary, the dress features everything we love about Jesus Peiro; crisp, minimalist fabric, a bold silhouette with full ballgown skirt, and a simple bateau neckline with full length sleeves. Whilst the dress originally came with pearl embellishments, Tara chose to have the dress made without, allowing the silhouette and design features to shine. To style her look, Tara wore Manolo's iconic Hangisi heel in rich emerald green to match her exquisite antique engagement ring. The finishing touch was a pair of classic diamond earrings, Tara's 'something borrowed' from the Mother of the Bride.
Read on for more details about the day, and Tara's dress shopping experience in her own words. With beautiful images by Joshua Penrose Photography.
Jesus Peiro Miss Bush 30th anniversary special wedding dress
I chose the Miss Bush 30th Anniversary Pearl Special (without the pearls.) I had always wanted a very classic wedding dress, and when I put this dress on, it was exactly what I was looking for. I absolutely adored the neck line but the sleeves with the buttons just made the dress feel so perfect for a March wedding. The moment we put on the petticoat the dress transformed and made me feel like a real bride.
I only went dress shopping with my Mum and my sister, who was my maid of honour. I really didn't want a lot of opinions, and I wanted to feel really calm in the process. When I tried the Miss Bush Pearl Special, my Mum knew it was the one and so did I. We both knew that I wanted a classic and timeless dress but with some drama that also felt like me and that is exactly what we found.
Dress Shopping at Miss Bush
I absolutely loved every single moment at Miss Bush. From picking my dress to picking my veil and doing all my fittings. Jo was absolutely amazing during the fittings and made me feel so at ease. Every time I put my dress on I loved it even more. Nothing can prepare you for that final fitting when it fits perfectly, and I had my dress and my veil on because it was when I really felt like I was a bride.
I loved how normal trying on dresses at Miss Bush felt. You weren't standing on a stand, which suddenly made you 6ft tall and then made the dress look unrealistic. I really felt like myself when I was in the chapel, and that was a great feeling. The Miss Bush team were so creative when I was trying on dresses so at one point in the process I had three different dresses on to see if I wanted a top from one dress, a skirt from another and sleeves from a jacket. It made me feel like anything was possible and we were all on one team to create my vision.
Styling
My engagement ring is an antique emerald, so I decided on some green Manolos, which I absolutely adored and I loved the pop of colour that they bought to the outfit. I wore my mummy's diamond earrings as my something borrowed and that was actually the only jewellery that I wore.
An elegant, traditional wedding at Pembroke House
We exchanged vows in Lyne Holy Trinity Church, where my parents got married 31 years ago, which made it even more special. Our guests then left the church on a big red bus and we left in a vintage Rolls Royce. We then arrived at Pembroke House to have our drinks reception outside on the drive before going into our marquee, which featured a gorgeous tree in the middle. We decided to have three long tables, where we had personalised matchboxes as name places and bud vases the whole way down the tables. We served mini Laurent Perrier bottles with personalised straws for the speeches and Aperol Spritz & Spicy Margaritas in the evening. We did not leave the dance floor from the moment our first dance started and it was absolutely magical to be surrounded by all our favourite people.
The best bits
My first look with my Dad as I didn't expect any tears, but we both cried.
When Ben and I left the church and walked through the confetti.
Ben & I left the church in a vintage Rolls Royce whilst our guests got a big red bus, the 10 minutes that we got together after the church was so special to just have a few moments together.
Running into the marquee to Like a Prayer by Madonna, whilst all our guests were swinging their napkins was absolutely electric.
Serving mini bottles of Laurent Perrier for the speeches with personalised straws.
Tara's Advice
With wedding planning, when it gets stressful, just remember why you are actually getting married. The only people that matter are you and the person that you are marrying. Lots of people encouraged me to go to A LOT of dress shops, but I did the opposite and only went to two. Try and enjoy the process as much as you can because you will blink and it will be over.
Suppliers
Photographer: Joshua Penrose Photography
Caterer: Two Many Cooks
Videographer: Hunt Films
Marquee: Abacus Marquees
Makeup: Sophie Mabel Makeup
Hair: Abby at Chobham Hair Studio
Florist: Jodie Hathaway
Stationery: Printed By Polly
Bridesmaid dresses: Six Stories
The dress; @jesuspeiroofficial at @missbushbridal
Photographer: @joshuapenrosephotography
Caterer: @twomanycooks
Videographer: @huntfilms
Marquee: @abacusmarqueeandeventhire
Makeup: @sophiemabelmakeup
Hair: @abbyhair19 at @chobhamhair
Florist: @jodiehathaway
Stationary: @printedbypolly
Bridesmaid dresses: @sixstories