Claire and Jack are celebrating their 1 year anniversary today, and we're delighted to share their wedding with you. It was the final day in 2020 when weddings were still able to go ahead, and despite having to postpone their reception to 2022, the couple were still able to marry at their local church in Cobham at a beautiful, intimate ceremony with their closest loved ones. Surrounded by stunning seasonal flowers and a glorious blue sky the day may have been smaller than planned but it was filled to the brim with love and joy and was a wonderful celebration of Claire and Jack's marriage.
Claire wore Jesus Peiro 909; perfect for Spring with its chic capped sleeves, elegant bateau neckline and romantic full skirt.
Read on to find out more about their day, the planning process and Claire's stunning Jesus Peiro gown, with images by Purson Photography
Jesus Peiro 909 wedding dress
went with the Jesus Peiro Heritage 909, I loved how the structure of the dress was its main feature. I wanted a dress that would be timeless yet striking. I’d tried on around 90 (!) dresses at different shops in Surrey, London, and Brussels - where I live - and nothing came close to the style of the 909. I remember leaving the fitting room and walking up to the large mirror in the shop with a massive smile on my face – I knew that would be the dress to walk up the aisle in.
My mum came to all appointments with me – and she loved the dress too!
Dress Shopping
My wedding planner recommended that I give Miss Bush a try for the dresses and for the experience. She was completely right. Having tried on so many dresses by that point, I was desperate to find something. The whole Miss Bush team was wonderful. Corrine was lovely and super helpful in suggesting dresses to try on. I knew what I didn’t want (anything too clingy or revealing) – but, beyond that, I was open to different ideas – and I was so glad she suggested the 909 dress! I also have to mention Jo. A fantastic seamstress of course - but she was just so kind the day my mum and I picked up my wedding dress. With all the uncertainty around us, it was just what I needed.
Living abroad always poses challenges but the team were always very accommodating, with appointments being scheduled around trips back to the UK.
Styling
The simplicity of the dress meant that I could pair it with a beautiful lace veil – the veil was customised by hand by Jo to include appliqué lace half-way up the veil, not just as edging. My shoes were Jimmy Choo! Ivory satin, low heels with mini diamanté “tiaras” on each shoe. Simply divine!
A seasonal Spring wedding in Cobham
Our initial plan was to get married in the South of France, where we spend most summers. However, as both of our immediate families are based in Surrey it made more sense to organise our wedding in England. St Andrew’s Church is where I was christened, and my parents have lived in Cobham all my life – so there was a strong emotional connection to the church. Our reception was due to take place at Morden Hall in south London (and hopefully it will happen in 2022). While we were having a traditional church wedding, we’d planned our reception to be modern and relaxed – with some lovely southern French touches.
21st March is the first day of spring, so we placed an emphasis on the flowers – seasonal, scented, and natural. We also had some hints to the South of France such as lavender and scented herbs too. The flowers in the church were exquisite and I remember walking in and being quite taken aback at how beautiful it all was.
To say our actual wedding day went a bit differently than planned would be an understatement. What a difference a week makes! Our wedding was Saturday 21st March – 2 days before England went into the first lockdown. In the week before the wedding, there was a new government announcement each day and it was so hard to know what was going to happen.
The Thursday before our wedding the Church of England announced that only witnesses would be permitted to attend wedding ceremonies (on the Wednesday, we’d postponed our reception). Our wedding day went from 75 people to being allowed just 2 other guests in the space of a few days. Despite this, our parents also came dressed up to the church for photographs and we had champagne and a cake I’d made myself back at my parents’ house after. Looking back to that week, Jack and I were just desperately trying to keep calm and focus on making it to Saturday. The wedding rehearsal on the Friday afternoon was really where our wedding started – from then onwards it finally felt like a celebration.
The best bits
I married Jack! Other than that…When I arrived at the church in the car, I was so confused as to why there were people waiting outside the church – it turned out that a few relatives and local friends had turned up to cheer us on as a surprise. I started welling up as I had absolutely no idea, it was so lovely to see how they supported us. Signing the register was a huge relief as we’d made it – we were legally married! Finally, leaving the church together and seeing those who’d turned out to see us, we were both so happy. I think in the photos you can see the nerves before the ceremony and then our happiness after.
Claire's Advice
I have two pieces of advice – firstly, invest in a wedding planner. Not everyone has to postpone a wedding reception just days in advance, but I wouldn’t have been able to keep as calm as I did if I didn’t have a planner. Our planner was a life saver and worth the investment. Secondly, invest in your relationship. Some people asked why we didn’t move the legal wedding along with the reception – my answer is that we wanted to get married, and that’s the most important thing. A fabulous party to celebrate your marriage is fantastic, and I really can’t wait for ours (it’s been postponed twice now), but it’s the marriage that counts. If you have the opportunity to do a marriage preparation course, do it!
Whatever the size of your wedding, wear the dress! Our wedding was tiny but we dressed up and our families did too. It’s a day of celebration!
Wedding planning can bring out lots of opinions (some welcome and some not so welcome) and uncertainty brings out even more. If you’re going ahead, then be prepared to flexible – whether it’s being okay that a guest that might not be comfortable attending or making last minute changes to the plan etc. The most important thing is that you and your partner are on the same page.
Suppliers
Planner: Weddings by Lucy Jean
Photographer: Purson Photography
Venue: St Andrew’s Church, Cobham (Reception venue is Morden Hall, now planned for March 2022)
Hair/makeup: Catherine Bailey Makeup Artist
Florist: Flowers By Eve
Bridesmaid dress: Dorothy Perkins
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Hair accessory: Farnham Bridal
Mother of the Bride Outfit: Aya Couture
Groom Outfit: Lanieri