We're so pleased to share Emily and Jack's classic Surrey garden party wedding with you today. The ceremony took place at The Church of St. Peter and St Paul, West Clandon, followed by a beautifully styled reception at the Royal Automobile Club in Epsom.

Emily found her Sophie et Voila Danae slip dress at the Miss Bush outlet. The simple, minimalist gown went perfectly alongside the Groom's bold tartan trousers. To complete her look, Emily added chic pearl drop earrings by Miss Clemmie, the Shrimps Antonia handbag and a stunning veil by Daisy Sheldon. For the reception, she added a fabulous pearl headband.

Read on to find out more about the day, and be inspired by Emily's contemporary bridal styling.

Sophie et Voila Danae slip dress

Jack was really proud to wear his family tartan on our wedding day. It's red, green, blue and white so it was always going to be bold choice! In contrast, I always knew I wanted an elegant, modern style for my dress and liked the simpler, slimmer fits, particularly as I have a small frame. I loved the idea of a timeless, understated and elegant dress styled with statement jewellery. I felt so confident on the day and loved every minute wearing my wedding dress.

Dress Shopping

I had my first appointment with Ben six months after I had my daughter. I brought her and my mum with me to the appointment, although they popped out for a walk so I could have time to myself. It was so helpful having Ben there to walk me through the different styles and help me find something that felt like me on my best day. As soon as I put the Sophie et Voila dress on, it made me feel incredible and was amazingly a perfect fit.

It was lovely to share the experience with my mum and be able to tell my daughter when she's older that she was part of the experience.

Styling

Once my dress had been tailored by the wonderful team at Nortier Shallow, I went to Miss Bush for an accessories styling appointment with my mum. We had a fabulous time, drinking champagne and looking at different options for statement jewellery. The drop pearl earrings from Miss Clemmie were an instant favourite and I matched them with a pearl handbag. My lovely friend offered to lend me her pearl headband a few weeks later which I wore with my evening dress.

My wonderful hairdresser Sam Kerr worked with me for eighteen months before the wedding, ensuring my hair was healthy, long and blonde for my wedding day. She did a fantastic job with mine and all the girl's hair the morning of the wedding, I loved having my hair down in loose curls which lasted the whole day. The curls even looked good two days later boarding a plane to Switzerland for our honeymoon.

A classic Garden Party wedding

We wanted the day to feel like a classic British garden party with lots of colour, Pimms and lawn games in the afternoon. We really handpicked our suppliers and where possible supported local businesses.

We loved the idea of colourful, sustainable and locally sourced flowers so were delighted to work with Plant Passion in Surrey. We didn't give them a colour scheme as we were hoping to be surprised with beautiful seasonable varieties. Claire at Plant Passion made the beautiful bouquets and buttonholes and Jack's mum kindly arranged the table decorations in a range of second hand vases. I volunteer with the MS Society and it was wonderful to source our confetti and wedding favours from their fundraising team as it's a charity close to our hearts. Our friend Hattie Fieldman made the cake and it was absolutely delicious.

The best bits

There were so many favourite moments, particularly having our daughter as our flower girl in the church ceremony. We first met twelve years ago at a friend's birthday party and it was very special having her sing with the band for our first dance.

Emily's Advice

Do whatever makes you happy and prioritise the things that will make the day special for you.

Suppliers

Photographer: Leah Lombardi
Videographer: Shutterbox Films
Venue: Royal Automobile Club
Florist: Plant Passion
Evening dress: A.L.C. Delfina Dress at Phoenix Style
Shoes: Carvela
Hair: Sam Kerr
Make up: Christiane Dowling
Cake: Hattie Fieldman
Band: The Wildermen
Confetti and wedding favours: MS Society fundraising
Tartan trews: Gunn & Grant