With simple, elegant styling and two glorious locations, Emma & Chris were married in May, at St Andrews Church in Sonning, Reading followed by a reception at The Great House, an Elizabethan coaching inn on a quiet stretch of the Thames.

The feel of the day was classic and chic, with the bride wearing Suzanne Neville's beautiful Forever dress. Emma styled her look with a sleek floor-length veil for the ceremony, which she switched for a chunky pearl headband in the evening. A simple pair of pearl drop earrings and a gold bangle finished the look, along with nude barely there sandals with tassel detailing. The groom and groomsmen looked suave and sophisticated in black tie, whilst the bridesmaids looked glamorous in silky mink wrap gowns from Rewritten. We loved Emma's hoop bouquet - such a creative, contemporary alternative to traditional wedding flowers!

Read on to find out more about the day, and Emma's dress shopping story in her own words... 

Suzanne Neville Forever wedding dress

I had an idea in my head that I wanted to wear a fitted dress, but until I tried one on I had no idea how I would feel. I went to one other shop before my appointment with Miss Bush and tried on what I thought I wanted but I didn`t feel great in it. I had stalked Suzanne Neville on social media and instantly fell in love with her dresses. During my appointment at Miss Bush I tried on 3 Suzanne Neville dresses  (and of course I loved all 3!) but the Forever dress stole my heart. I felt like a princess. The simple, classic, elegant design and fit were exactly what I wanted. And although the sample dress was too small, the girls did the dress up so well that from the front you would have thought it was my size! I couldn't believe that this was even possible.

I brought along my mum and one of my sisters when I found the dress. Unfortunately, my other sister was poorly but you let her join on zoom so she was still part of the experience. My mum was fighting back the tears when she saw me walk out the changing room, she knew it was the one too! My sister was amazed and said that the dress was just simply perfect for me.

Dress Shopping

My favourite part was the journey was going back for my measurements, and although I desperately wanted to try on the sample dress every time I visited it kept the suspense and excitement as I knew it was getting closer and closer to me being able to try on my actual dress.

My biggest concern with dress shopping was my bust. I would often wonder how shops expected a curvy girl with a big bust to fit into a tiny sample dress. When I got engaged I would google "wedding dresses for big busts" on a regular basis and one day I saw a blog appear from a lady who bought her dress from Miss Bush and reading through her experience I knew I had to book an appointment. The girls at Miss Bush made me feel so comfortable and relaxed and eased my concerns. Having the Suzanne Neville dress made to my body was the best decision I ever made.

Styling

As my dress was so elegant and simple, I decided to wear Lily & Roo gold pearl drop earrings and a gold pearl bangle on my wrist. I struggled to find any shoes I liked, so I ordered a pair of ASOS champagne coloured bare there heels and to jazz them up I ordered a ivory pearl set of tassels from Etsy, and they were just perfect! I wanted something a little different with my bouquets so I choose to have hoops. My bridesmaids had slightly smaller ones than I did, and the hoops sat perfectly on our arms.

A simple, elegant wedding in Berkshire

Chris and I wanted a wedding that had little fuss. We wanted class, sophistication and simplicity. We chose to marry at St Andrews Church in Sonning, which is just spectacular and our reception at The Great House. This venue is fairly small, with a lawn area and overlooks the river.  We had a Latin singer for our reception drinks and an ice cream tricycle accompanied by lawn games (Jenga and Croquet). We had banquet style seating for our wedding breakfast which were beautifully decorated by our florist and then we livened up the evening with a live band, Groovezoo, who never fail to get everyone on the dance floor! The day was just simply perfect.

The best bits

My favourite part of the day, aside from marrying Chris, was our wedding breakfast arrival. We entered the dining area to Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson - The best things in life are free. All our guests were dancing, clapping and gave us the best welcome, seeing the smiles and happiness on everyone's face is a memory I will never forget.

Emma's Advice

Be patient. You may not have that instant bride moment when you try on dresses but you will, you will know when you find the one.

If you can afford to, spend a little extra, having my dress made was the best decision I ever made and was worth every penny.

Relax, and enjoy the journey, you only get to do it once.

Suppliers

Photographer: Graham Nixon
Videographer: Running Wolf Media
Venue: The Great House, Sonning
Hair: Brush Ltd
Make Up: Christiane Dowling
Florist: Beauty in Blooms
Shoes: Asos
Earrings: Lily & Roo
Bridesmaid dresses: Rewritten
Band: Groove Zoo - UK Wedding Band
Ice Cream Tricycle: Plum Honeychurch
Latin singer: Monica Guech