We are sharing Catia & Raymond's joyful wedding with you today! The wedding took place in Guildford, with the entire day from ceremony to evening reception under one roof at Barnett Hill Hotel.

The vibrant burnt orange colour scheme was perfect for September, with the bridesmaids in head to toe colour block orange and colourful bouquets that contrasted beautifully with Catia's wedding dress.

Catia looked radiant in Jesus Peiro's 966, an elegant dress made from exquisite embroidered lace with an open crossed strap back and full, romantic ballgown skirt.

Find out more about Catia's dress shopping journey below, and see more images from her wonderful wedding to Raymond.

Jesus Peiro 966 wedding dress

In preparation for my visit to Miss Bush I thrawled through the website looking at dresses and shortlisting them. I fell in love with Jesus Peiro 966 - I loved the shape, the cross straps in the back and most of all the fabric. It looked beautiful on the website photos and when I tried it on, it just felt right. It was just as I had hoped! The shape was classic but the fabric was different. Everytime I tried it on, I felt like a princess. The finished dress fitted so well and was ever so comfortable. I wish I could wear it time and time again... maybe I will!!

I brought one of my bridesmaids, Janella shopping with me, and my parents joined us through Zoom. Janella almost cried when I tried the dress on with a sample veil. She remarked how that was a "Catia dress". She was right!

I brought my mum for the styling appointment and I remember walking out, looking at my mum who with tears in her eyes said 'I guess this is really happening!". I think that was the moment my mum realised that her little girl was really getting married.

Dress Shopping

What was your favourite part of the dress shopping experience? I found the whole experience a little bit overwhelming, especially as I tried many other before which weren't right. Being short and busty, I knew that all off-the-rack dresses would be extremely long and big on me. The fact that my dress was made-to-measure made it so much easier to not worry whether I would look odd in a wedding dress. I guess the peace of mind of knowing that my dress was in perfectly capable hands was my favourite part - I had nothing to worry about!

There were actually two occasions where I had "issues". I call them "issues" because the Miss Bush team promptly sorted me out so they didn't feel so big after all!

In the time between the first appointment (October) and the styling appointment (June) I enthusiastically combed through Miss Bush's Blog where I came across a bride who had a similar dress to mine (albeit using a different fabric) and I noticed how having a petticoat enhanced the shape of the dress. Back in October I had decided not to have a petticoat, but now here I was wishing I had gotten one. I emailed Miss Bush (after lamenting to my bridesmaids!) and explained my sudden change of heart. Rosie was so kind and said that at the styling appointment we would try a petticoat and check if it would fit without affecting the length of the dress. Indeed we were able to fit one, which made the shape of the dress much better and made me a very happy bride-to-be! The re-assurance that we would "talk through all the options available at your styling appointment" made me much more relaxed!

The second "issue" revolved around me putting on a bit of weight between October and June (thank you lockdown!). The dress was a bit tight around the chest and I could barely breath. Whilst that worried me a little bit, the team at Miss Bush came up with the idea of adding a belt to the back of the dress which would give me breathing room. This not only solved the size issue, but it also made the dress a little bit more bespoke!

Thank you so much to the Miss Bush team for being awesome and helpful!!

Styling

I wanted a very minimalistic look. Nothing too frilly. In addition to the veil I got from Miss Bush, Ray gifted me pearl drop earrings from Lily & Roo and my parents surprised me with a Sparkling Family Tree bracelet from Pandora. I paired my dress with a pair of Jazzy Pearls from Charlotte Mills - they were so comfortable!

A Barnett Hill Hotel wedding in Guildford

We got married at Barnett Hill Hotel just outside Guildford. Barnett Hill Hotel is an old building but it has been done up recently. As such, the rooms are very neutral. To balance that out we chose a "theme" that would bring a splash of colour - burnt orange - which also happens to be Ray's favourite colour. The bridesmaids were in burnt orange infinity dresses that matched the groom/groomsmen ties (who wore navy blue tails). Because we met at the University of Surrey, we are both fond of stags, so we made sure to incorporate that in your stationery.

The flowers had varying orange colours (from apricot lisianthus to bright orange naranga roses) - this certainly made an impact in the white/grey room and against my ivory dress!

We had an amazing time celebrating with our friends and family!

The best bits

This is a very tough question - it was all so amazing, but if I had to choose a favourite part of the day it would be the evening celebration! All the formalities were out of the way and we could enjoy the party with all our friends and family!

I particularly enjoyed the first dance. Looking around and seeing everyone around us was very surreal. There we were surrounded by our dearest friends and family after the tough year we had faced since COVID arrived! It made it all so much more enjoyable.

Catia's Advice

Enjoy it! Make the most of it! Take photos outside the chapel every time you visit! Once you're married you probably won't be back - so soak it in!

As for the wedding, it can get stressful, but it is all worth it. It is the only day where all your friends and family are together cheering you on. It goes by so quickly so take it slow and take it all in!

Suppliers

Photographer: Ideal Imaging
Venue: Barnett Hill Hotel
Hair/Make-up: NW Make-up
Florist: Florescence
Bridesmaids dresses: Victoria Lou
Shoes: Charlotte Mills
Band: The One Night Band
Cake: The Cake Lady
Suits: Moss Bros