Jessica and Andrew's September wedding took place in beautiful Lincolnshire countryside, with a traditional, romantic ceremony at the local church followed by a joyful marquee reception at the bride's family home. Sentimental details throughout the day added a personal, special touch, including homegrown flowers lovingly grown by the Mother of the Bride decorating the marquee, and an exquisite family heirloom tiara.

Jessica wore a stunning custom wedding dress from Suzanne Neville, incorporating elements she loved from a number of styles to create her dream dress. The vision started with the structured corset bodice from Bussotti, which we combined with the flowing, elegant skirt from Fittonia. The delicate off-the-shoulder straps from Degas were the perfect finishing touch, coming together to create a regal, elegant wedding gown. Jessica styled her dress with a beautiful lace trimmed veil, as well as her incredible family tiara.

Read on to find out more about Jessica and Andrew's wonderful wedding day, and read more about Jessica's dress in her own words.

Suzanne Neville custom wedding dress

I wanted a dress that I could wear throughout the day, something I couldn't take off that was comfortable but in a way 'regal' looking. I wanted a dress that complimented my figure but wasn't too shaping. Most importantly I wanted to look like a princess.

My mother and sister came with dress shopping with me. My sister was amazing, she was so supportive and although didn't say much, you could tell what she was thinking by her facial expression. My mother was the opposite, it was quite obvious when she liked the dress and when she didn't. When I came out they both took a deep breath and smiled and that was when I knew this is for me.

Dress Shopping at Miss Bush

My favourite part of the dress shopping experience was seeing my families faces when we knew we'd found the dress.

When you can picture what you'd look like on the day, it makes it feel real but also exciting.

We also experimented in trying on lots of different dresses, and some looked ridiculous on me, not because they were ugly dresses, but just didn't suit my body type and that's ok. You can only laugh and that's the whole enjoyment of the process.

The veil was a last minute purchase, but the one we wanted wasn't available at that time as Jesus Piero was closed in August. Luckily the team reassured us that they will contact the designer as soon as their doors opened a few weeks before the wedding and as was able to have the veil made and posted directly to our home a week later. They were in constant communication and were very solution orientated so I felt very much at ease.

Styling

We had a family tiara that was to be an accessory on the day, and we wanted to be sure the dress didn't clash with the accessory. We had a plain look, but with a beautiful bodice that showed my waist.

The shoes were from Harriet Wilde and although were beautiful, kept getting tangled in the skirt which luckily I managed to avoid tripping over on the aisle.

A magical wedding at the bride's family home

I got married at my family home. My husband is South African and so as his family are so far away, he does not get an opportunity to see them often if at all. I had only had the chance to meet them once before the wedding. As such, my family have been so welcoming to Andy and have had him over for every holiday, weekend getaway and we even got engaged there at Christmas. As such it was no question that we wanted the wedding to be there and surrounded by our family.

My mother is a keen gardener and it was obvious from the start of the planning, that she wanted to make a big statement with the flowers. For the 9 months of preparation, she grew all the flowers herself in our kitchen garden and they were featured throughout the marquee.

The best bits

Walking up the aisle. It was in that moment when I saw my groom to be that it was all going to be ok. All the preparation, all the stress, all the dreaming since I was little, was leading up to that moment and I had never been happier.

Jessica's Advice

The day goes by in a joyful blur, so make you enjoy and remember every moment. Things can go wrong on the day, but the guests never notice and they don't care. They are there to celebrate the bride and groom and as long as you can enjoy yourself, everyone else will to.

Suppliers

Photographer: GJA Photography
Caterer: Fiona Herbert Catering
Hair: The Grapevine Hair and Beauty
Make-up: Charlotte Coe Bridal
Florist: Vincent and Stubbs Flowers