Jesus Peiro 2316 special for Charlotte's beautiful garden marquee wedding

We're so pleased to share Charlotte & James's beautiful Suffolk wedding with you today, which took place at St Andrew's Church, Norton, followed by a relaxed, elegant marquee reception at the bride's family home.

Charlotte wore a custom version of Jesus Peiro 2316 - an elegant wedding dress with a structured fitted bodice, playful puff sleeves and a chic split skirt. To make the dress her own, Charlotte added an extra long train, along with a statement bow to the back.

Read on to find out more about Charlotte and James's wedding day, with words from the bride about her dress shopping journey at Miss Bush. With images by Lauren Knuckey.

Jesus Peiro 2316 custom wedding dress

I'd tried on 15-20 dresses before I tried on the one that was closest to my final dress. It's hard to explain how I knew it was the right one for me but I think unlike the others I felt like a really elevated, beautiful version of myself. I stood a little taller, my shoulders went back and I couldn't stop smiling at myself in the mirror. Emma had suggested that a square neckline would suit me best and when I thought about other items of clothing in my wardrobe I knew she was right. I loved that it was fitted on top so it accentuated my waist and then loved the drama of the puffy sleeves and long train. It was amazing that Emma was able to help me customise the dress so it was absolutely perfect and it felt extra special knowing that it was unique.

On my wedding day I couldn't have felt more incredible in my dress. I just LOVED it. It was cool but also classic and I felt very beautiful. The split made it really easy to move in, the sleeves made me feel really confident as I didn't have to worry about my arms and the fabric hung perfectly all day.

I actually bought my brother and his girlfriend to my first appointment at Miss Bush. My mum was recovering for a small operation and my bridesmaids all live abroad. It was actually really nice having my brother there as I knew that he would let me lead with how I felt and it sort of took the pressure out of the whole thing. I think sometimes TV shows make you feel like wedding dress shopping should be a big dramatic occasion but I actually loved it being a bit more relaxed. As my brother doesn't know too much about dresses it also meant that I could lead with how I felt vs. getting lots of opinions.

When I tried on the closest sample to the dress I went for my brother and his girlfriend laughed and cheered at my reaction to the dress. I couldn't stop smiling and was swishing around the chapel. It was a really lovely moment.

Dress Shopping at Miss Bush

I loved Emma's advice and really appreciated her steering me in the right direction. I realised I'd actually never had a professional tell me what suited my figure and I found that incredibly valuable. It was also wonderful being in the chapel as it's such a beautiful space.
Emma was also the least pushy salesperson I came across in my wedding dress shopping journey. After my first visit I left knowing I'd found the one but without any pressure to commit on the same day.

Styling

I went for a modern high bun with some lose strands to frame my face and a bronzy/coral make-up look to bring the glow.
I had some simple wrap style satin shoes from Rainbow Club. They weren't showstoppers but they matched my dress well and they had a really good size heel which was important as we wanted to walk back from the church to my parent's house.
I kept the jewellery simple with a pair of gold hoops from Monica Vinader and a dainty gold bracelet with a little heart from Otiumberg which James bought me as a wedding morning gift.

A fun marquee wedding at home

We got married in the local church to my parent's house in a small village in Suffolk near Bury St Edmunds and then had a marquee in the farmer's field at the back of my parent's garden. I loved having the reception at home as it meant it was a one-of-a-kind wedding and we could style it however we liked. The flowers were important to me as I work for an online florist so I know what I like. The wedding fell perfectly in peony season so the brief was centred around bright pops of coral charms to bring vibrancy to the otherwise stark sailcloth marquee. I hired gold props such as charger plates, cutlery, seating plan sign and a backdrop to the stage to bring the glam. Although the wedding was in the countryside I didn't want to lean too much into this for the styling as I didn't want it too feel too twee. Instead I wanted to contrast the natural surroundings with bright colour pops and chic styling to create something that was true to my taste.

The best bits

This is such a hard question but I think I'll surprise myself and say that I really did love the ceremony. During the planning I thought of this more as a formality to tick off before we got to the party but honestly I really loved it. Walking down the aisle linking arms with my dad whilst seeing a sea of smiling faces was so special and then standing with my partner committing to spend our lives together just made me feel so incredibly happy. We also picked some classic hymns that were primary school classics so that everyone would be able to join in. It was really fun turning around to see everyone singing along and as we've not had many church weddings in my friendship group it made it feel even more special.
After the ceremony James & I left the church and then went and hid around the back whilst the photographer organised the confetti line. This was one of my favourite moments as it was just James & I and we could catch up on our mornings and just let the fact that we were now husband and wife sink it. I couldn't stop jiggling my legs because I was just so happy.
Finally, I also really loved getting ready in the morning with my bridesmaids. The hairdresser and makeup artist came to my family home and it was a really chilled few hours. The nerves were definitely kicking in but I loved how much all us girls hyped eachother up, saying how beautiful we all looked. It was really fun having the anticipation of the whole day ahead of us and getting giddy and excited.