Liz in Suzanne Neville Azalea for a romantic and intimate candlelit winter wedding

Our feature today is all about the beautifully intimate and romantic wedding of our bride Liz and her new husband, Tom. After having to change their plans due to the pandemic, they decided to focus on what was most important to them, taking their vows in front of only their closest friends and family at the gorgeous Farmhouse at Redcoats, Hitchin, followed by a relaxed sit down meal.

Liz wore Suzanne Neville's stunning Azalea wedding dress from the 2020 Flores collection, which features a fitted, structured bodice and floaty elegant skirt covered in beautiful embroidery and 3D floral applique details.

Read on to find out more about the day in Liz's own words, with photography by Erica Hawkins.

Suzanne Neville Azalea wedding dress

I loved the silhouette of my dress, something Suzanne Neville is an expert in. The full skirt & train made me feel traditional and bridal whilst the cut of the bodice felt modern and more relaxed. I loved the way the dress emphasised my waist; I'm quite self conscious about my legs and I felt the dress flattered my figure perfectly, without having to feel like I was hiding anything away. The floral detail in the fabric felt so feminine and looked beautiful in the light with it's subtle shimmer; to me it felt like a new take on a more traditional lace. I also loved that the fabric was quite different from other dresses I had seen. I'm not particularly extrovert with my style choices normally but I didn't want to feel I was wearing something so 'ordinary' it was barely noticeable. For me Azalea was fresh & feminine whilst retaining the classic bridal elements.

I brought my mum & sister to my appointment, having previously also brought one of my bridesmaids to an earlier appointment. I think there is a lot of pressure on brides to find a dress that is 'the one' and I had been nervous I wouldn't ever find something I felt 100% happy in. As a reasonably indecisive person at the best of times, I could foresee my search for the perfect dress going on forever. As soon as I put Azalea on I knew it was the dress I wanted; I just felt 'right' in it. When I showed my mum & sister their expressions only confirmed it, they loved it just as much as I did.

Dress Shopping

For me, dress shopping was the first time I felt like a real 'bride'. Like most women, I was nervous at the thought of putting on a wedding dress as I'd struggled to imagine myself looking the part. I always knew I wanted a full skirt and this only added to my nerves as I was worried I wouldn't pull it off, being not overly blessed in the height department! Emma was so brilliant at 'ripping the bandaid off' and putting me straight into a dress with a big full skirt to prove I could wear it. After that I felt much more confident and the rest of the appointment was sheer excitement. I loved the experience of having my mum, bridesmaid and sister there, something which has felt even more special in hindsight as my bridesmaid lives abroad and sadly wasn't able to attend our wedding due to the travel restrictions. There were a couple of contenders at my first appointment but I just didn't feel my heart was fully in them, and Emma really made sure I felt I could take my time and not be pressured into choosing one I wasn't totally comfortable with. After that first appointment I was so confident I would find the right dress at Miss Bush I cancelled an appointment I had made elsewhere and went back to Miss Bush a few weeks later to look again. Emma had clearly thought about my style in the meantime and she gently suggested I try Azalea, a style I hadn't considered on the rail. I trusted her and so agreed to try it but I didn't think it would be right as it was so different from my original vision of long lace sleeves. The moment I put it on there were tears - Emma was completely right in her selection and it was just perfect for me.
Jo was like a bridesmaid in lieu for me during the fitting process - there were tears, laughter and much support throughout. I trusted her completely with the process. I even found out after our wedding day she had been secretly liaising with my husband about jewellery for the day, the very definition of going above and beyond in my book!

At my first fitting appointment I also had the pleasure of meeting Suzanne Neville herself, who drew a sketch of my dress for me. It was totally unexpected and will always be such a special moment for me. I have long admired her designs and feel so lucky to have met her as part of my dress experience. Suzanne obviously has a great relationship with Miss Bush and this became obvious when I needed my dress at such short notice. The level of service I had throughout was flawless.

Throughout the pandemic and with all our changing plans the team never once told me something couldn't be done. When I spoke to the team about our initial decision to postpone they were so supportive, Emma spent a good hour on the phone making sure I didn't feel worried and chatting to me with such solidarity. How many bridal shops could say similar? Throughout all the initial announcements Emma was always on hand to update the Miss Bush community and provide a much needed platform in which to share our collective woes. Weddings aren't just about the insta-worthiness, so many brides have been deeply impacted where other life plans have been put on hold, incredibly difficult decisions to be made where family and friends' health has repercussions on a decision to postpone or not, and Miss Bush truly understand that. Emma asked thoughtful questions where appropriate and provided a non-judgmental ear to discuss.

When we decided to book our micro-wedding with 5 weeks notice I had fully expected not to be able to wear my dress given I hadn't even had my measurements at this point. When I contacted the team they were so supportive of our decision, told me they would sort the dress for me in time and still managed to give off a calm and collected aura. A week later when the second lockdown was announced, I thought it was going to be an impossible feat but Jo assured me it could still be done and my dress was delivered at lightning speed for the first fitting the day before lockdown. It was a nerve wracking wait until the final fitting which had to be 2 days before the wedding date, as I knew the margin for error was tiny, but Jo had done an amazing job altering my dress to fit me perfectly. It sounds cliche but the team were so much more than a supplier to me - they were a supportive community who I'm really grateful were involved in our plans.

Styling

I knew I wanted a veil and Jo was so helpful in picking the a beautifully simple one to complement my dress. As I am always a 'hair down' kind of girl I wanted something else to put in my hair to add a bit of interest. I looked online a bit but I really wanted some expert advice and so I went to Hermione Harbutt with one of my bridesmaids to try some different options. I worked with their lovely team to customise one of their existing styles to fit with my veil and I was so pleased with the result. It felt really special knowing it had been made specifically for me, and I was so excited to wear it. In the week before I also bought the shrug from etsy so I had something to put on for warmth in the evening. I hadn't tried it on with my dress until the day itself so it was pure luck that it worked perfectly. My grandmother passed down a diamond ring to me as a wedding gift which I also wore on the day; that felt extra special as because of the pandemic, she was sadly unable to be there on the day. I borrowed some sapphire earrings from my mum as my something borrowed which went perfectly with my engagement ring. I didn't wear any other jewellery, as the dress really shone on its own. And of course Jimmy Choos, because if you can't for your wedding day when can you?

A romantic and intimate candlelit winter wedding

Our wedding was originally booked for mid-August and when the pandemic hit, we felt the only thing we could do was postpone to next spring. At the time, the concept of not being able to have our wedding as planned felt so daunting and I'm sure I share the feelings of many brides when I say the stress of the uncertainty became overwhelming at times. As the year progressed, and particularly once we reached autumn, I started to accept that our wedding may not happen even next spring. After much discussion we felt that the most important thing was to say our vows, and we both agreed that we could just go ahead and do that without having to wait for the big wedding day. So we decided to keep our postponed date in the diary, but go ahead and get married in a small ceremony in the meantime so we could take some of the emotional pressure off the big wedding.

When we started planning for our micro wedding I was keen to keep things as low key as possible. I kept the flowers & decorations to a minimum, and did as much as we could ourselves. I got a bouquet from a local florist, who also did the buttonholes, and otherwise everything was done ourselves. I bought dried flowers on etsy and combined them with eucalyptus from my garden into mini vases. I made the cake myself - something I would never have had the courage to do for a much larger wedding. All the other bits were bought online, mostly from etsy. The candlesticks were Ester & Erik from Mad Lillies and they really looked stunning on the day.

We chose our venue because it was local to us and somewhere we have really enjoyed going before (as they also operate a restaurant). We wanted somewhere different to our 'big party' venue, which is much more grand, as I wanted the day to be filled with happiness and not empty spaces where our guests should have been. The farmhouse was perfect as it had a relaxed feel to it and was small enough not to worry about lots of unused space. The brief we gave them was for an intimate ceremony followed by a big family lunch - and that's how it felt, but bursting with love.

The best bits

There are too many to mention! Choosing such a small number of guests felt incredibly difficult but it made their presence on the day feel even more special, so one of my favourite parts has to be having them there. This year has been so difficult for so many people and I was worried that sadness would overshadow the celebration but I think it had the opposite effect. We felt completely overwhelmed with love and support and many people have commented that they wished their own wedding had been so intimate so we felt really lucky to have experienced that. I think weddings in general have a lovely impact on those around them; having been to a fair few over the last few years they are always a day of joy and celebration which radiates on all the guests. Having our wedding in the pandemic made that joy feel even more acute.

Liz's Advice

Your wedding dress is an investment, not only into the dress itself but the team who will help you to wear it. I am so glad I chose to invest wisely; the moments of support I received and the flexibility of the designer would have been unmatched elsewhere. I think many brides consider their dress in the context of photos but I had personally underestimated how much a part of the day it was for me; you are wearing it for a long day and finding something you feel beautiful in is so important. I loved my dress so much that when we got back from honeymoon my husband and I couldn't resist the opportunity to dress up once more, and we spent a glorious afternoon at home in our wedding outfits drinking champagne and giggling away like teenagers.

Many people told me to choose wisely with our suppliers but never has this advice been more valid than through the pandemic. Assuming you aren't a professional wedding planner you cannot foresee every issue but you can choose suppliers who will support you and not just treat you as a customer. Wherever you can I would recommend spending time speaking to your suppliers before you book them, to understand more about them and to make sure you share the same ideas. The most expensive aren't always the best but invest in quality people; they really will make all the difference on the day.

Also Pinterest, wedding blogs and similar can be great tools to get ideas but know when to use them and when to just talk about what you want as a couple. Your wedding doesn't have to be Tatler worthy, don't put more pressure on yourself than you need to!

Through the last year all my pre-conceptions about what a wedding should be have fallen away. The pandemic has brought so many difficult decisions to couples and I the best advice I can give having been through our wedding is to embrace the non-tradition. I can hand on heart say that pre-pandemic I never thought I would have been happy with such a small number of wedding guests. I feel now though that in years to come the pandemic will just be part of our wedding story and I can't imagine having any regrets. Perhaps your wedding story will be one of triumph at a huge celebration after the pandemic has been overcome, or perhaps it will be one of popping down the road hand in hand to say your vows on your lunch break. Whatever happens won't feel any less special to you because it will still be the day you became husband and wife. Embrace the opportunity to do away with the expectations of a 'normal' wedding and focus on what you can do rather than what you can't.