Although Spring is on its way, we have had a flurry of wintery weddings to share with you moment, dropping into our inbox from our lovely brides who were married in late 2019. Perfect inspiration for those of you who may be newly engaged and planning Winter weddings for 2020! Sasha and Mike were married at one of our most loved local venues, Gate Street Barn in Bramley, with elegant, romantic styling and some festive touches in keeping with the season.
Read on to find out more about their day, and hear all about Sarah's beautifully cut, classic Jesus Peiro wedding dress, with images by VLA Photography.
Jesus Peiro 6019 wedding dress
I first came to Miss Bush with my friend who was getting married and I knew it was the place I would like to find my dress one day, so I was super excited when it was finally 'my turn'. In my head, I wanted a dress which had lace sleeves and a relaxed 'boho' sort of vibe, so I arrived at Miss Bush with this in mind. I ended up choosing Jesus Peiro 6019 which could not have been further from the dress I had in my head! I loved the clean lines and the fit of the dress, it was classic but modern at the same time. I felt so confident in it all day and it really felt like me!
I brought my Mum and bridesmaids with me to my first appointment and so enjoyed trying all different styles of dresses on. When I came out the changing room in this dress everyone loved it, and I did too, but I was almost disappointed as it wasn't the sort of dress I had in my head. My Mum, in particular, loved the dress, although there were no tears!!
Dress Shopping
Visiting the Chapel is such a fab experience. It is always so beautifully decorated so each visit feels so special. We also enjoyed many lunches at The Anchor and cakes from The Nest next door too! My favourite part however, was definitely the expert guidance throughout. Corinne was incredible in my first appointment, showing me lots of dresses that fitted my brief but also finding out more about me and the wedding and choosing other options which she thought would work. At no point did I feel pushed into making a decision which meant I had time to really think about what I wanted and make a decision that I was 100% happy with. Jo was also fantastic in my fittings and made the dress fit so perfectly to me, despite having to make some quite major adjustments.
Styling
I kept everything quite simple in terms of accessories. I am much more of a trainer person than a shoe person so I found a pair of metallic LK Bennett kitten heels (which were on sale!) which I wore during the day as my sensible shoes. I then changed into pink satin Superga flatforms for the dancing! For the dancing, I also changed the plain waist belt to a full sparkly belt for the evening and dancing. I kept my jewellery simple, I borrowed earrings from my Maid of Honor which she wore on her wedding day and a bracelet Mike had given me.
As the dress was quite simple, I wanted a veil which incorporated some lace. A very talented friend of mine, Bee Smith Millinery, made my veil from my vision which was covered in lace applique. She also made me two gorgeous hair pieces to wear - one for church which had pearls and some sparkle and then one for dancing which was full of sparkle - to match my belt!
A romantic winter wedding at Gate Street Barn
Although we loved the idea of getting married at Christmas, we did not want a Christmas themed wedding. So we went for a 'winter wedding' style. We had burgundy, blush and metallics for the colour scheme and used lots of greenery around the venue. The barn also had lots of fairy lights and tea lights to make it feel extra cosy! We had a nod to Christmas as we named our tables after the 12 days of Christmas and we had Christmas themed cocktails in cocktail hour! We also used Pine Cones around the venue, to add to the wintery theme, which my two younger bridesmaids had collected for me and sprayed in different metallics.
The best bits
It's really hard to choose my favourite part of the day. During the ceremony, our little flower girl danced to the choir singing Ding Dong Merrily on High throughout the signing of the register in front of the whole congregation which was gorgeous. When we arrived at the venue, we were greeted by my horse, who is 25 and I watched being born - that was a really special moment for me (less so for Mike!). As we had named our tables after the 12 Days of Christmas, we also sang this during dinner with each table competing for a prize of champagne! Everyone got so into it and really sung their hearts out and resulted in lots of people standing on their chairs, being lifted on their chairs and spraying champagne all over the room! The dancing was also so fun and our band kept the dance floor full all night. Mostly, we loved being surrounded by our family and friends and feeling so loved all day!
Sasha's Advice
When going dress shopping, be open minded and prepared to change the idea in your head. Take your time and don't rush your decision - when you leave the shop you will know which dress is right for you as you won't stop thinking about it! Best piece of advice - visit Miss Bush - you won't regret it!!
With wedding planning - try not to fret about the small stuff. I spent so much time worrying about tiny details that really didn't matter to anyone except me. On the day, you realise everyone is there for you rather than the decorations, so don't lose sleep over things that won't impact on the day too much.
Suppliers
Photographer: VLA Photography
Videographer: Ash Videography
Venue: Gate Street Barn
Caterer: Pesto
Hair and Make Up: Olivia Mills
Florist: Gill Pike Florist
Stationery: Lily and Jack's Paper Studio
Bridesmaid Dresses: Mix Bridal and Not Another Boring Bridesmaid Dress
Suits: Moss Bros
Veil and Hair Pieces: Bee Smith
Signs: Bell and B