Our lovely wedding today comes from just around the corner in the village of Shamley Green, followed by a relaxed, fun reception at Gate Street Barn. Sian and Matt were married at the picturesque Christ Church on Church Hill; a very special place to Sian as many of her family members were also married there, including her Aunt Tracy who was also a Miss Bush bride back in 1994!
Sian wore our stunning lace topped Alicia by Suzanne Neville; the perfect choice for her classic, elegant, countryside wedding. Scroll on to see all of beautiful images along with Sian's write up from the day.
Suzanne Neville Alicia wedding dress
The first dress I tried on at Miss Bush was Alicia. The dress was pretty much the type of dress I thought I would pick. The only curveball was the low neckline which is completely out of my comfort zone. It's not something I would ever put myself in, but as part of the feminine Alicia I felt it gave the dress it's edge.
Wearing the dress was an absolute dream to wear. There was no scratchy fabric or less than perfect construction. It struck the right balance between having a presence and not hitting people in the face when you enter a room!!! I loved the delicate lace bodice and the beautiful soft flowing fabric of the skirt, all brought together with the signature Suzanne Neville ribbon around the waist. The pretty capped sleeves meant that I felt appropriately dressed for the church, but equally when it came to the reception I didn't feel smothered. The hidden corset was so comfortable to wear and I felt so secure. All our guests loved the dress and many didn't even notice the discreet mesh that covered the low neck line.
When I tried on the dress I didn't instantly know it was the one. I knew I loved it, but I didn't get that overwhelming this is it. It was only once I had left Miss Bush and I couldn't stop thinking about Alicia that I knew it was the dress for me. After that, every picture I saw of it and every time I wore it I loved it more and more. It actually made me feel like a bride. I know it sounds strange, but I actually struggled to get into the bridal mindset and believe this was my wedding?!?!? On the day I felt that I looked like me, but the best version of me and that was mostly because of Alicia.
The week before my first Bush appointment my Mother in law to be Shirley fell extremely ill whilst we were on a family holiday. She was supposed to be coming to the chapel with my Mum and I, but was still in hospital in Croatia. Even though I didn't feel like dress shopping my family still encouraged me to go, with the premise that it would be something nice for Shirley to hear about over the phone. Corrine instantly made us feel comfortable and welcome. Even though I had other things on my mind my Mum and I had the best appointment with Corrine.
Mum isn't really a crier, but when I came out in Alicia she stayed completely quiet. Her silence said it all! It felt very final buying the dress that day, so we came back to the chapel a few months later for the Suzanne Neville designer day. After speaking to Suzanne and trying the dress on again, I knew straight away that it was MY dress. Unfortunately Shirley never got to hear about the appointment, but I'm sure she would have been an emotional mess whilst giving me her nod of approval.
Dress Shopping
Miss Bush wasn't the first dress shop I visited. I had already been to Kate Halfpenny in London. I loved her dresses, but they weren't my style. I found going to Miss Bush brilliant because they stocked a range of different styles from various different designers. There was an incredible ethos of strong women doing what they do best at the chapel. In the bridal world it can be easy to become cliche, but whenever I visited the chapel it always had a non stuffy atmosphere, that genuinely felt like you were going round a friends house. On my first visit with Corrine (who is absolutely amazing), I loved the concept of being given the yellow tags and being allowed to have a proper browse through the racks and tag a couple of different styles to try.
The couture service from Suzanne Neville was unlike anything I have ever experienced before. I loved every step of the process. From meeting Suzanne on the designer day last year and hearing her opinions of me in a couple of her dresses, to every inch of my body being measured and noted. Then the toile fitting and having the corset fitting like a glove. Every moment made the dress even more special.
Meeting all the ladies in the Miss Bush team was brilliant. Each member has their own role and attributes. Having Emma give the nod to the fit of my dress was a particular highlight. I love reading her opinions on the latest red carpets and runways on Instagram, they are always spot on! Corrine not only was a lovely consultant, but also gave some great advice. Jo and her magical sewing skills, Gen with her pressing powers and Rosie saving me when I kept trying to faint during my second fitting, were all amazing!
Styling
I loved the look of a long veil, but at the same time I didn't want to take away from the dress. So I went for a long plain veil with a scalloped edge to match the hem of the dress. I wore Diamond earrings which were a wedding present on the day from my husband and a Tiffany necklace he had given me on my 21st Birthday. I also wore a bracelet borrowed from my late Mother in law, so I had a piece of her with us all day.
My shoes were the most beautiful Jimmy Choo Romy 85mm Glittler pumps. To say they were smothered in silver glitter would be an understatement. They were so comfortable and I managed to last in them until the dancing really upped a gear! I wanted to invest in a pair of shoes that I could wear not only for the wedding, but in the future as well. The Choo's ticked all the boxes for me. I have since worn them to three different occasions!
A classic country wedding at Gate Steet Barn
I got ready at Mum and Dad's house with my bridesmaids on the wedding morning. Whilst the Ushers and Groom decorated Gate Street Barn. Mum and Dad's house is just down the hill from the church so was really convenient. Myself and Dad had the short journey to the church in a vintage Roll's Royce called Angela, which was brilliant fun.
We wanted to have a traditional classic country church wedding so everything was styled around that theme. Our church service had all our favourite hymns and one reading from the bible and the other was an extract from Captain Corelli's Mandolin. After the church the reception was at Gate Street Barn in Bramley. The whole barn, bar area and gardens were decorated with pink, white and gold paper pom poms. We loved the look of soft and fluffy textures so tried to incorporate this into our decorations and flowers. All the florals were peonies, roses and hydrangeas with minimal foliage. We chose to have confetti, but felt reticent to spend money on something that gets thrown on the ground. So in the spring we collected blossom and microwaved them to dry them out. It worked really well but was extremely time consuming!!!
For our wedding breakfast we tried to do something a little different. Andy and Louise from Just Jane created a tasty unique menu for us. Our starter was a Mediterranean Tapas sharer, followed by a Korean street food inspired pork belly. Dessert was raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake with popping candy. For evening food we had a fish and chip van come and serve our guests all the chip shop favourites.
We had a cake which in the end we couldn't cut because of the robust decoration, so we stabbed it instead!It made for a great photo. We didn't serve the cake on the wedding day, but at a garden party with our immediate family the next day. Our wedding guests got to choose from 8 different flavours of cookies or they could toast marshmallows over the firepit in the garden.
The best bits
It's so hard to chose one favourite part of the day. I think the whole feeling of happiness and love from all our friends and family would be my favourite thing. People had said take a few minutes to stop and absorb it. I tried to do that all day and every time I did everyone looked so happy and the atmosphere felt amazing. For the wedding I chose a new perfume from Penhaligans called Duchess Rose. I wore it on the wedding day and on our minimoon. I'm hoping in the future when I smell it I will be taken back to the day and the happiness.
Something that was a big hit with our guests was the dice bar game we had in the evening. Our guests had to put in their order at the bar and then roll a dice. If it was odds they paid, evens we paid. It was great fun! There were some big wins which got lots of cheers from the bar area.
Sian's Advice
It's ok to break your shoes in by wearing them to the Supermarket.
It's ok not to have a sudden moment of 'THIS IS MY DRESS'. It's ok not to feel bridal and it's ok to not love every step of the wedding planning process. I felt guilty that I didn't seem to have the cliche moments, but on the day it all comes together. I had such a great time and my dress didn't get too badly trashed! I even sometimes look back at wedding planning and have some fond memories....... I did say sometimes!
Lastly, you will never regret becoming a Miss Bush Bride. They are all lovely and they certainly know how to throw a party. I feel like part of the family now!
Aunt Tracy
It's always brilliant when a bride comes to us and tells us that their sister/mum/friend or other family bought a dress from us many years ago. Sian's lovely aunt Tracy found her dress at Miss Bush in 1994 (15 years ago!) and we were so excited when Sian produced these fab photos!
Suppliers
Photographer: Jon Fraser, VLA Photography
Venue: Gate Street Barn
Caterer: Just Jane
Hair: My Aunt
Make up: Me
Florist: Gill Pike
Bridesmaid dresses: Debenhams
Evening food: The Frying Squad
Wedding car: Clover Care cars
Music: Chess Disco
Strings: Melisma Music
Cake and Cookies: The Crumby Bakery
Suits: Anthony Hirewear
Wine: Taurus Wines
Videography: BCT Videos