We're delighted to share Cerys and Jérôme's elegant, joyful Cotswolds wedding with you today, which took place at Ivy Lodge in Cirencester in early May. The day was styled with a classic, timeless monochrome colour palette, with a chic black tie dress code and French inspired elements in honour of the groom's heritage.

Cerys wore a custom version of Suzanne Neville's Degas wedding dress, which she made her own by removing the draped sleeves and switching the scoop neckline with a straight version. To style her look, Cerys wore a statement Nortier cape with bold puff sleeves for the ceremony and reception. This was replaced with an elegant scarf from Jesus Peiro for the evening party. Cerys completed her bridal outfit with Jimmy Choo shoes, an Isla de Gar bag and Victoria Percival pearl stud earrings.

Read on for more details about the day and Cerys's dress shopping experience in her own words. With beautiful images by C Bourgeois Photography

Custom Suzanne Neville Degas wedding dress

I chose Degas by Suzanne Neville and worked with the team to make a few changes along the way so it felt completely me. We altered the neckline to be straight across and removed the sleeve sections, which made the overall look feel cleaner, more minimal and a little more modern.

For the ceremony, I wore a Nortier cape/veil, which added a beautiful sense of drama, and then changed into a Jesus Peiro scarf for the evening. I loved that my look evolved throughout the day whilst still feeling cohesive and timeless.

What I loved most about the dress was how elegant and effortless it felt. I never wanted to feel overly bridal or fussy, and the final look felt exactly right for me. I felt confident, comfortable and completely myself, just a slightly more polished version.

I brought my Mum with me. The funny thing is that Degas was actually the very first wedding dress I ever tried on and Miss Bush was the first and only bridal boutique I visited.

Anyone who knows me will find that quite amusing because I'm usually a serial overthinker. I think everyone expected me to visit countless boutiques, try on dozens of dresses and spend months making a decision. Instead, I found my dress almost immediately.

There were no dramatic tears, which is very on brand for me, but there was a calm certainty that we'd found the one. My Mum loved it straight away and deep down I think I knew from that very first appointment that nothing else was ever going to compare.

Dress Shopping at Miss Bush

Without question, the entire experience at Miss Bush itself. Living in Dubai meant I couldn't just pop in whenever I wanted, so I really appreciated how personal, thoughtful and seamless every appointment felt.

What I loved most was that even though I found my dress during my very first appointment, the journey didn't end there. Working with Jo to refine the look, make changes to the dress and choose the cape and scarf became such a special part of the process. Every appointment felt relaxed, exciting and genuinely enjoyable.

Looking back, dress shopping was one of my favourite parts of wedding planning. Miss Bush was the first boutique I visited, Degas was the first dress I tried on and I honestly wouldn't change a thing.

Living in Dubai was probably the biggest challenge. Planning a UK wedding from overseas requires quite a lot of organisation, especially when it comes to appointments, fittings and timelines.

The Miss Bush team were brilliant throughout and made the whole process feel far easier than it had any right to. Rosie and Jo were always incredibly flexible, accommodating and reassuring, and I never once felt stressed about managing everything from abroad.

I also made a few changes to my dress along the way, including altering the neckline and removing the sleeves, but no request ever felt like too much trouble for Jo. Every decision was met with enthusiasm, expert advice and complete patience. I always felt I was in incredibly safe hands, which gave me so much confidence throughout the entire process.

Styling

The overall look was very minimal, elegant and timeless. For the ceremony, I wore the Nortier cape/veil, which added a beautiful sense of drama whilst still feeling clean and modern. In the evening, I changed into a Jesus Peiro scarf, which completely transformed the look whilst maintaining the same minimalist aesthetic. I loved that these pieces allowed my bridal look to evolve throughout the day without ever feeling overcomplicated.

I paired everything with Jimmy Choo shoes, an Isla de Gar bag and Victoria Percival pearl stud earrings. One of my favourite details was that my mum wore the same earrings in black, which felt incredibly special and was a lovely way for our looks to feel connected.

An elegant, joyful wedding at Ivy Lodge in The Cotswolds

We were married at Ivy Lodge in the Cotswolds on 7th May 2026. From the very beginning, we knew we wanted the day to feel elegant, understated and completely reflective of us. The overall style was black tie and intentionally minimalist. All of the women wore long black dresses, which perhaps isn't the most obvious choice for a spring wedding, but it felt perfectly aligned with our style. Jerome and I are both drawn to clean lines, simplicity and timeless design, so we wanted every element of the day to embody that.

The entire wedding was monochrome. Our stationery was black and white, the flowers were white roses only, and there was very little colour anywhere. We used single stem white roses throughout the venue, while my bouquet was made entirely of white roses. The overall look was simple, elegant and uncluttered, which felt very true to how we live our lives and how we wanted our wedding to feel.

As Jerome is French, it was also important that we incorporated subtle French touches throughout the day. All of our stationery featured French headings, and during the ceremony my older brother and Jerome's sister read the same reading, one in English and one in French. We also chose a macaron tower instead of a traditional wedding cake, which felt like a lovely nod to Jerome and his family.

Although we were married in England, it was important that the day reflected both of our cultures and personalities. Looking back, my favourite thing about the wedding is that every detail felt intentional and unmistakably us.

The best bits

Walking down the aisle and seeing Jerome waiting for me will always be one of my favourite memories.

Another moment I'll never forget was being announced into the wedding breakfast. Looking around the room and seeing all of our favourite people together, celebrating us and celebrating love, was one of those rare moments where I wished I could pause time for just a few minutes.

Cerys's Advice

As someone who usually overthinks absolutely everything, my biggest piece of advice would be not to overthink your wedding haha!

It's so easy to get caught up in tiny details and put pressure on everything being perfect, but what matters most is that you and your partner enjoy the day and start married life surrounded by the people you love.

Trust your instincts. I found my dress in the first boutique I visited and it was the first dress I tried on. Sometimes the right decision is the simplest one.

Most importantly, take it all in. Everyone says the day goes quickly and they're absolutely right. Try to pause, look around and enjoy every moment because it really does fly by.

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