I absolutely adore the dress in this vintage-inspired wedding. It is stunning and, surprisingly, isn’t actually a wedding dress! Vicky & Gordon kindly gave me loads of details of their day including some handy tips for brides-to-be. So whilst the pictures are always lovely to look at, this post is well worth a read too!
The meeting
Gordon and I met in May 2006 through Guardian Soulmates: the online dating service. After reading hundreds of boring profiles from men who ‘like nights out with friends but also like nights in with a bottle of wine’ Gordon’s profile was completely different. It stood out from the rest because it was a bit funny, a bit intelligent, a bit intriguing and quite honest. We agreed to meet up at a not particularly romantic old man’s pub on the Portobello Road in London, called the Earl of Lonsdale. It turned out that we both worked in PR, and we also had a friend in common whose husband was Gordon’s best friend and who ended up being his best man at our wedding! I liked Gordon straight away, despite the fact that he was a bit on the scruffy side. We got on fantastically well and ended up having dinner at the Electric and more drinks somewhere else later. At the end of the evening we agreed to meet again later that week at a gig he was working at, and the rest is history.
The proposal
On 27th November 2007: my birthday. He had sent me flowers for the first time so I thought there was something up. That night we went for a drink at the good old Earl of Lonsdale pub. We sat in the same place as we had when we met. I didn’t realise he was trying to ask me something because my phone kept ringing with people wishing me a Happy Birthday. He gave me a present of a book of photographs which my friends had all contributed to, which was very touching. And then he said ‘there’s something else’ and he gave me a little box which had a ring in it, a gold ring with rubies and diamonds, then he got down on one knee and said ‘will you marry me?’ It’s all a bit hazy now but I must have said yes! Apparently this was the ‘stunt ring’ to wear until we got the real thing. I was pretty happy with the stunt ring to be honest but delighted to know there was another one on the way. I now have an antique and very beautiful art deco diamond and platinum ring which we got from Grays Antiques, Bond Street. After the proposal we went to the Electric and had lobster and Champagne and pretty much did everything we had done on the night we met. It sounds really corny but when we left the pub it was dark and it was raining but Portobello Road had never looked so pretty with the orange light from the streetlamps reflected in the puddles.
The wedding
Stationery: Ivory card, A5, with traditional black and gold font.
Hair: Jason King, Attitude HBD. He also made my veil from two colours of silk tulle from a silk shop in Soho layered over each other, and he used some of the surplus beads from my dress on the comb. The result was very vintage looking and suited my 30s-style dress. I had bought a synthetic tulle one at the last minute and it looked rally naff so Jason made me a silk one. Tip 1: silk tulle is MUCH nicer than synthetic tulle and flows in the breeze beautifully although it is very fragile. Tip 2: sort your veil out in advance, don’t leave it until the last minute. Tip 3: if you’re thinking ‘I don’t want a veil’ get a veil, they look amazing and you don’t have to have a big flouncy thing hanging down over your face; you can have it draped beautifully at the back like mine did. It will totally set you apart from the other guests.
Make-up: Vicky Draper: she is brilliant and talented and gorgeous and lovely and just who you need on the biggest day of your life! Apart from the groom! I can’t recommend her enough.
Dress: Ian Stuart, but it was not a wedding dress. It was from his first ever evening collection and was so beautifully made. My mum and I just stared at it. We actually thought it was vintage because of the colour and the beading, it looked 1930s. My mum spotted it in a shop called Drop Dead Gorgeous in Bath which is not particularly smart and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go in there but my mum insisted she’d seen this amazing dress. I’m glad I listened to my mum for a change! I recommend looking at evening collections as well as wedding dress collections. It can also be cheaper! I love that this little humble shop that doesn’t look much on the outside, had the dress of my dreams in it, whereas the rather snooty shop next door made my mum feel uncomfortable and so I didn’t bother going in. The owner of Drop Dead Gorgeous was endlessly helpful and recommended local suppliers and gave me some brilliant advice. So my tip here is don’t judge a book by its cover, you might find something amazing where you least expect it.
Shoes: Nude, patent leather, Christian Louboutin pumps, quite high but not so high I couldn’t dance.
Bridesmaids: Penny (best friend from school), Tallulah (daughter of some good friends) aged 11, and Rumi, the daughter of some other friends, aged 6.
Groom/Best man: Gordon says… The best man was Richard Williams. I was looking for tailcoats for me and the best man, but we wanted something a bit different. After trawling round Saville Row and not really finding anything we liked, we were recommended to try Favourbrook on Jermyn Street. Richard immediately saw these black velvet tailcoats on the rail, with ‘nero’ style collars which we tried on and loved right away. They were a bit more expensive than we had planned as they had to be made individually, but they looked (and felt) so good that we had to have them. We wore them with white ‘highwayman’ shirts, which have a long collar that you wrap around your neck, and we got ivory silk waistcoats to go with them. I think they were a great blend of traditional and a bit quirky and really worked in the setting of the very old church and alongside Vicky’s dress. The service at Favourbrook was also excellent, and I’d recommend them every time.
Ushers: Gordon says… Grant, James, Degsy, Keith (my brother) and Ben and Jack: Vicky’s nephews . For the ushers I didn’t want to put any pressure on them to spend loads of money (and I’d done my budget on the velvet tailcoats!) so I just asked them to wear dark suits and white shirts and they all got a buttonhole to mark them out as part of the team. As all our guests were staying over-night at the reception venue, we got the ushers to welcome them and make sure everyone got into their rooms and sorted out on the morning of the wedding. Degsy also served as MC for the speeches. My best tip for grooms: put your ushers to work helping you out on the day looking after the guests. I had 6 so they didn’t have too much to do each, but it meant I wasn’t running about too much and I could enjoy the experience. My best man was also a star, taking my last-minute to-do list off me on the morning and telling me not to worry about it anymore, it would all be sorted. Just what I needed.
Bride’s flowers: Amnesia Roses. The soft mauve colour picked out some of the beading in my dress. Bouquet by Rachel Lilley.
Bridesmaid’s flowers: I think they were a mix of Amnesia and paler roses.
Buttonholes: Amnesia rose, plain button hole.
Transport: Rolls Royce Silver Cloud.
Ceremony venue: All Saints Church, Lullington.
Ceremony music: For the entrance: Trumpet Tune; Purcell played on the organ. During the ceremony: Morning Has Broken & Lord of all Hopefulness. Exit music was the Arrival of the Queen of Sheba played on the organ.
Reception venue: Orchardleigh House, Frome, Somerset.
Reception decoration: Keith Duncan Amorphous Ltd, did the lighting. Glass bowls with simple bouquets of Amnesia roses. White tablecloths and simple tea lights. We didn’t go mad on the table arrangements, we just wanted simple and stylish, especially as Orchardleigh is quite elaborate and traditional, we didn’t want flowers that were too trendy or OTT. We decided it would be better to spend the money on the things that would make our guests have a great time: the food and the booze!
Place cards: Just simple ivory cards hand written by Gordon’s sister the night before (thanks Susie).
Food: I can’t remember the descriptions but the Orchardleigh House food was amazing. We didn’t get to do a tasting but needn’t have worried it was superb.
Cake: Made by Gordon’s mum, Margaret Duncan.
Favours: Little gold bags with gold sweeties inside .
Entertainment: After the meal pianist Luke Deane played jazzy lounge music. West End stars Kelly Price and Charlotte Gorton sang for us and so did chanteuse Fleur Gilbert (weren’t we lucky?) For more information about Fleur Gilbert and her band Sweet Tooth check out their website: http://sweettoothmusic.co.uk
First dance: The song was ‘One Day Like This’ by Elbow played live by our band ‘Cheque’s In The Post’ and a String Quartet. Anyone looking for a great band for their wedding should give them a go. They do soul, pop, disco, rock and they’ll learn requested songs with a bit of notice like they did for us. Contact Martin for more details. Big Frank, the singer, is an absolute legend.
Photography: Jemma Watts at Pearl Pictures did a wonderful job on the day, and I can’t recommend them enough. Hire Pearl Pictures immediately for your wedding!
Best bit of the day: I knew that the band were learning the song One Day Like This by Elbow to be our first dance. The song features violins and what I didn’t know was that Gordon had secretly arranged for Bryden string quartet to play with the band. The band and quartet had set up in secret in the blue room of the house with the door closed. When the doors opened and we were invited to take the first dance I heard first and then saw the violin players strike up the tune and then I looked up at the stage to see Kelly, Charlotte, Fleur and Coralie, our singer friends, who had all learned the words and performed with the band. It was the best moment of the day apart from the church and one of the happiest moments of my life. Gordon had gone to such a massive effort to make that particular moment utterly amazing. What was brilliant was that everyone else was having such a great time too, and all the people that we love best in the world were there in the room singing along to the chorus as though we were at a festival…
So throw those curtains wide…
One day like this a year’ll see you right!
Awesome images courtesy of Pearl Pictures
Still in love with that dress!
Thanks to Jemma at Pearl Pictures for sharing the lovely images. And, along with thanking Vicky & Gordon for an amazing insight into their big day, I’d also like to wish them a very happy anniversary for Sunday! I hope you both have a lovely time celebrating.
Debs
Photographer Details:
Pearl Pictures website
Pearl Pictures blog
Contact Pearl Pictures
Phone: 02032 873021
