A floral and boho inspired real wedding: Rose and Rich

Lovely way start the week by seeing one of our lovely real brides Rose, who's wedding in beautiful Sussex, is featured on Whimsical Wonderland Weddings this morning!

Rose wore the Isadora dress in a fabulous blush shade, with a cowl neck, cap sleeves and a gold satin sash. Read more about the wedding below or on Whimsical Wonderland Weddings. These photos are incredible, and look so much like a fashion editorial, photography by Luke Hayden.

Real wedding
Real wedding
Real wedding
Real wedding
Real wedding
Real wedding

Rose and Rich's wedding

THE PROPOSAL | We have a special connection with New York because we met and fell for each other just a couple of months before I left to go travelling. New York was the final destination of my trip and Rich flew out to meet me after 7 or 8 months apart. For my 30th birthday Rich took me back and proposed on Brooklyn Bridge.

THE VISION | We wanted a beautiful, relaxed wedding with lots of emotion and laughter.

THE PLANNING PROCESS | We booked the ceremony and reception venues shortly after getting engaged and then relaxed for a few months before planning everything else. The 6 months leading up to the wedding day were pretty hectic but very exciting.

THE VENUE | We got married at the top of Lewes Castle which is essentially a ruin so the ceremony was in the open air with incredible panoramic views of the Sussex countryside. We both had our hearts set on an outdoor ceremony and when we visited the castle we knew it had to be there. I really loved making my way up the steps to the Keep with my parents and bridesmaids and then walking barefoot across the grass towards Rich. After the ceremony we enjoyed a couple of hours of sunshine and drinks in the castle gardens before heading to the Pelham Arms for our reception. We were keen that everything was walkable on the day so were thrilled when we found a gorgeous little beamed pub 5 minutes from the castle that served amazing food.

THE DRESS & ACCESSORIES | My dress was from a London designer called Sabina Motasem. My flowers were my only accessories; I had a large dramatic bouquet and a beautiful flower crown. I had ballet shoes just in case but ended up going barefoot for the entire day.

FINDING THE DRESS | I didn’t want a conventional wedding dress. I endured a couple of appointments in bridal shops with gushy shop assistants and it really wasn’t for me. My friend Charlie was also dress hunting at the time and had found a great designer in London whose showroom was in her home! Charlie thought I’d love the designs and she was right. I found a gorgeous 1930s style silk dress and as soon as I tried it on it felt right. I asked Sabina to alter the back and shorten the train so in the end it really felt as though the dress had been made specifically for me.

GROOM’S ATTIRE | Rich wore a slim fitting French blue suit from Jump The Gun in Brighton. It fit him perfectly. He wore a contrasting dark blue waistcoat with a subtle tartan pattern, a burgundy polka dot tie and brown brogues. He looked so handsome!

THE READINGS & MUSIC | Our readings were very personal to us. Watching my brother and two friends read them at the top of the castle was unbelievably emotional. The registrar actually got the order of the readings wrong but it worked beautifully. I made Rich a wedding scrap book for Christmas and teared up again when I reread them! Music was also extremely important to us and Rich spent hours putting together 4 different playlists for the day. We wanted some live music at the reception and luckily know a brilliant Skifflebilly band called Bad Bad Whiskey. They were a huge hit and they even learnt a song that I requested as a surprise for Rich.

BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS | I didn’t want to put my bridesmaids in matching dresses. They have very different styles and personalities and I wanted them all to feel like themselves. I had a colour palette in mind but basically gave them free rein… It wasn’t quite as straightforward as I’d envisaged but they all looked gorgeous on the day!

THE FLOWERS | Flowers were a big priority and I had a very specific idea of how I wanted them to look. My mum is an avid gardener and we loved the idea of having flowers from my parent’s garden. She worked tirelessly with one of her best friends to create all of the arrangements for the reception and spent months drying thousands of petals for our confetti! It really was a labour of love and the result was amazing. For the bouquets there was only one choice and that was Miss Mole’s Flower Emporium. It’s our local florist and I’ve walked past and admired it for years. My vision was wild and romantic. I’m not a fan of bouquets that look perfectly put together with no movement. Barbara completely understood and created the most beautiful bouquets I have ever seen. I was completely obsessed with my flower crown too and didn’t want to take it off; I actually took it with me on our honeymoon to Mexico!

THE CAKE | We had a 3 tier lemon drizzle bundt cake but we also had a cheese tower and a table full of cakes and desserts made by friends and family. My 18 year old cousin Lizzie made a cake in the shape of our cat Moose which really stole the show!

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER | It was important to both of us that our wedding photos captured the emotion of the day. We’re not fans of posed portraits or group shots and didn’t want to spend too much time away from our family and friends. I was blown away when I saw Luke’s work and knew that we were lucky to have him capture our wedding. He was fantastic. It felt like he was one of our guests who just happened to be an incredibly talented photographer! We are thrilled with our wedding photos and will cherish them forever.

THE DETAILS & DÉCOR | I’m pretty creative and enjoyed adding personal touches to the venues. I surprised Rich by framing significant quotes and song lyrics in embroidery hoops and asked my parents to attach them to the banisters of the castle steps on the morning of the wedding. We made labels out of old 35mm film canisters and we sprayed the flower jars rose gold to go with our bespoke wedding rings. The pub ceilings were decorated with asparagus fern garlands and there were lots of fairy lights and candles in amongst the flowers.

THE HONEYMOON | We went to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. We stayed in Merida for a couple of days to experience the city and culture and then headed to Tulum on the coast for the main part of our trip. We stayed in a cabana right on the beach and then a beautiful boutique hotel with a wraparound balcony for our last couple of nights. It was completely unforgettable!

MEMORABLE MOMENTS | There are so many… Seeing Rich for the first time at the top of the castle, walking down the aisle with both of my parents, the readings, exchanging our rings, the kiss, the best wedding speeches ever, lots of crying and lots of dancing!

ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES | Don’t do anything just because it’s expected. We didn’t cut a cake, have a first dance or throw the bouquet… because we didn’t want to and it was our wedding! I would also advise couples not to do too much on the actual day – I was determined to make the buttonholes myself and although it was a nice touch, in hindsight it wasn’t worth the stress!

Real wedding
Real wedding
Real wedding

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE |

Photographer | Essex Wedding Photographer Luke Hayden
Ceremony venue | Lewes Castle
Reception venue | The Pelham Arms
Flowers | Miss Mole’s Flower Emporium
Dress | Sabina Motasem
Rings | Shiruba Tree
Make-up | SJE Make Up
Suit | Jump The Gun

 

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August 08, 2016 by Sabina Ali
Tags: Real bride


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Comments

Shiruba Tree

Shiruba Tree said:

Such a stunning wedding and it was a real pleasure to be a part of it. It was lovely having them both to the workshop to discuss their wedding ring ideas, a really sweet couple. We wish them the very best for their future together. Love & happiness

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