Well, it's one truly glamorous Monday here today on Love My Dress - we're heading in the direction of some very beautiful 20’s and 30’s inspired glamour, starting with Carla this morning, and now Catherine, whose wedding photographs, taken by the very lovely Maria de Faci, are gracing this very page.
Love My Dress reader Catherine married Richard on 20th June this year at Marylebone Old Town Hall, followed by a reception at the Belvedere Restaurant in Holland Park. Inspired by 1920’s Hollywood glamour, Catherine chose to design her own dress, that evoked the glamour of the era - though I love how the dress also echos a touch of 70's glamour with those gorgeous sleeves...
"I designed the dress myself. The panel of beading on the front and dragonfly broach on the back were ebay finds. The beading came off a vintage dress originally and was slightly reworked by Sarah at Thimbelina, who made my dress. Sarah worked from pictures and ideas I gave her - I can honestly say, she was just AMAZING!"
Love My Dress - Photography Copyright (c) 2011, Maria de Faci
Beautiful bridesmaids dresses from the ever stylish and elegant Ghost...
"I loved the split sleeves of my dress, the full skirt, low back and beading over the waist which splayed out up to the ribs and down to the hips. I also loved the blue dragonfly broach which was stitched into the back. In fact, I loved it all!
Having it made bespoke/made-to-measure, meant I could put together all the design features that I wanted. It also worked out pretty economical compared with all the dresses I tried on in the shops first."
"We chose both our wedding venues, Marylebone Old Town Hall and Belvedere in Holland Park, for being cosmopolitan and beautiful places which made a lovely backdrop for an intimate family wedding with a look of 1920’s Hollywood glamour."
"My bridesmaids wore hair accessories made by my old friend, Laura Gledhill, out of old broaches, beads and other treasures..."
"Our photographer was Maria de Faci, who was lovely. She caught the feel of all the different stages of the day. She was totally unobtrusive on the day & the reportage style of her photos suit the relaxed feel of the day & make an accurate record of it. It was wonderful to receive the photos back and relive all the details we’d forgotten. We would thoroughly recommend her."
"Richard and I me met in 2005 when we were both working in Lisbon. We didn’t get engaged until I was pregnant with our second son in 2009. Richard proposed while we were away for a snowy weekend in Budapest. We were engaged for 3 years before getting married."
"My wonderful Dad walked me down the aisle, we walked to ‘First Day of My Life’ by Bright eyes. It’s a beautiful song, and given the years, events and different chapters of life that we’d been through together before reaching the aisle felt very romantic and appropriate. It was emotional, we both cried!
The ceremony started with a surprise reading that I made and hadn’t told anyone about. It was a poem by Maya Angelou which I first sent Richard one valentine’s day when we were indulging in some fast living in Lisbon. I wanted to say that the offer still stands!
Come and Be My Baby – Maya Angelou
The highway is full of big cars
going nowhere fast
And folks is smoking anything that’ll burn
Some people wrap their lives around a cocktail glass
And you sit wondering
where you’re going to turn
I got it.
Come, And be my baby.
Some prophets say the world is gonna end tomorrow
But others say we’ve got a week or two
The paper is full of every kind of blooming horror
And you sit wondering
What you’re gonna do.
I got it.
Come, And be my baby.
"I brought my hair accessories and vintage necklace from Andrea Bainbridge in York. My bracelet belonged to my mother in law who had wanted to see the day but died, tragically, seven months earlier. The bracelet was my ‘something borrowed’.
Words of Wedded Wisdom...
"Try (if you can) to finish all
organising & jobs at least a week beforehand. My only regret is that
by the time the day came I was pretty shattered!
Please use this box to add anything you feel we might have forgotten to ask you"
Would you be brave enough to work with a dress designer in designing your own wedding dress? I'd absolutely love to hear from you if so!
Congrats Catherine and Richard - I loved your relaxed wedding day, and Catherine, you didn't half design the most beautiful dress.
Thank you too, to the wonderful and very sweet London wedding photographer, Maria de Faci.
Much love,
Annabel
Photographer - Maria de Faci
Venue - Marylebone Old Town Hall + Belvedere in Holland Park
Wedding Dress - designed by the bride, made by Sarah Ashton at
Thimbelina
Bride's shoes - ’Claudia’ by Benjamin Adams, purchased online from Girls of Elegance
Bride's accessories - Andrea Bainbridge
Grooms Suit + Shoes - Paul Smith + tie from Liberty
Bridesmaids Dresses - Ghost
Page boy outfits - Monsoon
Florist - Rebel Rebel in Broadway Market
Red London Bus Transport - Routemasters For Hire
