A Fabulously Backless and Sparkly David Fielden Wedding Dress

Good morning all – just a quick reminder for those of you who haven't seen this rather wonderful £500 giveaway by Lovely Favours yet?  This morning's wedding is a short and sweet one but I was really keen to share it with you because the brides choice of gown reflects a more edgy, fashion forward choice and I really adore that jewelled back and cowel neck detail.

Helen and Gareth got married on 22nd September last year, and held their reception at Hilltop Country House in Prestbury and Helen chose to wear a David Fielden gown…

"I sell vintage clothes in my spare time and that passion
for fashion had to be celebrated (I’m a massive fan of 30's and 40's style
and anything art deco).  Gareth is a music producer and DJ so we also
had to bring that to the fore.  The unofficial theme was ‘Deco Disco’.

I’d loved David Fielden dresses at The Luxury Wedding Show
and just a few weeks later there was a sample sale at the flagship
store.  The fact that it was a one-day sale meant I had to buy it then
and there and that definitely helped me make my mind up." 

Love My Dress Wedding Blog – Photography Copyright (c) 2013, Weddings Vintage

"Gareth got his suit from The Kooples.  I’d
been steering Gareth towards navy (it’s different and classic at the
same time) and he wanted something modern with a really sharp cut.  I
saw the suit in the shop window and took a photo of it to show him. 
When he tried it on it looked so good.  It’s a dinner suit so the satin
trim worked with my dress.

The cream tie was vintage (I’d bought it for him so he was adamant about wearing it), and his shirt was Ted Baker."

"I’d
been to so many dress boutiques and wedding shops, and always with my best friend or my mum.  This
was the first time I’d been dress shopping on my own so it was a bit of
a gamble, but I knew what I wanted from the start.  I was looking for a
classic 30's or 40's style dress that would stand the test of time. I
wanted to be able to enjoy the photos over the years without feeling
that the dress look dated.  That’s what I love about vintage clothing –
it never goes out of fashion – and that’s what I wanted from my wedding dress.

Style-wise I knew I didn’t want strapless and being a redhead I had to
find the right colour fabric to flatter my skin. The silk had a
candlelit look about it, the colour was just perfect – a soft, golden
cream.  I also loved the wow factor of the back."

"My mum bought the pretty headband from a hotel in the Lake
District.  I think it was about £25 out of one of those glass display
cabinets that hotels sometimes have. It was perfect – vintage-y and not
too much."

"My shoes were Nova by Jimmy Choo – they
are so comfortable!  The dress was less than half price so I decided
the shoes were worth splurging on.  Plus you get a lot more wear out of
your shoes than your dress.  You have to be comfortable on your wedding
day as you’re on your feet for most of it."

"My wedding veil was a cathedral length number by Joyce Jackson from Dream Catcher Bridal…"

"Our cook from Hilltop Country House, Charlie, was also the florist. 
She’s multi-talented. When I bought the dress I was wearing Rouge Noir
nail polish and the dark colour looked really good against the dress so I
knew I wanted deep burgundy as the accent colour.

I love cream and
blush and then also wanted a brighter pink to pop the colours a bit. I
gave Charlie a photo of a bouquet and we discussed tweaks including
adding the brighter pink. It all worked beautifully on the day.  Charlie
did a fantastic job."

"The simply amazing Harriet from Weddings Vintage took our photographs. We’d
had a bit of a dilemma on the photographer front, having hired someone
already. But we did an engagement shoot and the photos hadn’t turned out
as we’d hoped so we decided to look for someone else.  I saw photos
Harriet had taken at a wedding in Wales on a blog and they were just
jaw-dropping.

We went on the Weddings Vintage website and every wedding
Harriet featured had the same high quality photos and beautiful brides
and she had managed to capture the emotion in every couple’s day."

"We’re
so glad we decided on Harriet. She was a joy to have around on the day,
really discreet, and the photos are just lovely. It was a big decision
to switch photographers quite close to the wedding but having the
engagement shoot confirmed we needed to change things – they’re a great
idea, to help you decide either way if you’ve found the right
photographer.

Harriet has a real talent for shooting beautiful portrait
shots and steers her couples away from cheesy poses and towards
something much more natural and informal. We have loads of photos of
people just relaxing and having a great time and that’s exactly what we
wanted."

"I had a couple of trials but in the end I decided to do my
own make up. I wasn’t sure if the nerves would get the better of me on
the day but I actually found it really relaxing.  I’d been watching Lisa
Eldridge’s tutorial videos online and read loads about wedding make up
so I knew I needed to wear a bit more than normal.  Doing it myself
meant I could practice with things like foundation, which I never
normally wear, ahead of the day. I spent more by buying make up and
brushes than I would have done hiring a professional, but it meant I had
loads of new products to use again and again.

My mum’s hairdresser
styled my hair – I couldn’t have done that myself! She did my mum and my
best friend too."

"Gareth and I met while working at the same PR agency in London
(where we both now live), but recognised each other as years earlier we
had lived in the same halls at Cardiff University.  We were friends for
years before we got together, after a night out with colleagues. We’ve
been together for over five years and got engaged in July 2011.

The ceremony was at St Peter’s Church, Prestbury, Cheshire, followed by a reception at Hilltop Country House
in Prestbury. I used to visit Prestbury with family as a child so when
we got engaged it was on the shortlist immediately, as it held good
memories and it’s close to my family home. Hilltop looked great and
Gareth in particular loved it when we visited.  We wanted somewhere that
felt personal and Hilltop is exactly that – it’s a beautiful family
home. The gardens are stunning and we knew they’d make a lovely backdrop
for our photos.  Thankfully the sun was shining brightly – after
torrential rain all week – so we were able to make the most of them.
Clare and her family couldn’t do enough for us, nothing was too much
trouble and every part of the planning was a pleasure."

"My friend Emily read  ‘I Do’ by Clair Peach. For
the religious reading, Gareth’s mate Chris really stepped up – he
doesn’t do a lot of public speaking but managed 1 Corinthians 13 without
a stumble.  He was pretty nervous but he read it brilliantly.

‘I Do’ is a poem we hadn’t heard before and it was
meaningful to us because it’s about the marriage, not the wedding day. 
It’s about being thankful for each other, no matter what life throws at
you.

The ceremony was definitely the best bit.  That’s what
it’s about afterall.  I remember we couldn’t stop smiling and we were
being a bit naughty too, as we kept chatting. I also loved walking down
the aisle.  I was dreading it a little beforehand, as I don’t like being
centre of attention, but it was a really special moment and I remember
beaming at friends and family."

"We
got married 61 years to the day after my grandparents Bert & Betty.
We booked the venue early so had several dates to choose from, but that
swung it for us.  We displayed photos from their day at the wedding and
they got a big shout out during the speeches.  They were our guests of honour."

Words of Wedded Wisdom…

1. Don’t be too hard on yourselves if you hit a bump in the road
while planning your day.  It could be practical or emotional, but it’s
par for the course if you’re going to be together for good.  Consider it
practice.
2.  Write every moment of the day down as soon as
you can afterwards.  With the best will in the world, your memories
will still fade and it’s lovely to have something to prompt it all
back. 
3. Make it personal.  Our friends and family helped
to make our day feel very ‘us’ – from the drinks my brother made, to the
illustrated cake toppers by Viv, to the photo booth our friend Sam set
up for us, the list goes on and on.  There should only be one rule on
your wedding day – it’s your day, do it your way!

I didn’t buy one wedding magazine.  I became obsessed with Love My Dress and
checked it every day. The best possible inspiration has to be real
weddings and it’s also the warmest way to absorb ideas and get wrapped
up in the excitement of your own planning.  The emotion really comes
across.  I got so many ideas from Love My Dress.  Most of all,
for me Love My Dress reflects my taste and style so it was a catalogue
of beautiful weddings along the lines of what I wanted."

Stylish and fabulous I say. Thank you Helen for so kindly sharing your wedding with us all today and for your brilliant feedback about Love My Dress!

Huge thanks also to Photographer Harriet from Weddings Vintage.

I'd love to see more David Fielden’ brides on Love My Dress? Any fans out there?

With much love,

Annabel

Photographer – Weddings Vintage
Venue – Hilltop Country House in Prestbury.
Bride's Dress – David Fielden’s Flagship Store, Chelsea
Veil/Headpiece – Joyce Jackson for Dream Catcher Bridal
Brides Shoes - Nova by Jimmy Choo
Bride's accessories – headband gift from Mother
Grooms Suit – The Kooples
Bridesmaids Hair Accessory – 50p from a car boot sale
Flowers – Hilltop Country House
Cake – Marks & Spencer
Cars/Transport – Rivers Wedding Cars