It's been a while since we featured a beautiful set of wedding photographs from the delightful Dominique Bader, but we're putting this all right today with beautiful set of photographs that were taken at Nicola at Chris's wedding day in August last year at thee beautiful Grove House in Roehampton.
As well as having Dominique photograph their day, the couple were lucky enough to work with the uber-talented Mark W. Brown, who specialises in creating vintage style super-8mm films (see our interview with Mark here)...
"What
can I say about the super talented Mark W. Brown? Chris and I have spoken about
it a number of times and agree that the video Mark has created was worth every penny spent. The video brings the day to
life, when pictures can only show a moment and the format that Mark
films in (8mm) is so soft, romantic and ethereal that seeing it back
fills your heart with the joy of the day – its absolutely amazing.
I knew I wanted to capture the day on film but didn’t want a video camera job from beginning to end, I wanted the essence captured and when I found Mark’s website I knew he was the man for the job. He sees beyond the day and can create his own story from the footage that perfectly reflects the mood, atmosphere and love on the day. I am so grateful to have the films and will never tire of playing them back and reliving the best and most precious day of our lives."
Love My Dress Wedding Blog - Film Copyright (c) 2013, Mark W. Brown
Nicola's elegant wedding gown was by from The Couture Gallery, by Britta Kjerkegaard. Doesn't she just look the epitome of bridal elegance? I adore the images that Dominique has captured of her swooshing that beautiful skirt..
"I found my dress via the Brides Magazine sample sale in 2011 at the Langham Hotel - it was by designer Britta Kjerkegaard of The Couture Gallery. Pretty much every designer of note was in the room, with their gowns heavily reduced to sample sale prices. On top of this, 10% of the price of anything bought on the night was donated to Great Ormond Street, so it felt right to be doing a little good when spending so much.
A lot of the gowns were very beautiful but I wanted something full skirted and everything I tried was so heavy to wear. My husband loves to spin me around the dance floor and these big dresses would have prevented our free flowing footwork. My mum said ‘if you can’t find it here, you’ll never find it’ when it looked like we might go home empty handed. So have to confess did feel a bit pressured. I knew I’d know when I saw it but nothing was really standing out or reflected how I wanted to feel on the day. I think my dress was the third I tried on and Bryony Toogood the Fashion Director for Brides was on hand to help me try it on but as she helped do it up, she mentioned it was too small, so embarrassed I took it off..."
Love My Dress Wedding Blog - Imagery Copyright (c) 2013, Dominique Bader
"I tried another, which was amazing – it had straps and the cut and shape gave me a thin waist, boobs – all the things I could possibly ask for, even the editor of Brides came over saying it looked stunning and ran off to get me some shoes. Other girls mums were coming over and complimenting me, saying how lovely it looked and tears were welling up in my mum’s eyes but it didn’t capture my heart.
I had to get out of there, as everyone else was all but making me buy the dress and I knew it wouldn’t have been right. We had a cocktail in the lovely bar and I told my mum there was only one dress that I couldn’t stop thinking about – the one that didn’t fit. She thought I was mad but as soon as I realised, we rushed back hoping someone else hadn’t bought it, being the only one. It was there, waiting for me. This time I tired it on with the seamstress (lovely Andrea) who had made it and she was able to get me into it. Seeing my reflection made me so happy, I couldn’t help but do a little happy dance (the true test of being in the right wedding gown) and it was an absolute bargain.
It was a couture sample at a cost of £6,500 but I took it home for £1,500 plus some for alterations. I was delighted."
"We got these lovely white paper heart garlands from Festive Lights to put up between the pillars at the back of Grove House as you spill out on to the Terrace. They felt light, pretty and different to the bunting but best of all they were long and cheap (without looking it)."
"I wore a pair of lilac, glitter heeled peep toe shoes from Topshop with just the right amount of height to feel glamorous but with a block heel which allowed for lots of dancing too (with no pain!). They worked beautifully with my dress but best of all as they weren’t ‘weddingy’ I can wear them again – and when I do, I always feel so special and memories of the day come flooding back."
"I’d seen the exact flowers I wanted having leafed through a
hundred magazines and although they were really simple and cheap stocks
(gypsophelia, hydrangea heads, lisianthus, etc) the florist quoted an
absolute fortune - so we decided to do them ourselves! I spent a few
weekends ambling around Portobello Market looking for vessels (old
pewter teapots, vintage marmalade jars, pretty glass pots, etc),
anything to make it all look a little cobbled together and effortless.
My bridesmaids were amazing and came down the day before to help me
dress the venue with flowers and create the bouquets for them and the
flower girls.
Gypsophila means endless love and is a
really inexpensive plant that can be wrapped and weaved through cages
for very dramatic effect. I liked that effortlessness and also wanted a
selection of other white stocks to create variety, along with freesia
for its lovely scent. I wanted all the rooms to be naturally scented
(with the help of a few freesia Dyptique candles too, as the rooms were
large)."
"I love the story of how Chris and I met as it sounds like an old fashioned Victorian tale. It was a cold night in March and I’d gone with a friend to the Westbury in Kilburn, London. The pub was packed (and hot), so I started taking off the layers and tied my scarf around my bag. A little while later I heard a voice behind me say ‘excuse me, you’ve lost your scarf’. I turned to see the most handsome man I had ever seen holding my scarf a loft in his hand, I blushed, said ‘its mine’ and spun away on my heels. I was always a bit shy/awkward when I fancied someone.
About 10mins later he came over to talk to me at the bar and the rest as they say is history, we’ve been together every day since and I feel very lucky that my scarf decided to fall at his feet that night. We moved in together after about 6 months and about 2 years in to our relationship we were on holiday in Puglia, Italy (September 2011). We were at the most beautiful hotel in Ostuni (La Sommita) and Chris got down on bended knee and proposed under the moonlight one balmy evening on the terrace, as we looked out across the Ostuni straits. I cried with tears of happiness.
We set about planning the wedding (and getting the ‘real’ engagement ring) pretty much straight away."
"The fantastic guys at Mr.Start helped my husband to find the most incredible suit, which made him look more dashingly handsome then ever!"
"The bridesmaids dresses were from Topshop and were so pretty with matt embellishment all over the dove grey/blue chiffon. They were missing something though, so I finished them off with a similar hue wide band sash, which the flower girls also wore pulling their two outfits together.
I went to Monsoon for the little dresses white dresses with white flower appliqué on the bodice (pretty and understated but reflected the flower corsage of my dress) and John Lewis for their silver/pewter ballet pumps."
"I tied the ‘to have and to hold from this day on’ napkin ribbon on as a bracelet when we sat down to eat!"
"Our photographer Dominique Bader has a beautiful timeless style to her shots and is very good at capturing candid moments. We are absolutely delighted with the shots and are very happy to see some truly beautiful ones that really capture the day we had and the love in our hearts – we love looking at them and cant wait to look at them together when we’re old and wrinkled."
"My hair was done by Ole who was a whole other serendipitous story. I had no idea what to do about my hair, so walked into a blow dry bar to try and pick up some ideas. Ole came along to ‘sell’ to me and when I tried to run away, he told me to sit in the seat and he’d show me what he could do. I chatted about my ideas and my dress and he worked his magic. Having seen what he was capable of doing for me, I begged him to do my hair on the day and thankfully, he was free and happy to do so. I could never of got my hair looking as good as (I think) it did on the day and it made getting ready all the more enjoyable with him there!
I had a lovely lady called Hannah Edwards (based in London) do my make up and she made me look natural and radiant and really listened to what I wanted. I was very lucky to find Han, it was 2 days before the wedding that I met her and thank god I did. I don’t tend to wear much make up and thought about doing my own as so many professionals were so expensive and it felt like a cost I could save. However having Han there on the day, taking the pressure off me to get that ‘perfectly even and flicked out eyeliner’ applied (after a glass of fizz) meant I was free to enjoy getting ready without any of the possible stress. She was also good fun and relaxing to have around in the morning, which was an added bonus when you’re being quite particular and your stomach is flipping! I really cannot recommend her enough."
"We had a nightmare with venues and were due to marry in Bath but it all fell through. The day it did, I got a call from Grove House in Roehampton to confirm a viewing that weekend – I’d booked it so long before I had totally forgotten and so it seemed like a twist of fate, especially when we saw it, as it was perfect.
It's a great space for entertaining (holding the ceremony and kicking out with the party after), French doors all around the room so you can open up and let the inside out – perfect for a lovely summers day. It was also exquisitely pretty and although occasion appropriate, it didn’t feel traditional country house or stuffy."
"It was more the atmosphere and ambiance we wanted to create on the day that was important to/inspired us and I guess all decisions subconsciously fell out of that, rather than wanting to have a particular look or theme.
We wanted it to be formal enough to sufficiently respect the ceremony and the commitment we wanted to make to each other in front of all our loved ones. For us that was what it was all about but with a softness that made it feel relaxed and laid back at the same time. Once the ceremony concluded, I wanted to be able to float around in a chiffon dream, with a skip in my step, a smile on my face (looking at my husbands face) and just a little old school glamour thrown in."
"We had a beautiful grey vintage Jaguar driven by the lovely Simon at Henley Classic Car Hire – he was so accommodating that he even wore a different coloured suit at my request as I didn’t want him wearing the same colour as Chris (terrible I know) and he was happy to oblige.
He also said he didn’t mind if I decorated the front of the car with flowers around the chrome bumpers, so long as it didn’t scratch the paint (which it didn’t), which I am sure a lot of other companies wouldn’t allow. We also put on a coach for all of our guests (some have a terrible sense of direction, so we thought it safest) from Hammersmith."
"I am not really in touch with my dad and wanted to spend that moment walking down the aisle towards Chris with someone who knew me well and that I was close to. The man for the job was my brother Jonny and I am so happy he played such a big part of our day, it was lovely to share it with him and he did a cracking brother of the bride speech. When he choked on the emotion of his words and everyone willed him on, the tears were flowing.
I walked down the aisle to the sound of Eva Cassidy's 'Time after Time', which was so emotional - Chris and I found it utterly overwhelming, it was truly amazing."
"Walking down the aisle towards Chris and seeing his handsome face and the love for me in his eyes, is what I will always hold in my heart and is the memory I will cherish forever."
"My step dad is a wonderfully talented poet and he wrote a touching poem just for us based around the story of how we met and how Chris proposed..."
Lost and FoundBy David Jones
"Is this your scarf?
Putting a voice to face threw you,
little knowing it was husband-to-be,
the two of you to be like two fishes
swimming in the same sea.
It must’ve slipped off a polished shoulder
looped at Chris’s feet in a silver tangle,
its tassels catching the chandelier sparkle
of the Westbury glitz.
Above the Straights of Otranto
on a cliff-top in the terrace lights,
in the pearl starlight of each other’s eyes,
that night in Puglia, Yes, you said.'
'Love me when I'm old and shocking
Peel off my elastic stockings
Swing me from the chandeliers
Let's be randy bad old dears.
Push around my chromed Bath Chair
Let me tease your white chest hair
Scaring children, swapping dentures
Let us have some great adventures
Take me to the Dogs and Bingo
Teach me how to speak the lingo
Bone my eels and bring me tea
Show me how it's meant to be
Take me to your special places
Watching all the puzzled faces
You in shorts and socks and sandals
Me with warts and huge love-handles
As the need for love enthralls
Wrestle with my damp proof smalls
Make me laugh without constraint
Buy me chocolate body paint
Hold me safe throughout the night
When my hair has turned to white
Believe me when I say it's true
I've waited all my life for you.'
"My mother in law Viki Fenn and her best friend Gill Blackett were kind enough to make us our very beautiful cake with three tiers - red velvet, coffee (the Fenn family favourite) and lemon drizzle all iced to perfection. They went to so much effort and spent weeks crafting delicate sugar roses and gypsophelia to top the cake; we were delighted at how pretty it looked. So much so I wanted to keep the iced flowers and now have them on show in a Victorian glass bell jar at home."
Finding the band was one of the biggest challenges as a lot of what is out there is a little cheesy for us. There seemed to be a lot of ‘predictable’ wedding bands out there and we canvassed the internet for hours. I cant remember how we even stumbled across the Toots but when I heard Chris playing them through the tiny little speakers on the laptop and my foot started to tap, I knew we’d found what we’d spent so long looking for. We wanted the dance floor to be busy throughout the night and weren’t disappointed, in fact the dance floor was rammed all night long and the band really created a party atmosphere. They were so good in fact that not one but two of our friends already have them booked up for their weddings this year, and we cant wait to hear them play again!
Our first dance track was 'To be in love', by Masters at Work. It’s
an energetic dancing track (rather than a smoochy slow number), as we
love to dance and am so glad we did as it was so fun and really set the
tone from that point on – then The Toots started to play and everyone
was dancing, they couldn’t help themselves (they were also very well
oiled by that point)!"
Words of Wedded Wisdom...
"As a parting adieu, best of luck to all you ladies out there planning your nuptials. It really is the most exciting thing in the world to know that you have found the one person in the world who is so right for you that you want to spend the rest of your life with them. Enjoy the planning but don’t let the detail take over, as in the end it’s all so unimportant. What is important is that you cherish the moments that you share on the day with your husband and commit them all to memory to live over and over in all the good times and bad.
The day goes so quickly so be sure to take moments to just soak it all in and try to spend a little bit of time with everyone. Also don’t be afraid to let go, I spent most of the evening with a bottle of prosecco in my hand looking like dishevelled bride and I wouldn’t of had it any other way – don’t feel you have to conform. Hopefully you’ll only ever do it once, so do it your way.
Whilst we did the wedding flowers ourselves, I did have a Florist make me a bouquet and the buttonholes but they were so wilted and disappointing when they arrived that we didn’t use them. It didn’t matter though (save for the waste of money) as my dress had more impact without the bouquet. It was a lesson learnt though for other would-be-brides to get a sample made beforehand. I think part of the problem was that they do very large, expensive weddings usually and although they happily took on my job, it wasn’t significant enough for them. With hindsight, I think its better to go to someone smaller who really does care about your day as much as you do, rather than someone spectacular and large scale (unless you have that budget of course)."
Huge congratulations Nicola and Chris and thank you so very much for sharing your very beautiful day with us, you both look stunning.
And warm thanks to both Dominique Bader and Mark W. Brown for once again sharing their wonderful work with Love My Dress.
Much love,
Annabel
Photographer - Dominique Bader
Film - Mark W. Brown
Venue - Grove House in Roehampton
Wedding Dress + Veil - The Couture Gallery, by Britta Kjerkegaard
Bride's shoes - Topshop
Groom - Mr.Start
Bridesmaids - Topshop
Flowergirls - Monsoon
Florist - The bride with support from friends & family
Cake Designer - Family
Entertainment - The Toots
Transport - Henley Classic Car Hire
Hair Stylist - Ole, oliamo@msn.com or 07810 024 064)
Makeup Artist - Hannah Edwards, hanhanedwards@gmail.com or 07825 564 948
Catering Company - Acclaim Food
Cars/Transport - Henley Classic Car Hire
Paper Heart Garland - Festive Lights
