A Suzanne Neville Gown for a Relaxed and Elegant Garden Wedding

Happy Thursday lovelies. Have you got summer holidays planned this year? As well as our usual trip to sunny Wales, I am visiting Paris in August for the first time and after writing up today’s beautiful French inspired wedding I am so excited for the trip!  This really is utterly gorgeous folks- hold on to your hats and meet today’s bride and groom, Tiggi and Seb, who  married on the 15th of July 2015 at the home of Tiggi’s parents- Coombe Trenchard, Lewtrenchard, West Devon. What an utterly beautiful and personal place to marry.

Love my Dress Little Book for Brides members Blue Fizz Events helped keep things running smoothly on the day and advised the couple ahead of time as well.

“Our theme was relaxed elegance and our day was influenced by a combination of things we love, starting with Seb’s family being French and our love for Italy and Devon.  I had a very clear idea in my head of the colours that I wanted to incorporate into our day. The chosen pallet of antique dusky pink, steely Lavender, and café au lait was brought together nicely with flowers, ribbon and accessories.”

Tiggi wore the most beautiful lace gown by Suzanne Neville, purchased from Ellie Sanderson in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.  The cut-out back is beautiful and the fabric just exquisite- those lace cap sleeves are darling.

“I went into the shop with no particular dress in mind, tried on many and loved them all but the choice was easy in the end.  It really was my favourite detail of the wedding.” 

Tiggi’s stunning necklace of pink pearls was her ‘something borrowed’, while her matching earrings were a gift on the day- both courtesy of her mother.  Her bracelet was a gift from Seb, which she found hidden under her pillow that morning, while on her feet she wore a pair of shoes she purchased while in Switzerland.

In her hair Tiggi wore a comb which was bought for her by her grandmother from Ellie Sanderson during a fitting.  She chose a delicate veil, also from Ellie Sanderson, to set off the look and finished with a spray of Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel.  Hair and make up were the work of The Event Studios.

Tiggi walked down the aisle of the church on her father’s arm, to ‘I Giorni’ by Ludivico Einaudi, chosen by Seb.  The couple asked Seb’s sister and one of the bridesmaids to read ‘What is Marriage’, and Tiggi’s Uncle and Godfather read ‘The Message’ from Philippians 2:1-11, while her Grandmother lead the congregation in a special prayer.

“Although probably not needed as the house is a short walk from the church, I was chauffeured to the church and back with my new husband, in a dark grey British 1930 Talbot owned by a family friend.”

The flower girl wore a beautiful dress with an intricate lace top and tulle skirt made by Gilly Gray, while the adult bridesmaids shimmered in sequinned dresses from ASOS (cafe au lait) and Monsoon (dusky pink).  To accessorise they wore earrings from Pompidou and bracelets from Hair Bows Wonderworld on Etsy.

Catering was the work of Outside Inn Cuisine.

The stunning floral arrangements and bouquets were the work of Joanna Game Flowers.

“The flowers were a huge and very important part of our wedding day. We knew we wanted to use British flowers and to have a very natural country garden feel.  Jo was amazing, I wanted to have greenery hanging from the ceiling of the marquee and so she created floral chandeliers made from wire lamp shades, covered in moss.”

“My mother is very passionate about British grown flowers and has a lovely cutting garden at Coombe Trenchard where she grows flowers for weddings. It was lovely to be able to use some of these flowers for the arrangements on the drinks terrace.  My bouquet was amazing, and was tied with long hand dyed silk ribbons from Heirloom Silks.”

Photographer Lucy Wallace was the talent behind these incredible images.  I haven’t come across Lucy’s work before but I’ll certainly be keeping my eyes open for her in future.

“Lucy did a fantastic job and she and her photography partner Emma were there capturing all our moments without intruding on our day.”

Seb looked incredibly smart in a grey suit by Cad and the Dandy, worn with a tie from Mrs. Bowtie, while his groomsmen boasted fitted shirts, also from Cad and the Dandy, with their initials on the cuffs.  The two pageboys wore light summery outfits bought from La Redoute.

“Sam Hunter, a bespoke jewellery designer and family friend, made my wedding ring and designed Seb’s, which was made up of three rings of yellow and white gold.”

For their champagne reception the couple chose to book ‘Swingology’- a gypsy jazz band- to set the party mood.  In the evening, they and their guests danced to music by ‘The Somebodys‘.

“The Italian terrace provided the perfect location for our drinks reception and wedding breakfast marquee.  Our evening party then moved into the adjoining Coach House Courtyard with transparent roof and festoon lights, which allowed us to dance under the stars.  It was everything I wanted and more.”

The stunning three tier cake was the work of Tiggi’s mother and decorated by family friend and botanical artist Marion Creasey, who created flowers from sugar paste to match those in Tiggi’s bouquet.

“Our wedding favours for the gents were small bottles of Penderyn Welsh Whisky, while our female guests were given chocolate Dragees from France. The dragees were placed in tiny antique coffee cups that my mother had been collecting.”

“My favourite part of the day was the first dance. Seb loves to Rock and Roll and his dancing was something that drew me to him in the beginning.  By the time our first dance came all our nerves about dancing in front of our guests had disappeared and we were able to do what we love to do- dance like nobody was watching.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Enjoy every minute of the day and take some time out to soak it all in. When I woke early in the morning I took my dogs out into the fields and sat down in the morning sun and enjoyed watching the bustle of everything being set up.  Another treasured moment was when Seb and I first arrived at the house before our guests arrived back from the church, had our first glass of champagne and stood in awed silence, amazed that our year of organisation had brought us to the start of the best day of our lives.”

Thank you so much to Tiggi and Seb for sharing their wonderful day of love, talent and beauty with us and a huge thank you also to Lucy Wallace for sharing her wonderful photographs.  Do we have any other Devon-based brides?  Have a look here for some local inspiration.

Much love,

Shona x