Bridesmaids In Sequins for a Botanical Inspired Wedding In Mallorca

I can confirm, as a married lady (still not used to that) that my adoration for all things ‘wedding’ hasn’t reduced in the slightest since my Tuscan olive grove union in June.I still sigh over gorgeous dresses, admire beautiful stationery and covet all things bridal on a near daily basis (probably not healthy I know), and above all, admire the stunning work of that talented group of people called ‘wedding photographers.’

I think I may have told our amazing shooter Amy that I love her a few too many times since receiving our breathtaking images, and it speaks volumes to me that the photographer who documented today’s celebrations, is one of her all-time favourite professionals.

Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to the beautiful Laura, a portrait photographer, who wed her love David, a head of corporate communications and public affairs, on 20th May this year in Porreres, Mallorca. Their stunning celebrations, held within the pastel-pink heaven of Finca La Encina, were captured by James Frost Photography, whose website I may have just lost a good hour to, so incredible are his images. The couple were inspired by botanical colours and shapes, accented with opulent splashes of gold and glitter.

“Designing our wedding was a massive treat for me, I absolutely loved it. I am hugely drawn to botanical designs, deep green and natural colours and textures. I wanted to create a rustic looking wedding but with a modern twist, so we combined these rich natural colours with splashes of gold and glitter. Being a photographer I’m also constantly aware of beautiful light and the effect it has on the atmosphere, so the lighting was really important to me – it was fairy lights central!”

Photography by James Frost

Both Laura and David were inspired by vintage bohemian designs when choosing their big day ensembles and the overall effect is timeless, sultry and romantic, combined with the rustic charm of their venue. Laura chose a Lenora Vendor gown and a breathtaking heavy lace-edged veil, both of which she purchased from Anna Louise Gowns in Birmingham. She paired her divine dress with a simple pair of flats and a sparkling head jewel from Sparkle by Elle.

We have shared some seriously awe-inspiring, wanderlust-inducing weddings here at Love My Dress, many of these destination celebrations taking place in the great outdoors surrounded by stunning scenery, drenched in golden sunlight or dramatically windswept against beautifully rugged landscapes. Laura and David always knew they wanted to hold their union outdoors and the dreamy setting of Finca La Encina afforded them the perfect setting to bring their dreams to life.

“We knew we wanted our wedding day to be entirely outdoors, preferably bathed in sunshine so we quickly began looking further afield than the UK. Mallorca instantly went to the top of our list – the proximity to London, cost of travel and choice of accommodation all played a part, not to mention the stunning beauty of this amazing island.”

“We didn’t want a staffed venue or hotel, we wanted somewhere we could take over for a few days and really personalise for our celebration.”

“After a mammoth internet search we finally found the perfect venue. A secluded county villa in a traditional Mallorcan style. It had instant charm – the colours, the light and above all the striking tropical plant life – the dark greens really played a huge part in the overall styling of the wedding and made the perfect backdrop to the entire day.”

 

“I tried on so many dresses that were all completely different to mine. I tried it on just because it was another dress to try on but I instantly knew it was the one when I cried. I loved how it fitted my body, the silhouette it created and the shoulder detail.”

“It was easy to wear and moved so beautifully. Also, I feel I must say that this dress was less than £400. It wasnt the reason I bought it as I’d budgeted £1000, but I just wanted to say as it is possible to buy a dress for a reasonable price.”

Laura wore a bracelet gifted to her by her sister as well as a pair of emerald earrings given to her by her grandad, along with a spritz of her classic Chanel No.5 perfume. Our beautiful bride styled her own loose waves and applied her make-up with help from her friend Yasmin. Her groom, David, wore a stylish ensemble from Adam of London, which perfectly complemented his bride’s vintage-bohemian vibe.

“David and I met as teenagers, but it didn’t exactly start well! Lets just say we had very different opinions of each other than we do now. We didn’t see each other for years and finally met up again at Glastonbury 2009 – a real milestone moment in ours and our friends lives.”

“We were best friends for a year and finally got together in late 2010. We lived together in London and after buying our home in 2015, Dave asked me to marry him in September 2015 whilst drinking whisky sours in The Shard.”

Laura walked down the outdoor aisle with her dad to Blur’s Tender – a very important track to her and her soon to be husband, redolent with memories of a fateful Glastonbury in 2009. They kept their ceremony simple and heartfelt, exchanging yellow gold rings purchased from London’s Hatton Garden, and surrounded by their loved ones.

“Our celebrant was great and planned our ceremony for us. We didn’t want to write our own ceremony but we felt it was beautifully written and also included a ‘wine box ceremony’ where we sealed a bottle of Mallorcan wine with letters to each other to be opened on our ten-year anniversary. Dave’s Dad Richard wrote a beautiful piece for us about love and marriage, and our groomsman Sandy read John Cooper Clarke’s poem ‘I wanna be yours’.”

“It showed how well he knows us as completely independently we had chosen the Arctic Monkeys version of the poem for our first dance.”

I so adore the images photographer James Frost has captured of this intimate union – these stills are brimming with emotion and sultry romance, the feeling further emphasised by the softest light.

My eyes are inevitably drawn to the sequins of the bridesmaids gowns, shimmering as if in a kind of suspended twilight. Laura’s best girls also wore Mallorcan shells picked from the beach by the bride and strung onto necklace chains.

“James is an incredible talent. I’d been following his work for about a year and managed to convince my fiancé to book him for our day (his fee was higher than we had budgeted but what he has created for us was worth every penny and more!) His use of light and the way he composed the photos is wonderful. I think James’s style blended perfectly with the design of our day.”

“The emotion and energy James captured is incredibly beautiful, and he even treated us to a post-wedding trip up to a cliff side location for some couples portraits – we were all in our element. It was an amazing experience and James was professional and fun throughout. I highly recommend booking him.”

  

After their ceremony, the newlyweds gathered with their family and friends for an al fresco wedding breakfast, the long tables laden with luscious offerings, highlighted with green and gold. Florist Olivia Alexandra styled pineapples against botanical influences, a theme also used in the suite of stationery for the day, designed by the bride.

“Olivia was amazing, she helped me to give coherence to my many ideas to keep it all on point. I asked her to create quite a wild bouquet using a lot of green and a splash of pale pink. She also provided the amazing table decorations – tropical dark green leaves with real gold pineapples. Seeing my vision come to life as she decorated the tables was a real treat for me.”

“The venue was our main decoration with flowers and plants and beautiful stone everywhere. It was a dream! Olivia helped us with strings of fairy lights, flowers, lights around the pool and table decorations, and also draped material around the ceremony area. I also made strings of gold hearts (with reluctant help from Dave) to hang around the bar and dance floor.”

The couple’s outdoor feast was catered by The Cutting Edge, a sumptuous sharing style dinner of delicious food and jewel-toned cocktails. Laura and David paid particular attention to music when planning their day and were particularly proud of the soulful, rich, romantic playlist which accompanied their first meal as husband and wife.

“Seriously, The Cutting Edge are an amazing outfit. The food was top quality and they provided exactly what we wanted – a casual family style dining approach on long tables. The food just kept coming, new plates of exciting, colourful and delicious food served by professional and friendly people. And the drinks flowed all day long, including daiquiri, bellini and tequila.”

=

“It’s impossible to choose a favourite moment. The whole day was perfect – I had a vision for almost two years and it was brought to life in front of my eyes and I couldn’t believe how beautiful everyone and everything was.”

“We are so lucky with the people we know – our friends have been by our sides since childhood and the day was about years of love and togetherness. Lasting relationships between our friends and family have certainly been formed.”

Band Las Lovelies played gorgeous folk music during the reception – a trio of talented musicians including a guitarist and a violinist. I can almost feel a tangible atmosphere when I look at the images of the wedding party celebrating well into the inky night, the festivities prolonged by the couple’s friends Steve, Dave, Tom and Jim, who reformed their band and played an hour-long set.

“Our first dance was to ‘I wanna be yours’ by Arctic Monkeys. It was a tough choice as we didn’t really want to dance in front of everyone but I’m glad we did. It’s a special moment for any couple and it wasn’t embarrassing as quite a few bellinis had been consumed by this point! Music has played a huge part in our relationship and we both love Arctic Monkeys so it was a good choice for us – romantic but not corny.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“My advice would be to imagine every part of the day and think of all the little details. The sounds, the sights and the mood you want to create. Anything you can make yourself or personalise is amazing because it’s yours, and weddings should reflect the couple. Also if you overspend on anything, make it the photographer.”

I wholeheartedly agree with Laura’s wise words of advice, a brilliant photographer is worth every single penny. If you’re newly engaged and a little daunted by why to even start in finding ‘the one’,  I recommend a perusal of our curated directory, Little Book for Brides where we’ve handpicked some of the very best in the business.

That just leaves me to thank the lovely Laura (who you can find on Instagram by the way), David and the very talented James Frost Photography for allowing us to share this truly beautiful celebration. And now I’m off to plan a holiday, or another wedding…

With love,

Em x