Creative Touches and Persian Inspiration in an Elegant Bath Wedding

Well with just six days to go until Christmas it’s time to get my act together and finish my shopping and get feeling festive. Are all of you lovelies feeling suitably seasonal? It’s actually my birthday (and the first birthday of my baby nephew) in two days time, and I always feel more festive once that’s over.

Enough talk of Christmas. Let’s go back to July this year, to Bath specifically, for the wedding of Payam and Becca. The pair married in an elegant civil ceremony at the Tea Room in Bath’s Assembly Rooms on 8 July 2017 with a marquee reception at nearby Hamswell House. Becca and Payam wanted to celebrate their family heritage; Payam is half-Persian whilst Becca has German and Jewish roots, so they wove traditional elements in to their summery day with its creative, garden-party vibe.

Photography Rusted Rose Photography

Following Baha’i tradition, Payam and Becca went together to both sets of parents after getting engaged to ask for their blessings. Do any of you lovelies have traditions like this that you wish to honour? Our private Love My Dress Facebook group, which Becca is a valued member of, is the perfect place to discuss them so please do join if you’re not already a member.

“I used the Love My Dress Facebook group. I’m not very good at sitting and reading long posts, but I love the friendliness of this group.”Becca’s graceful gown with its tones of gold, beautifully full skirt and detailed bodice is a Justin Alexander Signature design. I love how it looks perfect against both the Georgian architecture of the Assembly Rooms and the green gardens of Hamswell House.

“It was the second dress I tried on and I instantly adored the silk organza fabric of the skirt. I had fancied a full skirt and a train (when else can you wear one?!) and loved the way that this soft flowing fabric fell. One of my requirements was something I could dance a ceilidh in, so I didn’t anything want  anything too structured, as it would be hard to hold up by myself. They added a dancing loop and I slung it over my arm! The beaded bodice and low back were absolutely stunning with the sparkly detail beautifully complementing the plain skirt.”

They chose their Somerset venue because Becca grew up in the area and had seen Bath’s Assembly Rooms used as a wedding venue as a little girl.

“We had looked at about ten venues and not found anything that felt quite right. We had realised that we really wanted two venues, but it was proving difficult to find a special ceremony venue given that we were having a civil ceremony and churches weren’t an option. We went back for a final venue-hunting weekend and as soon as we pulled into Hamswell House we both knew immediately that it was the one.”

Payam, a scientist, met Becca, who works in healthcare, on a skiing holiday six years ago and became engaged to each other on holiday in Mallorca in spring 2016.

“We spent time together in a big group during that week, and at the end of the week our friendship was sealed with a Facebook add. There was no romance at that stage. However, we began messaging, although only every few weeks at first. The messages became gradually more frequent, and by summer of 2012 we  were emailing each other several times a day. It was rather like a modern version of a hand-written letter correspondence.”

“Needless to say it took up a LOT of time! Payam invited me up to visit him for the weekend and the rest is history. We got engaged in Mallorca in April 2016 on the veranda of a beautiful restaurant in the mountains. It wasn’t a grand proposal but more of an accidental discussion that led to us agreeing to get married. Our own fairy tale story – an equal decision that we made together!”

The groom asked his two brothers to be best men and all three ordered made to measure suits from Suitsupply. For a super-smart look he chose an Egyptian cotton shirt and silk tie, also from Suitsupply, a silk pocket square from Hugo Boss and Marks and Spencer shoes.

To accentuate that gorgeous skirt, Becca found a chapel-length dark ivory veil with appliquéd lace detailing at short notice.

“I had planned to wear my mother-in-law’s veil as my ‘something borrowed’ but it was so much brighter white than my dress that sadly it didn’t look right. With two weeks to go, my wonderful mum found my veil in shop called Devlin Bridal Couture in Trowbridge and the lovely Michelle helped us to source it quickly.”

I fell in love with the bridesmaids’ maxi-dresses as soon as I saw them. Found at Hobbs, they look so elegant and summery with their sprinkling of dainty blue flowers. Becca gifted them gold and lapis lazuli drop earrings, and their sparkly hair accessories were purchased from Amazon, ebay and Claire’s.

Florist Fiona Haser Bizony who owns Electric Daisy Flower Farm arranged these charming bouquets with their wild, undone feel.

“We both try to live in sustainable and environmentally-friendly ways, and absolutely loved Fiona and her approach. The flowers are all grown on the farm, which is fifteen minutes from Bath. That means they are all completely local, seasonal and no air miles. Fiona goes out and cuts things that are in bloom the day before so although we agreed a colour scheme, the actual flowers we would have on the day were a surprise.”

“She made the bouquets for bride and bridesmaids, bridal hair comb and ceremony arrangements. She provided three big buckets of flowers and foliage the day before the wedding which we collected and took to Hamswell House. Our mums, bridesmaid Ellie and friend Lauren set to and arranged all the table flowers.”

The couple said traditional vows chosen from the options at Bath Registry Office, adding personal touches through their choices of music and readings, which included ‘A Blessing For Wedding’, selected and read by Payam’s dad. Another local supplier, Nicholas Wylde, made the wedding rings.

“The ceremony was incredibly special and hugely enhanced by the beautiful music. We were so blessed to be able to have a choir, and one conducted by our family friend Nigel.”

“The choir sang Eric Whitacre’s ‘This Marriage’, the words of which are a poem by the poet Rumi. This was very important to both of us, for the Persian influence, and because Becca is a big fan of choral music and has adored this piece of music for many years.”

After the ceremony, the bride adapted her style for the more relaxed reception by removing the veil and adding a pretty floral comb made by her florist. The darker tones of the flowers look so wonderful against her dark hair. Gold jewellery – flower drop earrings and a gold bracelet borrowed from her mum, and a family heirloom ring in gold and sapphire – pick up on the warm hue of the gown, and gold, sparkly Debenhams shoes add yet more glamour.

Following the marriage, the bride was swept away to the garden reception, and had a few minutes with her new husband for these images by Rusted Rose Photography against the rolling Somerset hills. Becca found photographer Colin Clay through our Facebook group.

“Becca saw someone else’s wedding photos which were taken by Marshall Grey. We weren’t able to book Marshall, but he recommended us to Colin. His style is really relaxed and friendly and he is so passionate about the photography. It is very fun watching him get so excited when he is taking photos and is getting good shots! He’s not afraid to adopt unusual positions, lie on the floor or direct people as he needs to in order to get the photos he wants. When we met up with him we went for a few drinks, and ended up chatting away like old friends! So many guests told us after the wedding how much they had enjoyed meeting him and how friendly he was. He even sat on a table with our friends in the wedding reception.”

Looking oh-so-cool, the bride and her dad travelled to the Assembly Rooms in his red MGB. If you’ve ever been to Bath you’ll know that they must have made a magnificent entrance! They walked in, with the bride looking positively regal, to the sound of Gerald Finzi’s ‘My Spirit Sang All Day’ sung by members of Bath Bach Choir conducted by Nigel Perrin, who Becca’s mum sings with.

It’s always lovely to hear how brides have involved their friends and family in the run-up to their day and Becca and Payam know some truly creative people.

“We weren’t able to afford a videographer but asked Becca’s brother James to film the ceremony so that we could show our grandparents, who weren’t able to attend. He owns an online video co-creation platform and makes video advertising, so has experience in this area.  He went over and above, filming on two phones from different angles and making us a wedding video that was much more than we had expected.”

With such lovely sunshine the guests were able to enjoy the drinks reception, with music from a jazz quartet made up of the couple’s friends, outside. The spacious marquee feels like an extension of the gardens with its floral and foliage decoration. The couple interspersed long ivy garlands (made from garden twine and faux-ivy) with yards of warm white fairy lights. A country-touch was added with wooden trestle tables, an old theatre bar and wooden barrels used as drinks tables, all from Bath Vintage Hire.

If you’re looking for a creative wedding favour idea please take inspiration from Becca. Her mum grew lavender plants in her greenhouse and planted them up in mini terracotta pots bought online. So pretty and a lovely-smelling reminder of the day! The couple wrote their guests’ names on lollipop sticks which were ‘planted’ in the pots, and Becca made the ‘Order of Day’ sign using an old wooden pallet from Payam’s dad’s garage and designed a menu blackboard using scrap wood of her own dad’s . She also built a wedding website and designed the Save the Dates which were sent through Paperless Post. Invitations were from Cotton Letterpress and bridesmaid Ellie designed the ceremony programmes.

During the evening Persian sweets, provided by Payam’s parents, were served up along with this incredible fairytale-inspired gingerbread castle cake.

“My aunt made the cake and as its base made four cakes that were all family recipes that my granny and great aunt used to make. She spent months trialling gingerbread recipes and circular moulds for the turrets.”

If you’ve never associated Morris men with weddings, then think again! After the wedding breakfast, the Bathampton Morris Men arrived to get the party started in true country style. Just wow. More dancing followed with a ceilidh played by The Ship Band and called by the couple’s friend Phil Bassindale.

“We didn’t have a proper first dance as we had already had so much of our favourite music and didn’t want to just play one random song before the ceilidh started. So we started the ceilidh off as our first dance instead.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“I would recommend asking for people’s help and favours, because it really makes it much more personal and special (and saves money). People will be delighted to be asked, even if it’s only the ‘little’ stuff to you.”

“Ultimately, keep reminding yourselves that the most important thing at the core of it all is the marriage. In the end, that is what it is really about: love, commitment, celebration, family and friends. Try not to get sucked into the little things and the consumerism, because it will surround you. If you notice that is happening, sit down with your partner, open a bottle of wine and laugh together. Remember the core reason of the whole thing.”

“We tried to think things through, not rush our decisions and support each other throughout the process. I would recommend all of those strategies to someone else.”

“Finally, remember there is no such thing as ‘perfect’. There is better and worse, but not perfect. Go with what your gut tells you, as your instincts are probably right.”

Payam and Becca, sending many thanks and congratulations on your marriage. What a beautiful venue and I’m so inspired by the thought and creativity you put in to your day. Many thanks also to Rusted Rose Photography for your emotive and beautiful photography.

Ele xx