A Fit and Flare dress by Pronovias for a Flower-Filled and Paris-Inspired Wedding

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Weddings should be personal I think, no doubt about it, so its always especially lovely when a couple go out of their way to make the day completely ‘theirs’.

Meet Helen, a junior doctor, and Pete, a GP, who met at medical school and married at the beautiful Boconnoc House, near Lostwithiel in Cornwall on the 24th June 2017.  This whole day is such a lovely combination of the couple’s favourite things- giraffes and surfing to name just two- and was planned to perfection by Helen Hopkins of Pudding Bridge.

Film by Cupcake Videos




Helen looked fabulous in ‘Mildred’ by Pronovias, which she purchased at Noble & Wright Atelier in Leicester, along with her cathedral length veil (by Noble & Wright).

“Hannah Noble was wonderful and helped me find my dream dress and style it perfectly.  I always thought I was too curvy to pull off a fit and flare gown, but Hannah put me in this stunning dress and I felt fantastic!  It was so beautifully made that it gave me the shape that I had wanted.”

“Every dress that I had been drawn to had been heavily beaded and lacy but in reality that style just didn’t suit me.  Hannah pushed me out of my comfort zone and put me in this crisp, clean dress.  The dramatic train was beyond stunning and I could just imagine being stood at the alter with it flowing behind me which made me very giddy.  Hannah teamed the dress with a Swarovski crystal belt (also by Pronovias) for that added bit of sparkle and glamour.”

Images by Josh Gooding

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“We chose Boconnoc House as it was important to us to get married in Cornwall where we both live, and to have our family and friends on site.  Dogs were also allowed in both the cottage and church and it was very important to us that our dog Izzy was part of our day- he even had his own bow tie to match the groomsmen.”

On her feet Helen wore Francesca by our Little Book for Brides member, Emmy London, which she purchased at Bridal House of Cornwall in Truro.

In the evening she swapped to a pair of Ted Baker flip flops in white with a rose gold bow detail, to allow her to dance to her heart’s content.

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To accessorise Helen chose her mum’s diamond and white gold bracelet and earrings, a garter by OneFancyDay and a spritz of J’adore by Dior.

Helen wore her hair in a half up, half down style by Joanne Innis of Goldberg Hair Design, showing off her beautiful long locks while adding a bit of 1960’s style volume with added sparkle from her Donna Crain headdress.  For make up she chose a fresh and natural look, perfect for a summers day, which was the work of Ella Butler.

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Without a doubt the most important part of the wedding decor was the flowers.  Helen’s mother passed away suddenly just six months after Helen and Pete got engaged.  She was a floral designer and would have been in charge of the wedding flowers so Helen and Pete decided the best way to honour her was to flood the venue in flowers so that they could remember her on their special day.  Big and bold was the brief.

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In many ways, florist Phillip Corps had one of the hardest jobs of the whole day, as it was his role to bring to life Helen and Pete’s vision for the flowers, which had such an important personal and emotional connection.  Philip really pulled the stops out and the outcome was just incredible.

Peonies and roses were Helen’s Mum’s favourites (and also Helen’s) so these played a big part in all the bouquets and arrangements, all in pale pinks and whites, with the occasional splash of deep pink to add depth.   Helen’s bouquet also included a photo charm of her mum- another way to keep her close on the day.

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The most incredible floral arch adorned the church door and everywhere guests turned, flowers covered every surface.  At the wedding breakfast, large tree arrangements draped in hydrangeas, roses and peonies provided the centrepieces.  Placed on sequin tablecloths provided by Pudding Bridge, they really had the wow factor.

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The bridesmaids looked summery in rose pink gowns from Tiffanys, purchased from Divine Boutique, while the little flower girl looked very sweet in a pink gown from our Little Book for Brides membersMonsoon.

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“Pete proposed during a city break to Paris in the gardens at Versailles.  We celebrated that night with champagne and macaroons which was the inspiration for our favours and the colour scheme of our day.”

Pete is a keen surfer and wished to incorporate this into the day, so the couple even had surfboard button holes and Pete gave up one of his beloved surfboards to be painted pink and turned into a table plan.

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Helen’s older brother James accompanied her down the aisle to ‘Tale As Old As Time’ from Beauty and the Beast, performed by The Wedding String Quartet.

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To pay tribute to Helen’s mother, she and Pete wrote a page about her in their Order of Service, detailing the ways in which they were honouring her memory (in their choices of flowers, music etc).  Something which I really love is that they also placed a large hat on the front pew of the church in ‘her’ seat, as she had always said she wanted to have the biggest hat in the church.

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Helen and Pete chose two readings.  The first, ‘A love poem between two lovers’ (Song of Solomon) and the second ‘Union’ by Robert Fulghum.  To cement their vows they then exchanged rings from Michael Spiers Exclusive Jewellery, where Pete purchased Helen’s engagement ring.

“We are both in agreement that the best part of the whole day was the church ceremony itself.  Despite all the planning and the stressing about all the tiny details, no one can prepare you for how wonderful and magical it feels to walk down the aisle towards the person that you love and exchange your vows in front of your closest friends and family.  Our vicar was superb and everyone commented on what a lovely and personal ceremony it was.”

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The talent behind the lens today was Josh Gooding, who captured every precious moment on camera, while Cupcake Videos put together a moving film for extra memories.

“Josh was simply amazing; he captured the day beautifully and was just a dream to work with.”

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Catering company Posh Nosh provided the wedding breakfast, while super cool cocktail van Beetle Juice served ‘his and her’ cocktails from their VW campervan for the drinks reception.  For evening food, guests were treated to crepes from Cornish Crepes, who provided an assortment of flavours to suit every taste.

Stationery was designed by Amanda Michelle and Helen and Pete chose the Blush Watercolour style with gold leaf- perfect fr their colour scheme.

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The stunning four-tier cake was the work of award-winning cake designer Jennifer-Michelle Wells of Edible Essence and came in four mouth watering flavours: coffee, pecan and salted caramel; lemon; carrot, pecan and orange; and black forest.  I cannot tell you how much I would love to enjoy a slice of each tier right now!

Edible Essence also provided the macaron favours, which doubled up as placenames with tags from Ginger Ray.

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Evening entertainment was provided by band Bill Ding & The Skyscrapers, while Helen’s brother James, of James Martin Entertainment played a DJ set after the band finished, keeping everyone dancing long into the night.

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Pete and Helen enjoyed their first dance to ‘You’re my best friend’ by Queen, providing their guests with a choreographed performance which they had learned with Vox Dance.

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Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Take five minutes before you have to leave for the ceremony.  Even if everyone’s rushing you out of the door just look in the mirror, make sure you’re happy, have a little reflection etc.  Just take some time for yourself and breathe.

After all of the formalities had finished and whilst the band were still playing, our photographer and videographer took us off for half an hour to shoot some footage within the grounds of the venue.  This was the first time all day that we had been alone together and it was lovely to have some time just the two of us, to catch up and reflect.”

Finally, get wedding insurance.  We cannot emphasize this enough.  Our original wedding venue went into liquidation and we would have lost a substantial amount of money without it.”

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So many thanks to Helen and Pete for sharing this stunning day with us all.  I think I need to go look at the pictures all over again!

S x

Credits & Thanks

Shona Raffle-Edwards

Shona Raffle-EdwardsView all Shona's articles

Shona is a wedding admiring bookworm with a love of the countryside, flowers and all things organisational who is currently based in sunny Yorkshire with her husband and beloved cat

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