Joy by Jenny Packham, for a Stylish New York Bride and her English Groom…

Good afternoon my darlings! :)  Wedding number three for today {have you seen one and two yet?}.  I'm having a bit of a real-wedding weekend extravaganza, if you will 🙂

This feature celebrates the super stylish nuptials of English man John and New York wife Esther, who tied the knot in June this year at The Chewton Glen in New Milton

Esther wore the glorious 'Joy' dress by Jenny Packham…

"I bought my first wedding dress back in October, a few days after John and I got engaged. I was walking past the Alice Temperley boutique in Soho and decided to stop in; about an hour later, I emerged with the Honeysuckle gown, without having had a single sip of Champagne, and worse yet, without an unbiased second opinion.  Fast-forward a few months, to a growing sense of dread in my stomach, better known as panic. I kept trying dear Honeysuckle on; I kept pulling at it this way and that; I kept wondering what jewelry to wear, which shoes, how to do my hair. And that's when it hit me: The dress looked terrible, because it was totally wrong for me!

After some deep breaths and a call to John, who was away on business in San Francisco, I decided to post the dress to absolutely every pre-owned wedding dress site in the universe, and get on with the business of finding a dress that was not about looking like a bride, but more about feeling like me.  I remembered Jenny Packham from a writing project years earlier, and so I started to do a little research on her latest collections. As soon as I saw her Joy dress, I knew it was the one: long and form-fitting but still flowing and comfortable—and above all, sequinned from head to toe, so that no other accessories would be needed…"

Love My Dress Wedding Blog – Photography Copyright (c) 2011, Guy Collier

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (90 of 145)

"One hurdle still stood in my way: Joy wasn't available anywhere in the US, so in order to get my hands on her, a seriously crazy plan of action had to be put in motion. I won't go into the frenzied details, but let's just say it involved a cross-Atlantic flight, lots of driving around London, lots of running around Mayfair, and lots of sitting in traffic. (John is the most patient guy ever)…"

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (58 of 145)

"We were so grateful that Lynne could fit us in at the last minute, after a friend of ours who'd offered to do all of our flowers unexpectedly pulled out of the wedding. It was initially a bit of a challenge to find a florist online; we wanted a simple, natural look, very unfussy, using a lot of peonies and incorporating other English garden flowers such as lisianthus, sweet peas, and lavender. Everything from the tables to the bouquet turned out great, thanks to Lynne!"

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (20 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (58 of 145)

"During the months leading up to our June wedding, I scoured eBay for enough vintage glass water goblets for each guest at the wedding. I had fallen in love with the peacock-blue of a particular style known as Colony Park Lane, and I really wanted to incorporate them into the wedding décor…."

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (104 of 145)

"John looked so handsome and happy in his navy-blue suit and Thomas Mason gingham shirt, both from J. Crew…"

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (90 of 145)trans


I give you Joy, by Jenny Packham, a beautifully embellished column dress of gorgeousness…

"Part of what attracted me to the Joy is that it was covered in sequins and beading, and as such could stand on its own. I needed very few additional accessories: I borrowed a pair of diamond stud earrings from my mother, and wore my beloved engagement ring, an antique Art Deco ring set with diamonds and sapphires that John chose. And that's it!"

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (104 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (32 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (1 of 145)

"I had a makeup trial at the Chewton Glen a few days before my wedding, and realized very quickly that I didn't want to wear more makeup than I do on a daily basis. So I cancelled my wedding-day appointment, and John drove me to John Lewis in Southampton so I could stock up on a few essentials that I hadn't brought to the UK. I probably didn't do the most flawless job, but that's the unexpected bonus of having a ceremony start at 5PM: soft light and a sun that's going down…"

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (32 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (32 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (32 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (104 of 145)

We decided not to have attendants at our wedding, and only had a flower girl: lovely Gladys, the 3-year-old daughter of close friends of mine. Her dress was from Crewcuts, which is the children's line from J. Crew, and her floral circlet was made by our florist, Lynne…"

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (32 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (32 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (58 of 145)

"A large part of my job involves interior design, so I'm pretty particular about what I like. It was an immense privilege to get married at the beautiful Chewton Glen, and yet I also wanted elements of our wedding, such as the fun BBQ we hosted the night before and the details of our dinner, to incorporate the humor and laid-back sensibility that I think defines me and John as people. We chose to add little touches here and there that would feel familiar (and ultimately be quite memorable) to those who really know us…"

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (58 of 145)

"The Chewton Glen was first suggested to us by my Father, whose brother lives nearby the hotel. He's stayed there many times over the years and loves it, and he thought it would be the perfect place for a big celebration. Once John and I thought about it, we agreed that it made sense; John is originally from just outside Portsmouth while my family is from outside Amsterdam, hence the Chewton Glen was a sensible halfway-point for both sides of our families…"

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (58 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (58 of 145) 

"I was never one for romance or thoughts of true love, and dating in NYC was, simply put, crap; seriously, not for the faint of heart. I certainly felt tired and jaded by the time I got ready for a date with this certain Englishman.  But now I can honestly say that those cliches you hear are true. I knew from the very moment I met John—it was pouring rain outside and his eyeglasses had steamed up when he arrived at the restaurant, apologising profusely for having arrived after I did—that he was my one and only. I feel very lucky to have found such a special, kind, thoughtful guy and to have been able to celebrate our wedding so fully with so many people we love!!"

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (90 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (90 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (104 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (104 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (104 of 145)

"We donated money to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in honor of our guests, and had the company that designed our invites and programs, Rifle Design, create charity favor cards to be used at each place setting. The design incorporated our 3 beloved cats—Emma, Ollie, and Alfie—thereby adding a personal touch to the tables and also promoting a charity that both of us really believe in.

We also brought block-printed napkins for each setting, since we wanted some design elements to be a real reflection of our everyday style. Friends of ours from San Francisco actually helped us finish ironing them the night before the wedding; it was their present to us, and we couldn't have been more grateful!"

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (1 of 145)

"When it came to the little blue goblets we had sorced, John was such a good sport and actually packed a whole suitcase full of them for a trip over to England in April. We told our guests that if they wanted one, they could feel free to take theirs home, and when the festivities were over there were only four left. (We saw some cheeky friends carrying them out by the armload, which we totally applauded – we didn't want to fly them back to the US!!)…"

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (1 of 145)

"Another element that stands out was our table numbers. I had the most impossible time finding simple, modern table number templates online. Everything seemed too formal else naff, and I really wanted to incorporate a bit of humor into the décor. So I took a bunch of childhood photos of us and designed and printed a different one for each table. I know it's such an unimportant detail, but they added a nice bit of faded 1970s color (reds, browns, blues) to the overall scheme and gave guests a chance to walk around and check out the different pictures…"

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (1 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (104 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (104 of 145) 

Words of Wedded Wisdom…

"Make your wedding your own! If you have the time and the inclination, try to incorporate some personal elements into your day, as these are the details your guests will remember and they are, most importantly, the details that you'll be happiest you put your energy into. I'm particularly happy that we wrote our own vows, because despite stage fright on my part, it means that we made promises to each other that are very personal and meaningful to us.  On the other hand, there are so many great blogs to read that the whole planning process can very quickly become totally overwhelming because there are countless ideas out there. Take a deep breath, decide what's important, go with your gut regarding what you like, and then steady the course. You don't need every little crafty touch in order to have a lovely wedding.

Finally: Celebrate love and don't let the little stresses and details get you down. Focusing on the love makes everything else seem comparatively unimportant.

By the way, I sold the Honeysuckle gown to a girl in DC, who is planning an outdoor wedding in September. I felt like such a stereotypical bridezilla/diva to have switched dresses, but I'm so happy it all worked out the way that it did. I felt so special in the Joy dress and I know John loved it too. Not every detail of your wedding will matter; I cancelled my bridal makeup the day before my wedding because I realized I didn't really care about having the perfect smokey eye. But the dress, THAT I really wanted to get right ;)"

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (58 of 145)

Esther and John for Love My Dress - Guy Collier Photography (90 of 145)

Super chic and classy all round – big congratulations Esther and John for your beautiful Chewton Glen wedding and thank you so very much Ester for taking the time to send in all this information.

Huge thanks to Guy Collier too, for sharing these lovely photographs…

"John and I agree that it was the best money we spent; it was such a pleasure to work with Guy, and we will cherish his photos forever."

Bravo! 😉

Come on the JP fans – any of your wearing Joy for your big day? You can see other Brides wearing Joy on Love My Dress here, and see many other Jenny Packham Brides here too.

Mich love,

Annabel xXx

 

Photographer – Guy Collier
Venue – The Chewton Glen in New Milton
Brides Dress – Jenny Packham
Brides shoes – Gap ballet flats
Flowergirl – Crewcuts via J. Crew
Groom – J. Crew
Flowers – Fiori by Lynne

Annabel

Annabel View all Annabel's articles

Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.

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