A Red Silk Amanda Wakeley Dress for an Oscars Glamorous Inspired Tinder Wedding

Hello to all of you lovely brides on this hump day, if you are having a sluggish week, then the colour in today’s wedding is sure to lift your mood. Meet Nicola and Nick, Nicola is an artist and Nick a Senior Claims Underwriter, they married in a stylishly moody, autumnal setting at Fanhams Hall on the 30th of October 2015. This wedding is not only glamorous but has serious style added too, black never seems to fails as the colour of choice for the bridal party, add to that the deliciously deep tones of red with the brides dress and the flowers. This isn’t just celebrating the fact that Nicola chose to wear an alternative colour to white, but every now and then you see a bride wearing a dress that just suits her so perfectly, and Nicola has done just that, from the colour to the cut, she looks absolutely amazing.

Nicola is clearly not one for traditions and chose to get wed in the most beautiful crimson red Amanda Wakeley dress, that she found almost immediately on her first day of dress shopping, in Harvey Nichols, the colour looks absolutely stunning on our bride. The couple didn’t have a specific theme for their wedding but simplicity and elegance, was just what they wanted.

“The dress code was ‘Evening glamour/ dark suits’ and we said if anyone needed inspiration to think of the Oscars. I always knew I didn’t want to wear a white wedding dress. For me it was a chance to get a beautiful evening gown and go for something colourful or with a stunning print design. I am known for always wearing black, so I knew that was a definite no no! The dress had a 1930s old Hollywood feel about it, so that inspired the rest of my look and jewellery. I commissioned Sarah Doran to create a headpiece and long back necklace, adapting a gorgeous vintage brooch my cousin had given me.”

Nicola and Nick are ridiculously modern meeting through the dating app Tinder, and after a whirlwind romance the pair decided to get married. Read on, Nick sounds like a complete sweetheart!

“We met on Tinder and as I am a total romantic this was the last place I ever expected to find my future husband! Apparently on our first date Nick sent a message to his friends saying ‘I’ve met the future Mrs. Rogers’. We got engaged 9 months later! Nick proposed in the middle of Highgate Wood surrounded by trees, which are one of my favourite things in the world.”

The couple discovered artistic photographer Chiron Cole after a recommendation from Rebecca’s best friend, often the best way to find suppliers for your wedding day.

“Having seen her work and then meeting in person, I knew she would be perfect. Her photos are so natural and joyous; she really captures all the atmosphere and characters on the day. Plus her approach is very gentle and subtle.”

“Chiron made us feel so at ease and never asked us to do any forced poses or re-enact a moment just for the camera. We received 100s of photos from Chiron the other day and we are absolutely delighted with them.”

Fanhams Hall was the third venue the couple viewed and soon fell in love with the history and charm of the house.

“The two of us just knew immediately it was perfect. It is a converted Jacobean Manor House with beautiful original features, so there is a lovely sense of history and time past.”

Sally Murray of Halo Blossom was hired to create and style the floral arrangements and decorations for the day, working in perfect harmony with the season.

“Sally Murray was so fabulous to work with and totally understood the look/feel we were going for and that we wanted the flowers to feel in no way contained or structured. My bridal bouquet was in the style of a full, tumbling 1930s-style bouquet and it was just perfect on the day.”

The stylish groom wore a custom made suit from his local tailor with a bespoke shirt from Austin Reed, including his initials sewn onto the right sleeve and a silver collar bar from Reiss with a classic pair of Barker shoes.

“Nick’s three-piece suit was made by wonderful Arthur at ‘Aprile-Smith Bespoke Tailor’ based in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Nick has been going to him for years and he is an exceptional tailor. He is very old school so doesn’t have a website but you can reach him on 01702 477907. On the day Nick wore a Brioni silk turquoise knitted tie, he then changed into a fabulous black bowtie by Lanvin in the evening and added some colour to his look with a paint splattered Paul Smith pocket square.”

“We decided to go for an intimate afternoon ceremony with just over 40 family and friends, followed by a few hours break and then another 100 guests came for a big evening party. The invitations we sent out asked our loved ones to ‘Join us to celebrate life & love’ and that’s exactly what we did – it was magical!”

 

“For our ceremony we used Fanhams striking Long Gallery. I felt most nervous when the doors to this room opened and I could hear the cellist Lucy start to play but when I came round the corner arm in arm with my Dad and saw everyone looking back at us, my nerves just vanished and I don’t think I stopped smiling all day.”

“Our ceremony felt very special and personal, as my Dad and cousin Zarah played a stunning song and my brother Simon and cousin Ciara choose poems that meant a great deal. Then later in the afternoon my two nephews Alfie and Albert performed a comical poem and emotional love song – there was not a dry eye in the room!”

“Amanda Croke transformed my hair perfectly, listening to the style I wanted, as well as knowing how to adapt it to suit me. She was an absolute dream to work with and made the morning of my wedding so stress-free.”

Nicola’s beautiful bridesmaids and handsome nephews looked like something from a James Bond film, in their stylish black gowns and dapper black tuxedos, which all looked amazing next to Nicola’s crimson dress. A very stylish bridal party indeed!

“We’d put aside a whole girlie day to try on loads of frocks but in the end I was only in Harvey Nichols for about five minutes when I saw my dream dress. I was with my Mum, sister Sorcha and cousin Ciara and when I tried it on there was that lovely moment of butterflies and eyes welling up. We then had the rest of the day to drink bubbles and celebrate!”

 

 “With the flowers and decorations we wanted to compliment and subtly add to the rooms, plus take inspiration from the beautiful grounds and trees outside. We went with autumnal and wintery tones, with lots of rich dark velvety reds and grey/silver cascading foliage, asparagus fern and ivy. We also had lots of candles set on log slabs, surrounded by beds of moss and berries.”

Nicola’s cousin Eimear, lovingly made a 3 tier decadent dark chocolate and red velvet cake for the newlyweds, drizzled with a rather delicious looking layer of chocolate.

For the wedding breakfast, the couple decided to celebrate it’s namesake and had actual breakfast! I totally wish that I had thought of this for my own wedding, brunch is just the best!

“Everyone loves breakfast right?! Well my favourite meal has always been breakfast and I could eat it all day. So we had a brunch in the afternoon and the chef came up with a scrumptious four-course menu. In the evening we wanted to match the food with the elegant dressed-up feel, so we went with an eight-course canapé menu.”

“My brother Simon organised all the music and DJ’d in the evening, with assistance from the radiant Jen (his girlfriend). He is an amazing poet/musician, so there was not a chance he wouldn’t do a brilliant job, plus we knew he would love it. One of my favourite moments of the whole day was looking out across the room and seeing everyone dancing like crazy, there was so much happiness in the room!”

 

Word of Wedded Wisdom

“In terms of advice I would say two things. 1. Involve people in your day that you trust, love and admire and you can’t go wrong 2. Remember ‘Happiness is infectious. If you are happy and enjoying yourself, so will everyone else.’ That is something my wonderfully wise Mum said to us quite a few times in the lead up to the wedding and she was so right!

This is also the perfect time to thank you Mum, as your impeccable taste, patience and attention to detail helped make our day exceptional.”

Thank you so much Nicola and Nick for sharing your wonderful day with us and to Chiron for these beautiful images. Nicola once again, I must applaud you for your simply stunning choice of dress!

If Nicola has inspired you and you are thinking of wearing an alternative wedding dress for your big day, then don’t be afraid to take a look at this blog post for some more inspiration!

Bianca x

 

Photographer – Chiron Cole
Venue – Fanhams Hall
Wedding Dress – Amanda Wakeley from Harvey Nichols
Accessories – Sarah Doran
Groom – Aprile-Smith Bespoke Tailor suit 01702 477907, Austin Reed shirt, Brioni tie, Lanvin bowtie, Paul Smith pocket square, Reiss tie bar and Barker shoes.
Florist – Halo Blossom
Cake – Bride’s cousin
Entertainment – Bride’s brother
Hair Stylist – Amanda Croke